Since His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein,
King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, has assumed his constitutional powers 20
years ago, the Palestinian issue has been on top of His Majesty’s concerns,
especially in international forums and all his talks and meetings with world
leaders.
His Majesty's speech during the opening session of the
74th session of the UN General Assembly on 24/9/2019 was no exception. His
Majesty first reminded the General Assembly of its role “in facing the dangers
or seizing the opportunities that our world offers to us,” in order to draw a
better and safer future. His Majesty then discussed the issues of youth,
climate, refugees, and terrorism. His Majesty finally tackled the issue that has
been keeping him busy for years, namely the “Palestinian issue,” rights of
Palestinian people, and Zionist occupation of the Palestinian and Arab lands
for five decades. His Majesty called for a collective action to end the
conflicts that are afflicting our world, especially the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict. He added by saying, “Neither side has achieved the lasting peace upon
which a secure future depends. Regional and global stability will continue to
pay the price for that.”
In his speech before the General Assembly, His Majesty
condemned the Israeli occupation, reminding the attendees that his father, King
Hussein, may Allah rest his soul, was a peace lover and that he stood before
the General Assembly and condemned the occupation. He added that his father
also condemned any attempt to wipe off centuries of history; heritage; and
spiritual, cultural, and ethical symbols from the mind and history of the
world.
His Majesty King Abdullah described the continuation
of the occupation up to this day as a global moral tragedy, adding, “No
occupation, displacement, or measures taken by force can erase the history,
hopes, or rights of a people or change the true legacy of the common values of
the followers of the three monotheistic religions.”
His Majesty demanded from that international forum to
put an end to this occupation, the achievement of international justice, and
the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people to their land.
His Majesty, in his capacity as the Hashemite
Custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in the city of Jerusalem,
reminded that he was committed to preserving the historical character of the
city, protecting its holy sites, and safeguarding the freedom of worship for
followers of those religions, without changing its reality or landmarks. He
added that this would allow Jerusalem to continue being seen as a symbol of
justice and truth.
I cannot describe how important the strong message is
that His Majesty has conveyed to the heads of states, in defense of the rights
of the Palestinian people at a time where their fair case is facing sabotage attempts.
His Majesty represents the voice of reason and wisdom
and all the heads of states of the world respect and appreciate his speech. His
Majesty believes that it will be impossible to achieve security or stability
without resolving this chronic, historical conflict. Thus, he continues to work
diligently to settle this conflict, achieve justice for the Palestinian people,
restore the rights to their lawful owners, and restore stability and security
to all the countries and peoples of the region.
I would like to salute His Majesty for his
responsible, honorable, wise, and brave position. I would also like to commend His
Majesty for standing up for justice; rule of international law, supporting the truth,
as well as fighting all sorts of extremism, negativity, hatred and aggression.