Jordan stands firm against radicalism, terrorism

His Majesty King Abdullah told visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday that Jordan stands ready to shoulder its responsibility in the fight against radicalism and terrorism in the region.

Jordan, said the King, will support regional and international efforts to combat the threats and designs of the Islamic State out of its deep conviction that IS poses a grave threat to regional and international security and stability.

The US secretary of state stressed that “the coalition that is at the heart of our global strategy… will continue to grow and deepen in the days ahead... because the US and the world will simply not stand by to watch as ISIL’s evil spreads”.

President Barack Obama delivered an historic speech to the nation on Wednesday, announcing his country’s intention to fight off the Islamic State advances.

The US, said the president, will launch air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, signalling the administration’s foreign policy shift.

The savagery of IS warrants indeed such departure from the traditional hands-off policy Obama has followed so far.

The US president also announced increased backing for the moderate Syrian opposition fighting against IS.

The unequivocal support for the coalition of regional and international countries willing to fight IS did not obliterate, however, an issue that is often said to be the reason for many Middle Eastern problems: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The King reiterated the fact that this remains a central issue for Jordan, and indeed the entire Middle East, and that the unwavering support of the US is required if the two-state solution, which would guarantee the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, is to be reached.

And the two should not be mutually exclusive.

While the months ahead will show progress on the front that fights terror, they should also be used to make advances on the Palestinian-Israeli front.

Jordan does not shirk its responsibility on either of these two pressing issues.

Neither should the US and the world community at large.