Following wise counsel

His Majesty King Abdullah holds talks with US President Barack Obama, attended by several senior Jordanian and US officials, in Washington on Tuesday (Photo by Yousef Allan)
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Jordan Times Editorial

Following wise counsel

His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit to Washington, for talks with US President Barack Obama and other high-ranking officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is yet another attempt at reviving the prospect of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Much has happened in the region since the King’s last trip to the US, which makes the quest for peace between the Palestinians and Israel all the more pressing.

Aware of the recent upheavals in the region, US officials must have realised the dependable role the Kingdom can play. Clinton described the Monarch as “an influential and stable voice in a turbulent region and changing world”.

Jordan is recognised by American officials as an important strategic partner so it stands to reason that this being the case, the US must listen more carefully to what the King has to say about the need to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict once and for all.

The US has an equally important role in the peace process in the Middle East. The regional developments - the Arab Spring that saw two regimes ousted and movement across the Arab world demanding better rulers and respect for dignity - should not detract the US from the core issue: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Obama no doubt values the counsel and the vision of the King; as such, he should not look at the Monarch’s words as purely rhetoric, but take practical steps to address the issue.

The Palestinian-Israeli - and on a wider scale the Arab-Israeli - problem is not limited to the region. It is a source of discontent and anger that spills beyond the area and is every now and then hijacked by misguided forces that have grievances with the West.

The question is how many times does the King have to travel to the White House to remind the US of the centrality of the Palestinian-Israeli problem to the Middle East before his wise counsel gets the US to use its clout to settle it?

The recent disturbances on Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon are serious reminders that things can easily get out of control and engulf the entire region in even more violence.

One can only hope that this time the US will listen carefully to what the King has to say about the region’s many problems and act accordingly.

Obama has the historic chance of making his vision and the region’s desire for peace come true.

18 May 2011