‘Economic development only feasible within political solution leading to two states’

AMMAN — An economic proposal to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can never be an alternative for a comprehensive political two-state solution, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Tuesday.

In a phone call with his Irish counterpart Simon Coveney, Safadi stressed that supporting economic development is an important factor to uphold a political solution to the conflict that identifies reaching the establishment of two independent states as its goal, but not outside that context, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The US announced earlier this month an economic conference in Bahrain on June 25-26 that the Trump administration has cast as a preliminary roll-out of its so-called “deal of the century” to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, describing it as an opportunity to drum up international investment for the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Safadi reaffirmed during the talks that all efforts aimed at resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must be based on the fact that the only way to realise peace is to end the occupation, with the two top diplomats calling for intensifying and joining efforts to move forward towards this solution.

The foreign minister highlighted the importance of adopting practical steps to reach peace on the basis of a two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital within the pre-1967 lines and in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions. 

Safadi commended Ireland’s stance in support of the two-state solution as the only means to ending the conflict, and praised Dublin’s assistance to UNRWA. 

He also highlighted the importance of Ireland’s and Europe’s role in exerting efforts that seek to solve the conflict and overcome regional challenges. 

The two ministers discussed means of continuing dialogue that commenced in Dublin a few months ago upon an invitation from Ireland, which included Jordan and several Arab and European countries and discussed efforts aimed at finding political prospects to reach the two-state solution and achieve comprehensive peace, according to the statement. 

Safadi reiterated that the comprehensive peace is an Arab and international goal and a necessity to realising regional and global security and stability.

The only way to achieve it, the minister added, is through fulfilling all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, mainly the rights to freedom and an independent state that lives in peace side by side with Israel, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative.

The top diplomat called for adopting an encompassing framework that deals with all final status issues, at the top of which is the refugee cause, which must be settled according to the Arab Peace Initiative and UN Resolution 194, in a way that can meet refugees’ right to return and compensation.