Jeddah summit highlights Palestine cause, say experts

AMMAN — Arab leaders emphasised the need for a solution guaranteeing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state at the Jeddah Security and Development Summit held on Saturday, according to experts.

Experts told The Jordan Times that His Majesty King Abdullah has always been at the forefront of stressing the importance of establishing an independent Palestinian state to achieve regional security and stability, a point the King emphasised at the summit.

His Majesty’s speech affirmed the neutrality of Jordanian discourse towards solutions for the key issues of the region and highlighted the importance of sustainable development in positively impacting the region as a whole, according to experts.

Mohammad Al Tal, a writer and political analyst, noted that the summit “contradicted” prior expectations of talks centred on the normalisation of Israeli relations and its integration into the region. 

The summit focused on the Palestinian people’s right to an independent state, as the King began in his remarks, he said.

“The King, as usual, always calls for creating food security in the region and achieving economic integration among the Arab countries. His Majesty focused on this point because if there is complete Arab integration, it will reflect positively on Jordan,” Tal told The Jordan Times.

He indicated that Jordan bears a great responsibility in hosting refugees and the international community has greatly declined its support, which affects the state budget and the Jordanian infrastructure, which His Majesty also mentioned during his remarks.

“His Majesty also highlighted the Kingdom’s role in protecting the security of the region by stopping the attempts to smuggle drugs and weapons through Jordan to other countries, so Jordan continues to be an impenetrable wall to secure stability in the region,” Tal continued.

Former minister Mohammad Momani said that His Majesty laid out the Jordanian interest to be present at such an important summit which took place in Jeddah.

“Jordan has high state issues related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and view of the creation of a Palestinian state as a high national security interest for Jordan,” he told The Jordan Times.

Momani noted that Jordan highly values ​​the US funding for UNRWA which directly affects the refugees Jordan is hosting.

“Jordan clearly appreciates the American commitment to the two-state solution. However, we would have hoped for more forthcoming initiatives from the American side to bring the parties to the negotiation table,” Momani said.

According to Momani, both the atmosphere of the summit and the visit of the US President were positive and laid a foundation for a cooperative regional environment which Jordan always hoped for and benefits from.

“Jordan was and will continue to be an ally of the US with a deep rooted institutionalised alliance which benefits both sides as indicated by the American commitment for the coming MoU with Jordan which will last until 2029,” he added.

Economic adviser Hosam Ayesh said that His Majesty’s speech formed a “roadmap” for the region’s joint economic and investment cooperation between the countries of the region and countries of the world.

“His Majesty’s remarks included economic and political points regarding the region with a clear focus on solving the Palestinian issue and integrating Palestine into any regional economic plans, which is very important,” Ayesh told The Jordan Times.

He indicated that the King focused on regional cooperation in various projects in different sectors such as energy and water, which refers to the relationship between Jordan and the countries of the region.

“This will lead to the integration of the region, which leads to better outcomes reflected on the citizens and the living standards of the peoples of the region,” Ayesh added.

This comes within the framework of Jordan’s endeavour to be a “central country” in several fields, Ayesh said.

These fields include energy, food security, agriculture and more, Ayesh continued, which Jordan has the ability to excel in with the available expertise, knowledge and human capital.

“His Majesty intends not only on bilateral cooperation between countries but regional cooperation too with the region as a whole, with the Gulf Cooperation countries as well as Iraq and Egypt,” Ayesh said.