Peace will not be achieved through occupation, oppression and despair — FM

AMMAN — Jordan will not waver in its positions regarding the Palestinian cause, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Saturday.

Safadi was speaking during an emergency meeting of foreign ministers, who convened to discuss US President Donald Trump’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, as part of the Arab League’s extraordinary session held on Saturday.

The foreign minister stressed that Jordan's supreme national interests, as well as its position regarding the Palestinian cause, will not be compromised, and will continue to govern the Kingdom’s dealings with all initiatives and proposals aimed at resolving the Palestinian issue, and achieving a just peace based on international legitimacy decisions, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

“Through the consensus of our Arab League, the Arab Peace Initiative emerged in 2002 with a unified Arab position, calling for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace,” Safadi said. 

 This peace must fulfil Palestinians’ rights to freedom and an independent state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, allowing the Palestinian people to live in security and peace alongside Israel according to the two-state solution, he added.

“The historicity of the moment requires that a unified position emerge from the Arab League today, affirming the principles of a just peace, without which the region will not enjoy security and stability,” he stressed.

During the meeting, attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Safadi reiterated that the two-state solution, based on international legitimacy resolutions, accredited references and the Arab Peace Initiative, is the only way to achieve a comprehensive peace.

He added that all international efforts must unite to launch direct and effective negotiations to achieve the two-state solution.

The alternative would be “to kill hope, take root in despair and witness the spread of extremism”, which will inevitably explode, bringing about struggles and violence at a cost to all.

“When Jordan speaks, it speaks with steadfastness and faith in its positions, and with the credibility of the peacemaker,” Safadi said.

The Kingdom, he noted, periodically warns of the catastrophic consequences of any unilateral Israeli moves to impose new realities on the ground, adding that building and expanding settlements, demolishing homes and annexing occupied Palestinian lands constitute a condemned violation of international law, undermine opportunities for peace and fuel tensions and conflicts.

Jordan also warns of the destructive consequences of any attempt to change the historical and legal status quo in occupied Jerusalem’s holy sites, he added.

Under the direct guidance of His Majesty King Abdullah, Custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, the Kingdom will continue to devote all its capacities to safeguarding the holy city, preserving the existing historical and legal status quo and protecting its Arab identity, Safadi said.

 “Jerusalem, the city of peace, must be a symbol of peace, not an arena of oppression and deprivation,” he emphasised, highlighting the collective responsibility of protecting the city’s historical and legal status quo and preserving its Arab-Islamic and Christian identity.

Sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem is Palestinian, custodianship of its sanctities is Hashemite and the protection of the city and its sanctities is a Jordanian, Palestinian, Islamic and international responsibility, he stated. 

Jordan supports every real effort aimed at achieving a just and comprehensive peace, the foreign minister noted, adding that true peace will ensure the security of all parties and protect Jordan's interests, including those related to final status issues.

 “There will be no resolution outside the framework of international legitimacy,” he stressed.

The minister highlighted that Jordan will remain unyieldingly supportive of its Palestinian brothers in their pursuit of their legitimate rights, continuing to work with Palestinians and the international community to achieve a just peace that is accepted on the ground, he added.

The Palestinian issue is Jordan’s priority and the basis of conflict and tension in the region, the minister said, adding that resolving it in a way that meets the rights of the Palestinian people is a prerequisite for stability and a comprehensive peace. 

“It is not with occupation, oppression and despair that peace will be achieved,” Safadi said. 

For the sake of the secure future that the region and its peoples deserve, he said, real action must be taken immediately with the aim of ending the occupation and restoring hope. 

On the sidelines of the meeting, Safadi held consultative talks with a number of his participating counterparts, the statement added.