His Majesty King Abdullah II Interview Key Messages on Israeli Aggression on Gaza

HIS MAJESTY KING ABDULLAH II INTERVIEW WITH AL-GHAD THE ROYAL HASHEMITE COURT Key Messages -«a www.alghad.jo ISRAELI AGGRESSION ON GAZA ((What has and continues to take place in Gaza is a Palestinian appeal to the entire world, calling for an end to occupation, destruction and killing perpetrated against a people seeking freedom, security and dignity. )) ((Our martyrs, among the people of Gaza, “are alive, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord", God willing.)) (( The pain and suffering that we have been witnessing and living through during this aggression, which has indiscriminately taken the lives of innocent people, refutes Israel's claims that the war is justified. )) (( First and foremost, Israel is responsible for the aggression on the strip. The world bears the responsibility of ending an occupation, which is the last of its kind in modern history, and to end denying our brotherly people their right to establish their own state on their national soil, as well as ending an ongoing unjust siege and Israeli settlement activities that undermine peace prospects. )) HON ( Our heart goes out to Gaza and its people. We share their tremendous pain and emotions. D ((We have to look at what has happened, and continues to happen, rationally. It is innocent civilians – particularly in Gaza – who are paying the price, which is completely unacceptable from a moral and human standpoint. )) (( The international community must hold Israel accountable for what it has committed; and the Palestinian people, especially our brothers and sisters in Gaza, have the right – first and foremost – to review and judge what has taken place. )) ((Jordan could have easily captured the headlines during the aggression, by issuing populist statements and slogans. Instead, we have been working diligently to end the İsraeli offensive, alleviate the suffering and guarantee the flow of aid to our brothers and sisters in Gaza. )) (( Jordan continues to exert all possible efforts from the very start; and we supported the Egyptian initiative, which has proven to be the only realistic option under the circumstances. )) (( Throughout history, we have utilised all our capabilities in deeds, not words, for our brothers and sisters in Palestine. We will continue to do our utmost to remain the lung Palestinians breathe through during occupation. Palestine remains our central cause, and this is our historical and national duty towards our brothers. The sacrifices of the Jordanian army's martyrs on Palestinian soil speak for themselves and are known to all, and we cannot accept any attempts to belittle what Jordan has done to serve the Palestinians and their cause. )) (( We will continue to use Jordan's good relations with others, and its international presence at such forums as the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council, to bring the aggression to a complete halt and prevent any recurrence, guarantee the success of efforts to reach a lasting truce, mobilise international efforts to rebuild Gaza and provide a conducive environment to re-launch conclusive final-status negotiations to reach a peace that is based on the two-state solution, relevant international terms of reference and the Arab Peace Initiative, and which fulfils the aspirations of the Palestinian people and honours the sacrifices of their martyrs. )) JERUSALEM ((We also have stressed that Jordan – within the Hashemite custodianship over Muslim and Christian Holy sites in Jerusalem - will continue to stand firm against Israel's unilateral policies and measures and will work to end repeated violations of Al Aqsa Mosque's sanctity and attacks against worshipers. )) PEACE PROCESS (Peace is the only solution. Otherwise, we will be talking about a fifth, sixth and seventh war on Gaza, where the Palestinian people will be the victims and Israel will still be unable to guarantee its own security. )) ( Israel's security will not be achieved without a genuine pursuit of comprehensive just peace and the two-state solution, and without the establishment of a sovereign, geographically contiguous, Palestinian state along the 5 June 1967 lines, according to international accords and the Arab Peace Initiative, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and an economy that has the potential to grow and prosper. )) ((We must build on the efforts and constructive work of the US administration, especially its Secretary of State John Kerry, to resolve the region's central cause. )) @RHCJO EOOSA