International community must move quickly to realise two-state solution — Safadi

AMMAN — The dangerous challenges facing the peace process require the international community to move “effectively and quickly” towards a just peace accepted by the region's peoples, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Sunday. 

Speaking at a symposium on Palestine during the 2020 Munich Security Conference, Safadi stressed that the two-state solution ­— which guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the pre-1967 lines, existing in peace and security alongside Israel according to international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative — is the only means to realise permanent peace. 

During the event, which was attended by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the minister warned against the “catastrophic repercussions” of any unilateral Israeli measures that attempt to impose new realities on the ground, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

He also stressed that any Israeli decision to annex the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea, which are part of the occupied Palestinian territories, would undermine the two-state solution and run counter to all the pillars of the peace process. 

Safadi warned against any attempts to change the historical and legal status quo of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, stressing that tampering with the city and its holy sites is a provocation to millions of Muslims and Christians around the world and would inevitably lead to further conflict.  

The minister also referred to the role of the historical Hashemite Custodianship of these holy sites in defending Jerusalem’s sanctuaries and maintaining their identity and the historical and legal status quo of the holy city. 

Jordan will continue cooperating with partners in the international community to resume serious and effective negotiations to implement the two-state solution as per accredited references, he added.

On the sidelines of the conference, Safadi also held separate meetings with several counterparts and officials participating in the event, focusing on the latest regional developments and means to boost bilateral ties.