RIYADH — King Abdullah II of Jordan has issued a stark warning that the region teeters on the brink of a major conflict, with innocent lives paying the price. Speaking at the extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh, the king emphasized the urgent need for an immediate cessation of the brutal Israeli war on Gaza and prevention of further displacement. King Abdullah said: "We gather today for Gaza and its people, who endure killing and destruction in a heinous war that must come to an immediate halt." He underscored that this injustice didn't begin a month ago but is an extension of over seven decades characterized by fortress mentalities, walls of isolation, assaults on sanctities, and rights violations, with the majority of its victims being innocent civilians. Questioning whether the world should have waited for this painful humanitarian tragedy and immense destruction to realize that a just peace, granting Palestinians their legitimate rights based on a two-state solution, is the only way to achieve stability and break free from decades of continuous killings and violence. Highlighting the ongoing injustice faced by Palestinians, King Abdullah II stressed the international community's failure to stand up for their rights to dignity, self-determination, and the establishment of their independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Jordanian monarch asserted that the dire conditions in Gaza, choking life and hindering medical access, cannot be ignored. He insisted that humanitarian corridors must remain sustainable and secure, denouncing any blockades on food, medicine, water, and electricity to the people of Gaza as a war crime that the world must condemn. Considering the United Nations General Assembly's resolution on Gaza as a triumph of human values, alignment with the right to life and peace, and a global consensus against war, King Abdullah II emphasized the need for a collective effort to build a political alliance to immediately halt war and displacement. He called for sincere efforts to kick-start a genuine peace process in the Middle East, free from any hindrance, as an alternative to extremism, hatred, and further tragedies. The king reiterated the refusal to let our just and legitimate cause become a flashpoint for religious conflicts. Addressing the world and all peace-loving individuals, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, or language, King Abdullah II concluded by saying that the world would bear the cost of failing to resolve the Palestinian issue and address its root causes.
