Stating that neither the Middle East region and the world can afford the consequences of inaction, Jordan's King Abdullah II addressed a joint session of Congress today and asked for the U.S. to immediately focus its efforts on solving the Palestinian-Israeli crisis. The full text of King Abdullah's speech is below:
Speech to Joint Meeting of U.S. Congress by
His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan


Thank you for such a warm welcome. It is an honor to stand, as my father did, before this historic institution. Allow me to thank you, on behalf of all Jordanians.

Jordan and the United States have had a long friendship. It is a special privilege to be here in the year that the American Congress welcomes its first woman Speaker, and its first Muslim-American member of Congress. These milestones send a message around the world about the America I know so well, a place where individuality is nurtured, a place where hard work is rewarded, a place where achievement is celebrated. The America I know so well believes that opportunity and justice belong to all.

In my days in Massachusetts, I also learned something of New England virtues. There wasn't actually a law against talking too much, but there was definitely an attitude that you didn't speak unless you could improve on silence.

Today, I must speak; I cannot be silent.

I must speak about a cause that is urgent for your people and for mine. I must speak about peace in the Middle East. I must speak about peace replacing the division, war, and conflict that have brought such disaster for the region and for the world.

This was the cause that brought my father King Hussein here in 1994. With Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin beside him, he spoke of a new vision for the Middle East. Their courageous work for peace received bipartisan support from your leaders. And there was tremendous hope for a new era. There was tremendous hope that people would be brought together. There was tremendous hope that a final and comprehensive settlement of all the issues would be achieved.

Thirteen years later, that work is still not completed. And until it is, we are all at risk. We are all at risk of being victims of further violence resulting from ideologies of terror and hatred. It is our greatest and most urgent duty to prevent such dangers to our region, to your country and to the world. The choice is ours: an open world full of promise, progress and justice for all; or a closed world of divided peoples, fear, and unfulfilled dreams. Nothing impacts this choice more than the future of peace in the Middle East.
I come to you today at a rare, and indeed historic, moment of opportunity, when there is a new international will to end the catastrophe. And I believe that America, with its enduring values, its moral responsibility, and yes, its unprecedented power, must play the central role.

Some may say, Peace is difficult, we can live with the status quo.' But, my friends, violent killings are taking place as part of this status quo. Palestinians and Israelis are not the only victims. We saw the violence ricochet into destruction in Lebanon last summer. And people around the world have been the victims of terrorists and extremists, who use the grievances of this conflict to legitimize and encourage acts of violence. Americans and Jordanians and others have suffered and survived terrorist attacks. In this room, there are representatives of American families and Jordanian families who have lost loved ones.

Thousands of people have paid the highest price, the loss of their life. Thousands more continue to pay this terrible price, for their loved ones will never return. Are we going to let these thousands of lives be taken in vain? Has it become acceptable to lose that most basic of human rights? The right to live?

The status quo is also pulling the region and the world towards greater danger. As public confidence in the peace process has dropped, the cycle of crises is spinning faster, and with greater potential for destruction. Changing military doctrine and weaponry pose new dangers. Increasing numbers of external actors are intervening with their own strategic agendas, raising new dangers of proliferation and crisis. These are groups that seek even more division: faith against faith, nation against nation, community against community. Any further erosion in the situation would be serious for the future of moderation and coexistence, in the region and beyond. Have we all lost the will to live together in peace celebrating one another's strengths and differences?

Some may say, But there are other, urgent challenges.' How can there be anything more urgent than the restoration of a world where all people, not only some people, all people have the opportunity to live peacefully? This is not only a moral imperative, it is essential to the future of our world, because long-term, violent crisis is the enemy of all global prosperity and progress.

Certainly, our era faces critical issues. There is great public concern here, just as in our region, about the conflict in Iraq. The entire international community has vital decisions to make about the path forward, and how to ensure Iraq's security, unity, and future. But we cannot lose sight of a profound reality. The wellspring of regional division, the source of resentment and frustration far beyond, is the denial of justice and peace in Palestine.

There are those who say, It's not our business.' But this Congress knows: there are no bystanders in the 21st Century, there are no curious onlookers, there is no one who is not affected by the division and hatred that is present in our world.

Some will say: This is not the core issue in the Middle East.' I come here today as your friend to tell you that this is the core issue. And this core issue is not only producing severe consequences for our region, it is producing severe consequences for our world.

The security of all nations and the stability of our global economy are directly affected by the Middle East conflict. Across oceans, the conflict has estranged societies that should be friends. I meet Muslims thousands of miles away who have a deep, personal response to the suffering of the Palestinian people. They want to know how it is, that ordinary Palestinians are still without rights and without a country. They ask whether the West really means what it says about equality and respect and universal justice.

Yes, my friends, today I must speak. I cannot be silent.

Sixty years of Palestinian dispossession, forty years under occupation, a stop-and-go peace process, all this has left a bitter legacy of disappointment and despair, on all sides. It is time to create a new and different legacy, one that begins right now; one that can set a positive tone for the American and Middle East relationship; one that can restore hope to our region's people, to your people, and to the people of this precious world. Nothing can achieve that more effectively, nothing can assert America's moral vision more clearly, nothing can reach and teach the world's youth more directly, than your leadership in a peace process that delivers results not next year, not in five years, but this year.

How do we get there? Not by a solution imposed by one side. A lasting peace can only be built on understanding, agreement and compromise.

It begins with courage and vision. We, all of us, must take risks for peace. The Arab states recognized that reality in 2002, when we unanimously approved the Arab Peace Initiative. It puts forward a path for both sides, to achieve what people want and need: a collective peace treaty with Israel and normal relations with every Arab state, collective security guarantees for all the countries of the region, including Israel, an end to the conflict, a dream every Israeli citizen has longed for since the creation of Israel, and an agreed solution to the refugee problem, a withdrawal from Arab territories occupied since 1967, and a sovereign, viable, and independent Palestine.

The commitment we made in the Arab Peace Initiative is real. And our states are involved in ongoing efforts to advance a fair, just, and comprehensive peace. His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia initiated the 2002 proposal; today, he continues to rally international support. Momentum is also building among Muslim countries outside the Arab world. Ten days ago, in Islamabad, the foreign ministers of key Muslim states met. They came together to assure Palestinians and Israelis that they are not alone, that we back their effort to make and build peace.

The goal must be a peace in which all sides gain. It must be anchored in security and opportunity for all.

It must be a peace that will free young Palestinians to focus on a future of progress and prosperity.

It must be a peace that makes Israel a part of the neighborhood, a neighborhood that extends from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, across the breadth of the southern Mediterranean, to the coast of the Indian Ocean.

It must be a peace that enables the entire region to look forward with excitement and hope, putting its resources into productive growth, partnering across borders to advance development, finding opportunities, and solving common challenges.

This goal is visionary, but my friends, it is attainable. History shows that longtime adversaries can define new relationships of peace and cooperation. The groundwork for a comprehensive, final settlement is already in place. At Taba, as in the Geneva Accords, the parties have outlined the parameters of the solution.

But we need all hands on deck. The international community, especially the United States, must be engaged in moving the process forward to achieve real results. Above all, we must make our process serve our purpose. We must achieve an agreed solution to the conflict.
Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Honorable Members - your responsibility today is paramount. Your potential to help Palestinians and Israelis find peace is unrivalled. This is because the people of the region still regard the United States as the key to peace, the one country most capable of bringing the two sides closer together, holding them accountable, and making a just settlement reality.

Time after time, there has been progress towards peace when Americans have actively engaged. Camp David, Madrid, Wye River: nearly every breakthrough was accomplished when America was determined to help the parties succeed.

On behalf of all those who seek and strive for peace in my part of the world, I ask you now to exert that leadership once again. We ask you to join with us in an historic effort of courage and vision. We ask you to hear our call, to honor the spirit of King Hussein and Yitzhak Rabin, and help fulfill the aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace today.

Let me reaffirm that Jordan is committed to playing a positive role in the peace process. It is part of our larger commitment to global co-existence and progress. Ours is an Islamic country with a proud record of diversity, moderation, and shared respect.

Allow me to say, we thank the Congress and the Administration for supporting Jordan's progress and development. I deeply value the partnership between our peoples, and the contributions of so many Americans to the future of our country.

My friends, "A decent respect for the rights and dignity of all nations, large and small." That's how President Roosevelt - the great F.D.R. - described the basis of American foreign policy. He pledged American support for the four freedoms, freedom from fear, freedom from want, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion, everywhere in the world.

The Four Freedoms speech was given right here, before Congress. And that's entirely fitting. Because it is here in the People's House, that the voices and values of America have made hope real for so many people.

Today, the people of the Middle East are searching for these four freedoms. Today, the people of the Middle East are searching for new hope, hope for a future of prosperity and peace. We have seen the danger and destruction of violence, hatred, and injustice. But we have also seen what people can achieve when they are empowered, when they break down walls, when they commit to the future. And we know that Middle East peace can be a global beginning, creating new possibilities for our region and the entire world.

We look to you to play an historic role. Eleven American presidents and thirty American congresses have already faced this ongoing crisis. For not the future generation, but the generation alive today, let us say together: No more! Let us say together: Let's solve this! Let us say together: Yes, we will achieve this!

No Palestinian father should be helpless to feed his family and build a future for his sons and daughters. No Israeli mother should fear when her child boards a bus. Not one more generation should grow up thinking that violence and conflict are the norm.

As Roosevelt also said, "the justice of morality must and will win in the end." But he knew that it was up to responsible nations to stand up for justice when injustice threatens.

This is our challenge as well. And we must not leave it to another generation to meet this challenge.

Thirteen years ago, my father was here to talk about his hopes for peace. Today, we are talking about a promise that is within our reach.

We can wait no longer and that is why I am here before you. We must work together to restore Palestine, a nation in despair and without hope. We must work together to restore peace, hope and opportunity to the Palestinian people. And in so doing, we will begin a process of building peace, not only throughout the region, but throughout the world. How much more bloodshed and how many more lives will it cost for this grave situation to be resolved?

I say: No more bloodshed and no more lives pointlessly taken!

The young boy, traveling to school with his brother in Palestine, let him have a life of peace.

The mother, watching with fear as her children board a bus in Israel, let her have a life of peace.

The father in Lebanon, working hard to provide an education for his children, let him have a life of peace.

The little girl, born in Iraq, with her wide eyes full of wonder, let her have a life of peace.

The family, together eating their evening meal, in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, let them all have a life of peace.

Today my friends, we must speak; we cannot be silent.

The next time a Jordanian, a Palestinian, or an Israeli comes before you, let it be to say:

Thank you for helping peace become a reality.

Thank you very much.




AAI Action Alert: Support Pro-Peace Resolution in the House!
Resolution Calls for Middle East Envoy to Reengage in Palestinian-Israeli Peace


Call and urge your representative to cosponsor House Resolution 143, a resolution "urging the President to appoint a Special Envoy for Middle East Peace," and, specifically, for the United States to support the creation of a lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.

Click here and learn how you can take action!

Thanks Reds. Here is the point: it expalins my position. we agree that there is a disparity in the way things are handled. When Muslim non-specialists stand against Israel on supposedly Islamic grounds, they look stupid because here is the ENTIRE arab world, overwhelmingly Muslim, AGREEING to peace with Israel, meaning that they recognize it. And their alims would not allow it if it were islamically wrong. But nuh..you gots people still trying to say that it is against the Qur'an..what a bunch of idiots...they are the true murderers because it is their philosophy that causes war and brutality.

Abdullah wasting his time.
Another 60 years of conflict.
Israel has aims on other mideast countries.

This should be posted on Political.

quote:

Originally posted by khaleel:
Thanks Reds. Here is the point: it expalins my position. we agree that there is a disparity in the way things are handled. When Muslim non-specialists stand against Israel on supposedly Islamic grounds, they look stupid because here is the ENTIRE arab world, overwhelmingly Muslim, AGREEING to peace with Israel, meaning that they recognize it. And their alims would not allow it if it were islamically wrong. But nuh..you gots people still trying to say that it is against the Qur'an..what a bunch of idiots...they are the true murderers because it is their philosophy that causes war and brutality.

only now i am getting to read this. King abdullah is full ah shit. the reason for no peace in the middle east is pinned on two things: 1) US always pushing their nose where it shouldnt be 2) lack of unity bwtn muslim factions in the ME....

Where was he when his so called friend invaded Afghanistan and carpet bombed the nation looking for a man that he cannot find to this day????? where was he when his friend unlawfully went into Iraq by force, bombed and murdered how many INNOCENT civilians, man woman and child???? where was he when the "COALITION" forces are raping women? shooting children point blank and killing men in front of their families??? Where was he when Saddam was overthrown for having WMDs and NONE WERE FOUND????

@#$%^&*(&^ idiot is what he is and HE racks up there with the good for nothing piece of ass SAUDIs that allow this kinda shit to carry on. talking bull about PEACE...when he couldnt wait for Saddam to be taken out and wait with outstretched hands to take in some oil from his FRIEND....when the friend kick him..he will know.

Gawd gyall. YOu mouht prappa hot this morning. Ah well...Don't forget that Abdullah exists simply because of the Palestinian situation. He has to follow the rules. But my point is that..here we have two pieces of crap:
1. as terry says, there is expansionism/hegemony afoot.
2. from the arab viewpoint; they talk about peace..the leaders and scholars..while the masses talk about their islam not allowing the existence of a jewish state
3. we have jewish masses here in the US along with muslim masses spewing hate.
4. when we wuz in guyana not bothering with the Mideast situation, people got less headaches.
Now..to your question from another thread..maybe I do know elevator man. hmmmmm

He should have presented all members of congress a copy of Carter's book if he did not have the nerve to say it like it is.

quote:

Originally posted by khaleel:
Gawd gyall. YOu mouht prappa hot this morning. Ah well...Don't forget that Abdullah exists simply because of the Palestinian situation. He has to follow the rules. But my point is that..here we have two pieces of crap:
1. as terry says, there is expansionism/hegemony afoot.
2. from the arab viewpoint; they talk about peace..the leaders and scholars..while the masses talk about their islam not allowing the existence of a jewish state
3. we have jewish masses here in the US along with muslim masses spewing hate.
4. when we wuz in guyana not bothering with the Mideast situation, people got less headaches.
Now..to your question from another thread..maybe I do know elevator man. hmmmmm

not allowing a jewish state? i dont think so. the jews are the only ones with the tanks and machine guns and the palestinians[poor ppl...they never have a home to call their own] are fighting with rocks. you think that it is fair you living in a land and someone comes along and tells you that you have to leave and better yet...go live on a swamp land? most palestinians are not even muslims!

what is worse is that the US is doing a fine job of backing one side, guess which one, and pummeling the other side...have you ever seen al-jezeerah tv? heartlessssssssssssssss!

BTW me grow up in toronto....

so you know this elevator guy eh? can you tell him to follow me to holt renfrew whilst i tantalize him in trying on a pair of shoes? thanks ;)

hmm..I am with you for the most part. the statistics are that MOSt pals are Muslim...but that is not my point. It is that regardless of whether Abdallah is good or not, the ARab leaders are NOw talking..as they did in the early 20th century--of the possibility of Israel coexisting there. My point is that the scholars can agree to this. But that the masses are against it. ANd Israelis use this to tell the world that Muslims are against Israel on RELIGIOUS grounds. That is the problem. If, after 1967, the Arabs had kept the argument totally secular, I could have pointed fingers at israel for some of the same reasons you mentin. But once manhy Muslims started misquoting the Quran to go AGAINST A JEWISH STATE, then it messed them up. An argument that was never religious morphed into a religious one...the result? Today we have christian zionism...one of the most evil movements ever, but well funded and potent.
As for elevator man, only shoes you go try on? Aw gyall, tell am me is you buddy and me looking for a lexus nuh?

quote:

Originally posted by khaleel:
hmm..I am with you for the most part. the statistics are that MOSt pals are Muslim...but that is not my point. It is that regardless of whether Abdallah is good or not, the ARab leaders are NOw talking..as they did in the early 20th century--of the possibility of Israel coexisting there. My point is that the scholars can agree to this. But that the masses are against it. ANd Israelis use this to tell the world that Muslims are against Israel on RELIGIOUS grounds. That is the problem. If, after 1967, the Arabs had kept the argument totally secular, I could have pointed fingers at israel for some of the same reasons you mentin. But once manhy Muslims started misquoting the Quran to go AGAINST A JEWISH STATE, then it messed them up. An argument that was never religious morphed into a religious one...the result? Today we have christian zionism...one of the most evil movements ever, but well funded and potent.
As for elevator man, only shoes you go try on? Aw gyall, tell am me is you buddy and me looking for a lexus nuh?

do you think that these arabs care about an isreal coexisting? - be serious. what the religious masses are against is the years of sufffering at the hands of the isrealis fueled by the US. i do not believe that they are against it. a peace plan was coming into play and then US administration switched and that was frigged up! Sharon was always the driving for a jewish middle east...

what part of the Quran are they using against isreal to coexist?

is you know the elevata bwoi...you tell he nah :)

That is the problem. I agree with the political analysis. Hence I agree with Krshna too. But re the Qur'an..the problem is that WE introduced it into the argument. And did not use it. Could not use it. Instead we use hadith about the end of time. At the university you should have a book caleed "the proceedings of the fourth meeting of the Islamic conference.: herein they called for expurging all the "isrealite" influenced tafsir etc in the tafsir literature etc...and it spawned an entire generation of hateful theses coming out of Egypt. U are right...and now in Isarel the right wingers are riding high..because every time there is talk of peace...all one has to do is play a sermon from a mosque and it sets everyone on fire. ON a daily basis, I get email from people asking me "imam so and so said this..is it true."
aS FOR ELEVATA BOY: hMMMM...i AM A MAN WHO KEEPS SECRETS. Thats why I can't tell you what Kyla was up to last saturday evening.

quote:

Originally posted by Reds:

quote:

Originally posted by khaleel:
hmm..I am with you for the most part. the statistics are that MOSt pals are Muslim...but that is not my point. It is that regardless of whether Abdallah is good or not, the ARab leaders are NOw talking..as they did in the early 20th century--of the possibility of Israel coexisting there. My point is that the scholars can agree to this. But that the masses are against it. ANd Israelis use this to tell the world that Muslims are against Israel on RELIGIOUS grounds. That is the problem. If, after 1967, the Arabs had kept the argument totally secular, I could have pointed fingers at israel for some of the same reasons you mentin. But once manhy Muslims started misquoting the Quran to go AGAINST A JEWISH STATE, then it messed them up. An argument that was never religious morphed into a religious one...the result? Today we have christian zionism...one of the most evil movements ever, but well funded and potent.
As for elevator man, only shoes you go try on? Aw gyall, tell am me is you buddy and me looking for a lexus nuh?

do you think that these arabs care about an isreal coexisting? - be serious. what the religious masses are against is the years of sufffering at the hands of the isrealis fueled by the US. i do not believe that they are against it. a peace plan was coming into play and then US administration switched and that was frigged up! Sharon was always the driving for a jewish middle east...

what part of the Quran are they using against isreal to coexist?

Well, we know that she had brandy and was dancing topless and exciting poor uncle Steve. :)

quote:

Originally posted by khaleel:
Thats why I can't tell you what Kyla was up to last saturday evening.

quote:

That is the problem. I agree with the political analysis. Hence I agree with Krshna too. But re the Qur'an..the problem is that WE introduced it into the argument. And did not use it. Could not use it. Instead we use hadith about the end of time. At the university you should have a book caleed "the proceedings of the fourth meeting of the Islamic conference.: herein they called for expurging all the "isrealite" influenced tafsir etc in the tafsir literature etc...and it spawned an entire generation of hateful theses coming out of Egypt. U are right...and now in Isarel the right wingers are riding high..because every time there is talk of peace...all one has to do is play a sermon from a mosque and it sets everyone on fire. ON a daily basis, I get email from people asking me "imam so and so said this..is it true."
aS FOR ELEVATA BOY: hMMMM...i AM A MAN WHO KEEPS SECRETS. Thats why I can't tell you what Kyla was up to last saturday evening.

mmmm i see your point. however, can peace talks be thrown out bc of what some imam claims to preach unto his congregation? i only agree with you partially, Isreal has always been there. it was never taken off the map - you do know why the jewish decided to come back to isreal post WW2 right? i dont agree with suicide bombings and the whole lot. ghandi said it best "eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". what i think is that the ROOT of problem needs to be addressed.

as for aunty jean[kyla] - is that why she cant wipe that smile off her face? :)

quote:

Originally posted by ksazma:
Well, we know that she had brandy and was dancing topless and exciting poor uncle Steve. :)

quote:

Originally posted by khaleel:
Thats why I can't tell you what Kyla was up to last saturday evening.

you on the money kzas! :)

Little wonder my ears were ringing - the explanation lies herein!! The two K's and Reds - y'all are the best.
Khaleel - be good - remember, the world is not an oyster but an oasis of love and connectivity!! Just stand tall and ignore the hated ones!!

Extremism is fuelled by the arab dictatorships who dont give a shit about the plight of their people. and couple with this is the occupation of palestinian for 60 years now, the daily humiliation, check points, stealing olive farms, water, bullozing people homes, not allow palestinians to perform repairs, allowing palestinian veggies to rot at the border crossing before it can enter jordan, the Jews of Israel wants no piece.

Its not that arab masses alone who we should put under the micrisope. Universities surveys in Israel shows over 60% of jews there calling for total expulsion of Palestinians from the west bank. These are the jihadists, the jewish jihadists if we want to use the term liberally.

Echoed with sadness. I was in israel last summer with a group of professors from the US...while I did not know or can vouch for the figures on Jansher's survey (this does not mean I doubt it)--I didn notice a rise of extremism and hatefulness in the Israeli Right wing segment...particularly Nathan Sharansky and his vile utterings. Many Israelis are appalled by the further movment to the right. News in today's papers however indicate that the Saudi plan is being considered. For the love of me, I can't see how they are going to solve Jerusalem however. But that is besides the point. There is a book called "anti arab racism" by Steven Salaita. Worth reading. Also a book by Cathy SUltan talking about what Jansher painfully points out. Truly objective book..forgot its name, but put cathy sultan. Those interested in Arab/Israeli affairs from a non-religious point of view should get it.

quote:

Originally posted by Jansher:
Extremism is fuelled by the arab dictatorships who dont give a shit about the plight of their people. and couple with this is the occupation of palestinian for 60 years now, the daily humiliation, check points, stealing olive farms, water, bullozing people homes, not allow palestinians to perform repairs, allowing palestinian veggies to rot at the border crossing before it can enter jordan, the Jews of Israel wants no piece.

Its not that arab masses alone who we should put under the micrisope. Universities surveys in Israel shows over 60% of jews there calling for total expulsion of Palestinians from the west bank. These are the jihadists, the jewish jihadists if we want to use the term liberally.

Tel Aviv uni survey a few years ago am talking about ; i read that some where some time ago cant put my fingers on it now. The Arab dictatorship have not allowed an alternative voice, thus its not strange that at the universities many, the elite dont trust the masses, but raly around the royality and dyanasties. THere is no sense of social justice of the less fortunate in thier countries. I am speaking of Morocco for example. Why can plurality work in India and not Morocco or Algeria. When North Africa is swept by religous extremists dont blame the masses nor be surprise; its the despotics at the helm of power who are fuelling this. Man will always resort to religion when all is is going wrong and its the masjid system that supports the marginalized of north africa.

Abduallah should allow plurality.... end to dictatorship if he wants to lecture others or be an example in the region. He can start the change.