Safadi conveys message from King to Abbas of full Jordanian support

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday conveyed a message from His Majesty King Abdullah to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which reiterated the Kingdom’s full support to Palestinians in meeting all their legitimate rights, mainly those pertaining to freedom and statehood, according to the two-state solution.

The message also focused on efforts exerted to stop Israel from implementing the decision to annex Palestinian lands, and endeavours aimed at reaching a just and permanent peace, according to a ministry statement.

Safadi also conveyed His Majesty’s greetings to Abbas and the King’s condolences to Abbas over the death of one of his nieces. 

For his part, the Palestinian president conveyed his greeting to King Abdullah, praising His Majesty’s historical, unaltered and clear stances in support of Palestinians’ rights.

In joint remarks to the press with his Palestinian counterpart Riyadh Al Maliki at the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah, Safadi said: “The stance that I have carried today is the Kingdom’s historical position: Attaining the rights of our brothers in Palestine to freedom and a full Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital on the June 4, 1967 lines is the only means to realise a just and comprehensive peace”. 

The minister added that this message is the same historical, unaltered message of the Kingdom, which stands with all its potentials with Palestinians and supports them in their endeavours to attain their full, legitimate rights.

Israel’s annexation of Palestinian territories is an unprecedented threat to the peace process, he said, adding that the annexation, if implemented, will “kill” the two-state solution and destroy all pillars of the peace process, which, consequently, will deprive all regional peoples of their rights to a peaceful and stable life. 

Halting the annexation is a means to protect peace, Safadi stressed, adding that all efforts are now focused on stopping this Isreali plan and realising opportunities to return to “serious and effective” negotiations to achieve peace according to the two-state solution, which is agreed upon by the majority of countries as the only means to realise a comprehensive and lasting peace.

He reiterated: “Our coordination and consultation are ongoing,” adding: “The Kingdom has always been and will continue to be the closest to our brothers in Palestine and the Palestinian cause will remain Jordan’s central cause.”

Safadi added that Jordan will continue to be at the forefront of every possible effort to support Palestinians and realise a just, comprehensive peace that protects the region from the repercussion of a long-lasting and painful conflict if Israel annexes one-third of the West Bank.

“We have said in the past that the annexation means that Israel has chosen conflict over peace, and it will bear the repercussions of such a decision not only on the Jordanian-Israeli relations, but also on all efforts of the region and the international community to realise a just and comprehensive peace,” the minister emphasised.

He pointed out that cooperation with Palestinians is ongoing, in coordination with all partners in the international community, to stop the annexation and find a real means to launch effective negotiations towards a just peace.

Safadi added: “His Majesty utilises all the capacities of the Kingdom to support our brothers, and we will continue doing so.”

For his part, Maliki said that the meeting was “very important” and thorough in its discussion of means to stop the Israeli plan to annex large swathes of the occupied Palestinian territories.

The minister also added: “Jordan and His Majesty are exerting relentless efforts globally, which were clear on Wednesday in the King’s communications with the US Congress, various committees and press interviews, which have all helped in delivering a clear message to the world to mobilise the greatest possible support to stop the annexation decision.”