His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday said regional peace and security will not be attained through Israel's unilateral actions in Jerusalem, its continued building of settlements and barriers or its use of armed force, but by reaching a final peace settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state solution.

King Abdullah made the remarks in a taped message addressing participants in the First National J Street Conference. Based in Washington, J Street is a US-Jewish political action committee that advocates the two-state solution and rejects Israeli settlement activity in the Palestinian territories.

In the message, King Abdullah stressed that the Arab Peace Initiative has offered a path to a new future in which Arabs and Israelis can live in peace.

"The initiative seeks a peace that can last, through a comprehensive settlement that meets the Palestinians' right to freedom and statehood and guarantees Israel's security and acceptance in the region," he said.

"The initiative is not just about the two-state solution. It is about regional peace, about Israel having normal ties with all Arab and Muslim states, 57 states that still do not recognise it," he added. In the message, held under the theme, “Driving Change, Securing Peace”, King Abdullah stressed the area's need for a better future: "One in which people can live a normal existence; with their countries secure; their region at peace; and their children free to build safe, prospering lives".

"The price of failure [to achieve peace] will be too high for all, for the Israelis, for the Palestinians, for the region, and for America's national interest in a free and stable world," the King told the participants.

In the message, the King voiced appreciation for US President Barack Obama's efforts to relaunch peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis and for his commitment to achieving peace in the Middle East.

J Street advocates the Palestinians' right to set up an independent sovereign state next to Israel, on the basis of the 1967 borders. It also calls for a comprehensive peace in the Middle East by building on the Arab Peace Initiative, and has expressed its concern about the policies of the present right-wing Israeli government on more than one occasion.