Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The gravity of challenges shrouding the peace process in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict urges the international community to promptly act to find a "real horizon toward just peace," Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi said Sunday.

Safadi said in a conference on Palestine in the 2020 Munich Security Conference in Germany that the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital based on international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative is the only means to lasting a just and lasting peace to the conflict, which is highly important for the entire region, adding that "no peace can be achieved without the removal of the occupation."

The top diplomat warned of "catastrophic ramifications" of any Israeli unilateral actions aimed at imposing a fait accompli on the ground.

He further stressed that any Israeli decision to annex the Jordan Valley and northern Dead Sea in the occupied West Bank will lead to undermining the two-state solution and destroy basis the peace process.

Safadi also warned of any attempts to change the historical and legal status quo of the Islamic and Christian sanctities in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

"There is no other issue as sensitive as Jerusalem and its sanctities, and missing with them or provoking the feelings of millions of Muslims and Christians around the world will definitely lead to the eruption of conflict," the foreign minister explained.

He highlighted the role of the Hashemite Custodianship of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem as it preserves the identity of the sanctities in Jerusalem and their legal and historical status quo.

Protecting the sanctities is safeguarding peace hopes, he said, adding that occupied Jerusalem must be a symbol of peace and not an "arena for conflict."

Safadi said that the world and the region in particular will pay the price of killing the peace prospects as this would entrench desperation and drive extremism.

The Palestinian cause is "central" and that it is behind regional tension, he said, underscoring that the two-state solution that meets Palestinian aspirations and meets their just demands is a must to achieve regional peace and stability.

He stressed that any assumption that a comprehensive peace can be achieved by "jumping over the Palestinian cause is an unfounded illusion," adding that a just peace is a strategic choice and a necessity for the region and for international security.

Safadi said that the Kingdom has been and will remain a "force for just peace" that restores rights that ends the conflict.


The foreign minister stressed that Jordan will continue to work with partners in the international community to launch serious and effective negotiations to implement the two-state solution, and that the Kingdom deals with all proposals in accordance with its principles and in a way that protects its national interests and within the framework of its clear vision on ways to achieve a just peace.

He said that Jordan is able to protect its interests, and the whole world knows and respects the role of the Kingdom and its policies that are based on clear, unchanging principles and aim at a real and viable peace.

In addition, Safadi continued to hold meetings with a number of his counterparts and officials participating in the conference that started Friday, focusing on ways to enhance bilateral relations and regional developments.

Safadi held talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Nasser AI-Mohammed Al-Sabah, in the framework of continuous coordination and consultation between Jordan and Kuwait.

The two ministers reviewed regional developments and confirmed continued consultation and coordination regarding ways to deal with regional challenges.

Safadi met James F Jeffrey, U.S. Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy to the global coalition to defeat ISIS, at a meeting that reviewed developments in the Syrian crisis and counter-terrorism effort.

Also, he held discussions with Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office, Niels Annen, that focused on the Palestinian issue and developments in Syria, in addition to activating Jordanian-German cooperation.