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Jordan's King Abdullah

Finally, A Constructive
Middle East Arab-Muslim Voice
On Terror

Excerpts from King Abdullah's Address to British Parliament, 2001.11.08

"... I believe we have to start by being very clear about where we stand. The events of the 11th of Sept. were plainly and simply an affront to all humanity. That is the view of the true, rarely heard, Arab majority. So let me speak for my people.

"As a human being, as a father, as a Jordanian and, most of all, as a Muslim: what happened on that day was evil...

"Frankly, it's time that the anti-terror coalition works together as effectively as the terrorists do. Extremist networks are organized on a global level. They know how to cooperate and stay focused on their destructive objective. They know how to cooperate.

"They have found sanctuary wherever we were complacent and failed to act.

"No longer... and even more important will be the role played by other means... and a free flow of truth...

"I want to see a future where Muslim, Christian and Jewish boys and girls can come together, and for that day to happen we need more understanding, not less; more respect, not less; and more interaction, not less..."


[Note: This is remarkably like the Van Nest Principle I authored that was first published in the Canadian Mensa Journal in the late 1970s and later incorporated in a speech I wrote for Dr. Kokie Leshno that was delivered at Tel Aviv University to then U.S. Sec. of State George Schultz. The Van Nest Principle states: "Communication is a prerequisite to understanding, Understanding is a prerequisite to respect, and respect is a prerequisite to peace." King Abdullah seems to have refined the Van Nest Principle to include interaction. An insightful and worthy contribution.]


"As we fight againt terror, we must rid the world of the breeding grounds for hatred and mistrust. In the Middle East, there is now a unique opportunity, to forge a comprehensive and just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The need to act quickly is urgent.

"For too long, terrorists have used violence, fear and community division to spread their lies and their influence. They feed on despair and injustice like jackals stalking a victim.


I'm hopeful that King Abdullah is advocating calling a terrorist a terrorist including when he happens to attack Israelis. Those who deliberately target civilians are terrorists whether they do so in Kashmir, Spain, Ireland, South America, North America or Israel. If this is what King Abdullah is advocating, and this is the plain meaning of his words, then his address indeed offers light in the tunnel. Now if only the media could call a terrorist a terrorist without respect for their origins, instead of diluting the news into their notion of politically-correct propaganda, substituting vanilla terms like "militant," "activist" and "gunman"!!!

"Our goal must be nothing less than a just and comprehensive resolution with a State of Palestine and a State of Israel co-existing side-by-side. I call on Israel to adhere to the international recognition of the Palestinians' right to a viable, independent, Palestinian state, on Palestinian soil, based on UN resolutions 242 and 338..."


What UN Resolutions 242 and 338 mean in actual implementation is what has been disputed since 1967. It isn't going to be helpful to assume either an Arab or Israeli interpretation. Nor will it be helpful for the UN to try to impose an outside interpretation. This is the crux of the negotiations. Moreover, it is paramountly unhelpful for the media to impose a solution by their current diktat of labelling whatever they please as "Israeli occupation" without deferring to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Moderate 'Palestinian' voices are today calling for elimination of their demand for a claimed "right of return for 'Palestinian' Arabs to Israel proper." This is one of two absolute red lines that Israel cannot compromise. The Arab dream of populating Israel proper with enough Arabs to vote Israel out of existence must be dropped.

But Arab greed and anti-Judaism, already having two most holy Muslim cities (Mecca and Medina), to take the heart of Judaism, the capital of Israel and Jews' first-ranked holy city that predates Islam by more than a thousand years, for their own third-ranked addition to their holy cities, is intractably contradictory to peace. When Arabs are willing to accede to Jews our holiest city and mount, which predate Islam by centuries, then peace will finally have its chance.

In the interim, the only solution is a cold peace by piece by piece; one bit at a time, that affords progress while deferring implacable confrontation until it is no longer implacable... if that takes forever.

A Palestinian State in Gaza with Gaza City as its capital should reward an uncompromising and unflinching war on terrorism – backed by US firepower if necessary (since Hamas terrorists recently stood down 'Palestinian' police) – against 'Palestinian' terrorists and 'Palestinian' terror organizations. When the PA's war on terror is as hot as Israel's and America's war on terror – and not one nanosecond before – then Israel and America should recognize a Palestinian State in Gaza with Gaza City as its capital, and our two peoples will begin to live as peaceful neighbors, cousin-descendents of Avrâhâm serving Êlôhim / Allah, whose desire is to see each other prosper in peace.

King Abdullah: Kol ha-kâvôd, Sir. The Netzârim applaud and commend your stand.


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