Jordan king: US should press on Israel

Jordan's King Abdullah II said Friday that Israel must choose between the mentality of "Israel the fortress" or "living in peace and security with its neighbors."

Interviewed on state television before his departure for the United States, the monarch stated Washington was the most capable of influencing Israel. "It is time that the (U.S.) employ this influence to prove its transparency to the people of the region, and that it is not biased," Abdullah said.

The Middle East faces two choices - "either the choice of peace or the choice of chaos, violence and destruction," the king told Jordanian television

He said that a solution to the Palestinian problem would spare the region disaster and chaos.

Referring to the United States, he said: "It is our duty to push this great state, and others, to take balanced positions and support the peace process."

Abdullah said that he realized that Washington was preoccupied with Iraq, and said Jordan too wanted to see reconciliation and stability in Iraq. But, the king added, "the principle problem in the region is the Palestinian issue and, if it is not solved, it will be impossible to solve the other problems."