UN chief echoes Jordan’s condemnation of ‘settlement activities’

The UN secretary-general echoed the Jordanian king, saying that only a two-state solution could provide peace and stability to the region. 

Addressing this year’s Arab League Summit in Amman, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said there can be no peace between Israel and the Palestinians without a two-state solution to the conflict.

“There can be no peace nor stability in the region without a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause, the core issue of the Middle East, based on the two-state solution,” Abdullah stated.

Moreover, the Jordanian king accused Israel of working to “undermine chances for peace” with its “continued settlement expansion” in Judea and Samaria.

Abdullah also referred to his country as being “the closest to the Palestinian cause.”

“Our martyrs have fallen while defending Palestinian land,” he added, in apparent reference to Jordan’s former military battles against Israel.

Jordan had joined multiple Arab armies in invading Israel the day after its declaration of independence in 1948. The war ended with armistice lines established in 1949 between Israeli and Jordanian forces. The Jewish state successfully reunited Jerusalem and regained control of Judea and Samaria during the Six Day War of 1967.

Read  WATCH: Camera footage shows Israeli restaurant owner killing terrorist

Guterres: ‘There is No Plan B’

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, who also addressed the summit on Wednesday, echoed Abdullah’s remarks. “The two-state solution is the only path to ensure that Palestinians and Israelis can realize their national aspirations and live in peace, security and dignity,” he declared. “There is no Plan B.”

“That is why it is important to stop all unilateral actions that can undermine the two-state solution,” he continued. “This is particularly true in relation to the need to stop settlement activities, which are illegal under international law.”

It is “also important to condemn [Palestinian] terrorism and to avoid incitement,” he added.

By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News