Jordan's king said in remarks published Monday that the Obama administration seems to be focusing too much on Iran and less on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying time was running out to make peace.
In an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica, King Abdullah II conveyed the Middle East's hopes for peace were huge at the start of the current administration, but now sees the "goal getting farther away."
"I've heard people in Washington talking about Iran, again Iran, always Iran," Abdullah was quoted as saying. "But I insist on, and keep insisting on the Palestinian question: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the most serious threat to the stability of the region and the Mediterranean."
According to him, the Israelis and the Palestinians have a window of opportunity over the next year to make progress on creating a two-state solution, after which point the possibility of a Palestinian state will disappear. "The window of opportunity will soon close," he was quoted as saying. "By the end of 2010, if Israel doesn't believe in the two-state solution, the possibility of a future Palestinian state will disappear because of geographic reasons: already the land is fragmented into cantons."
"I'll be sincere; I had expected more, sooner," he said of the American efforts.
© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
