Words of warning

His Majesty King Abdullah used rather strong words to describe Israel’s aggression on Gaza, calling it “the bloodiest and most devastating” war that Israel has ever launched against this coastal Palestinian enclave.

In a recent interview with the Arabic daily Al Ghad, the Monarch deplored the fact that “entire families have been massacred”, adding that the troubles in Gaza should be a Palestinian appeal to the entire world, “calling for an end to occupation, destruction and killings perpetrated against a people seeking freedom, security and dignity”.

The King’s words express anguish and deep sorrow for the death and destruction witnessed in Gaza over the past month.

He has been calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for years and warned, time and time again, that as long as the Palestinian file remains unsolved, conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is inevitable.

All the Palestinians need is freedom from occupation and to be allowed to live in peace in their own state, alongside Israel.

The Gaza conflict is a natural result of the dire neglect of the repeated warning, by the King and others, that if left unsolved, the situation in Palestine will fester and lead to violence.

Israel no doubt knows that an end to the suffering of the Palestinians means an end to the problems of its people, yet continues to oppress and kill the people under its occupation, and to destroy their houses and means of livelihood.

The Israeli government must know that its peace cannot be at the expense of the Palestinians’ inalienable right to freedom, but comes through ending of occupation, lifting the blockades on Gaza and allowing the establishment of a Palestinian state on Palestinian soil with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The King’s warning to the entire world should be heeded before the region gets engulfed in even more violence.