Jordan, 2012

It is an honour to join this

eminent gathering. Allow me to extend Jordan’s sincere

congratulations to His Excellency Mr. Vuk Jeremić. I

would like to assure him of Jordan’s full cooperation.

May I also express to the Secretary-General Jordan’s

appreciation for his untiring efforts. I welcome his voice

and the voices of world leaders of many religions who

stand with billions of Muslims worldwide in rejecting

provocations meant to divide those of different faiths.

Islam teaches us to honour all human beings,

promote tolerance and show mercy. As a Hashemite and

a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad — peace and

blessings upon him — I condemn all acts that vilify the

name of the Prophet or falsely use his name or the name

of Islam — or any other religion, for that matter — to

justify violence and evil acts such as we have recently witnessed. There are no sidelines on this issue. All

of us of every faith everywhere must be proactive in

promoting understanding and a much stronger global

dialogue.

“To unite our strength” — these four words in the

United Nations Charter are not just an old dream, they

are a modern urgency. The United Nations and the

General Assembly — empowered and strong — are

needed today as never before.

In my region, we have important tasks ahead.

We must provide new and better opportunities for

our people, especially our youth, to avert the dangers

of regional instability and conflict and to fulfil the

universal desire — the basic human right — to live in

freedom, dignity, justice and peace. The international

community has a crucial interest in supporting countries

that are taking risks for peace and reform.

In Jordan we have charted our course guided by our

heritage, by our mutual respect and by moderation. Our

Arab Spring journey is one of opportunity to accelerate

home-grown reforms and achieve national goals. Last

year I stood before the Assembly and spoke about the

reforms that were on the horizon (see A/66/PV.11).

Since then, new and comprehensive constitutional

amendments, as well as new laws, have created a

matrix of institutions and principles to support our path

of reform and democratization. And with the new year,

we will have our new Parliament, and our Jordanian

Summer will begin.

I would like to address the tragic situation in Syria.

Violence must end immediately, and a transition

must begin now. There is no alternative to a political

solution that will end the bloodshed, restore security

and stability and preserve the territorial integrity of

Syria and the dignity and unity of its people.

The United Nations has an important part to play

in helping people commit to a political solution. Jordan

will do all in its power to support the newly appointed

Joint Special Representative of the United Nations

and the League of Arab States for Syria, Mr. Lakhdar

Brahimi.

The peoples of Jordan and Syria have long and

deep ties. Since the current crisis erupted, over 200,000

Syrians have sought refuge in Jordan, putting heavy

pressure on our limited resources and our economy.

Yet we, as Jordanians, have opened our arms, as we

have many times in the past for others in need. As we continue to shoulder that responsibility, international

support is essential. We are very grateful for the

generous response of Governments, international

bodies and dedicated United Nations agencies. The

somber reality is, however, that more will be needed, as

the camps grow more crowded with vulnerable families

and the cold desert winter approaches. I call upon the

countries of the United Nations to work together to

prevent a humanitarian disaster.

While we deal with those challenges, we must never

lose our focus on the crisis at the heart of the region. For

almost 65 years, the Palestinian people have been the

exception to the United Nations promise. We pledge the

shelter of international law and human rights, except

not yet; the dignity of living in freedom and security,

except not yet; the right to self-determination, except

not yet. It is time to say, “Enough!”

As the Arab Spring demanded dignity for all, so it

demanded the end of exceptionalism. No single issue

causes greater anger than to tell an entire people that

when it comes to global justice they do not count.

The Arab Summer cannot bear its full fruit until the

Palestinian-Israeli conflict ends, and ends with a just

peace and a Palestinian State living side by side with a

secure Israel at peace with the entire region.

Earlier this year, in Amman, we succeeded in

getting both sides back to the table for exploratory talks.

Then positive traction stopped again. Illegal settlementbuilding

and unilateral actions have continued,

constituting direct threats to a negotiated peace. We

are extremely concerned by threats to Jerusalem and

the sanctity of its Muslim and Christian holy sites. The

Al-Aqsa Mosque compound of Al-Haram Al-Sharif

in East Jerusalem is under Hashemite custodianship,

a special role recognized by the 1994 Jordan-Israel

Treaty of Peace and protected as occupied territory by

international law. It is Islam’s third holiest site and its

importance to 1.7 billion Muslims, one quarter of the

world’s population, is similar to the importance of the

Ka’ba itself.

Let me be absolutely clear, any invasion or division

of the site of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa would be viewed not

only as a breach of Israel’s obligations but as a profound

religious transgression. The international community

must send a clear message that such a transgression,

or any attempt to erase the Arab, Muslim or Christian

identity of Jerusalem, will not be tolerated. What is

needed now is the full weight of our nations, united. Neither the parties nor the world can afford continued

hostility and insecurity. There may be a rare window

of opportunity later this year, after the United States

elections, to achieve what both sides so urgently need,

namely, two States at peace, Palestine and Israel, both

secure, both free to look forward on the basis of a just,

comprehensive and final settlement. That has always

been and will remain a foremost priority for Jordan.

Let me say now, as I have said before, that the

Arab world seeks peace. We mean by that real peace:

diplomatic relations, economic relations, trade and

investment. We mean by that a new normality, in

peace, where people are safe in their homes, where

communities are able to build and where cooperation

helps the entire region prosper. All this has been on

offer for over 10 years, since 2002, under the Arab

Peace Initiative, through which 57 Arab and Muslim

countries reached out collectively to Israel. It is time for

Israel to turn around, look to the future we must share

and make a just and lasting peace with the Palestinians.

Almost 70 years ago, countries from every continent

chose to come together in hopes of a world united in

peace and respectful of all humankind. After a bitter,

destructive global war, the United Nations was the right

step, the brave step. Today, almost three generations

later, we have learned that it is not enough to make the

right choices. We must also pursue effective action. Not

only as nations but as nations united, we must take the

right steps, the brave steps, now.