King of Jordan has warning for US

Jordan's King Abdullah has expressed his concerns about political upheaval in Syria and continued disagreement between the Israelis and Palestinians.

DEAD SEA, JORDAN (Catholic Online) - As reported by CNN, King Abdullah said he has great concerns when it comes to Syria. Having reached out on two occasions to Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad, and having sent the chief of his royal court to Syria multiple times, he is pessimistic about the future there.

The king said, "I don't think there's anybody in the region or outside who knows how to tackle the Syria issue. I've spoken to Bashar twice. I have sent the chief of the royal court to see him on several occasions. . . they're not really interested in what we have to say."

King Abdullah said that Jordan intended to keep the channels of communication open and that they continue to watch with growing concern the situation in that country. Already, thousands of people have been killed in Syria over the past eight months as the government has cracked down on Arab Spring protesters.

The King explained that Jordan was implementing its own series of reforms and that pending democratic elections would go forward as planned. He expressed hope that Syria would look to Jordan as an example of how to implement reform, but he did not think that was likely.

When questioned about the Israeli-Palestinian issue, King Abdullah said, "I am one of the most optimistic people you'll meet in the Middle East, and for the first time I am very pessimistic about the Israelis and Palestinians moving forward."

The King explained that his pessimism was based on what he had seen of the political process in Israel. "Israel is not really interested in a two-state solution," he said.

He also warned that the United States should not neglect the Israeli-Palestinian issue during the upcoming election. He explained that if the US did not remain actively involved in the politics between Israel and Palestine then, "That would be disastrous because whenever there is a vacuum, whenever there is a status quo, there's usually a war. And so we're missing a tremendous opportunity."

For its part, Jordan has managed to stay out of the international spotlight while implementing reforms called for by its people. The country remains one of the most peaceful and positive examples of the Arab Spring movement in the region.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'