His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday urged Palestinian factions to end internal fighting in Gaza. He said the violence must stop for the sake of the Palestinian people, and for the sake of Palestine.

Addressing a gathering of prominent peace activists, King Abdullah stressed the need to act with courage, vision, and determination in building momentum for peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. By letting events drift, he added "we will be looking at years of more violence and destruction before another such opportunity opens."

The meeting in Aqaba which included Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian activists was organized by the Arab Center for Democracy and Peace Studies.

King Abdullah told the group that as leaders in their own communities, they had a prominent and urgent role to play in achieving peace and stability in the Middle East. "2007 is a decision point. The Arab countries are unified behind the Arab Peace Initiative," he said noting that amid new international will to solve the crisis, the peace process is commanding new attention from leadership on both sides.

King Abdullah told the gathering, which drew more than 200 participants, that Palestinians and Israelis want a negotiated settlement, an end to crisis and destruction and the opportunities and benefits of peace.

He urged them to empower every generation, especially youth, to reclaim their future from the divisions and violence of the past. "Your leadership is needed to help people create a new and believable vision for our region," King Abdullah said. "Too many people know what it is to feel anger, sorrow, and grievance. Help them remember the solidarity of successful peace - the hope; the empowerment; the sense of new opportunity."

King Abdullah addressed the group as part of his efforts to build official and popular support for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations within the framework of the Arab Peace Initiative.

Chairman of the Arab Center for Democracy and Peace Studies, Dr. Abdul Salam Majali, briefed His Majesty on the ideas and proposals that were discussed. The two-day meeting, he said, was intended to draft action plans to activate the role of civil society in promoting the Arab Peace Initiative.

Majali said the Arab Peace Initiative is in line with His Majesty's efforts to serve the cause of peace and revive the long stalled peace process through serious negotiations on the basis of the initiative.

King Abdullah has held a series of meetings with Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli peace activists to encourage the voice of moderation and coexistence and foster peace by promoting the Arab proposal and garnering more support for it.

In a statement at the end of their meetings, delegates stressed the need for officials to adopt the initiative, which constitutes a historic opportunity to advance peace, as a framework for peace negotiations.

The communiqué also said achieving comprehensive peace provides an environment conducive to security, prosperity and genuine cooperation and normalization. It added that the deliberations reinforced the potential for cooperation in promoting the Arab Peace Initiative whereby an action plan was developed in the form of a non-governmental steering committee. The plan aims to promote the initiative by reaching out to forums in the region and abroad, widening the circle of participation and mobilizing Arab and Jewish groups in the world. The delegates also emphasized the role of Israeli public institutions and their supporters in the effort.