Abdullah: the ball is in our court

Jordanian king says Arab states must convince Israel that its sacrifices are worth it
By Yitzhak Benhorin

“We must show Israelis that the price they are paying for co-existence with the Palestinians will be worth their while," said Jordanian King Abdullah, in an interview to an American Research Institute. "The ball is in our court.”

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Abdullah’s statements were part of a far-reaching interview with Robert Satloff, director general of the influential Washington Institute think tank ahead of Abdullah’s meeting with President Bush at the White House Tuesday. The interview is set to be published in Middle East Quarterly next month.

Like father like son

Answering questions about his father, the late King Hussein, Abdullah said he forged a relationship with former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by asking what exactly Israelis wanted.

Hussein realized that Israel “wants to be part of this region, ” and said that Arabs should ensure Israelis have freedom of movement “from Morocco all the way across the Arab world” in return for Israeli concessions.

Abdullah said “there are serious Israelis” willing to make “difficult decisions”, but questioned whether those sacrifices change Israel’s relationship with the Arab states.

Peace now, not in 10 years

Abdallah also said he believes Prime Minister Sharon wants peace with the Palestinians, but that he doesn’t mind waiting another 10 years.

“(When my) father used to say ‘peace for our children and our children’s children’, he was talking about us. Do I want to say I want peace for my children and grandchildren? The Middle East can’t wait that long,” he said.

He also added that the only way to establishing a viable Palestinian state was to solve the Israeli - Palestinian conflict within the next three years, otherwise, he said, the Israeli Palestinian problem will turn into an Israeli-Palestinian and Jordanian problem as well.