Interview with His Majesty King Abdullah II
"Jordan's King Abdullah II: Isolating Arafat hurts Abbas"
In a special interview with Haaretz, Jordan's King Abdullah II said Saturday that Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat is the elected leader of the Palestinian people and his isolation does not make the situation of Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) any easier. Nonetheless, the king said he understood the view of the international community about Arafat and expressed his hope that a solution will be found for a dialogue with the Palestinian Authority chairman.
In the interview, which was held at the end of the king's meeting with members of an Israeli-Palestinian peace coalition, Abdullah said that with progress in the peace process, he hopes to be able to order the Jordanian ambassador back to Tel Aviv and restore the relations between the two countries to the level of three years ago, prior to the outbreak of the intifada. Such progress, said King Abdullah, would also permit him to visit Israel.
The Hashemite king recommended to the Palestinians and Israel that they adopt the Jordanian model of dealing with Islamist organisations, which participate in political life but are not allowed to bear arms. According to Abdullah, the main focus of the effort must be directed now at reinforcing the position of Abu Mazen "and those who can do so are the Israelis, and mostly the Israeli leadership."
The king added that the Palestinian and Israeli peoples are paying a heavy price for the violence and that the key message for the governments is that they should not wait for another generation to make peace and that they must ensure that their children, Israeli and Palestinian, grow up in a harmonious atmosphere. Abdullah expressed his hope that the roadmap will in the end bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a close.
In his meeting with members of the peace coalition, the Jordanian king said that he may visit Washington next month and intends to concentrate his efforts in meetings with administration officials and with President Bush in encouraging the progress of the roadmap and in ensuring that the two sides fulfil their obligations in full.
In a joint statement, the coalition of Israelis and Palestinians, including two MKs from the coalition partner Shinui, expressed concern that the roadmap proposal may collapse and result in a renewal of violence. The peace coalition called on all sides to meet their obligations, including the ceasefire, extending the hudna among Palestinian groups, freezing the settlements, releasing Palestinian prisoners, ending incitement and removing the Israel Defense Forces roadblocks from roads in the territories.
The statement also stressed that if Israel considered the security fence to be essential for its safety, then it must be built only along the Green Line.
