Amman, Nov. 5 (Petra) -- Senate President Faisal Fayez on Thursday blamed the Israeli government's aggressive and expansionist policies for escalating conflicts in the Middle East, warning that continued violations of international law and humanitarian principles threaten regional and global stability.

Speaking at the opening of the 17th Bosphorus Summit in Istanbul, held under the theme "Global Transformation and the Search for Stability," Fayez said Israeli policies had intensified the suffering of Palestinians, who have endured displacement and oppression for more than eight decades.

He referred to His Majesty King Abdullah II's address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, in which the King condemned Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and urged the international community to fulfill its responsibilities toward resolving the conflict.

Fayez said Israel had rejected successive peace initiatives, including the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offered normalized relations with 57 Arab and Muslim countries in exchange for peace and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

He also recalled the King's criticism of the United Nations' inability to implement its resolutions, warning that the consequences of injustice against Palestinians had spread across the region and could not remain confined to the Middle East.

Fayez warned against attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, as well as continued attacks by Israel's far right against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under the historic Hashemite Custodianship.

He reaffirmed Jordan's commitment to a just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue, saying the peace treaty signed with Israel under the late King Hussein bin Talal was intended to advance comprehensive peace within the framework established by the Madrid Peace Conference, rather than serve as a separate agreement.

He also recalled former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's efforts to achieve peace with the Palestinians, noting that Rabin was assassinated by Jewish extremists.

Turning to Jordan's broader regional role, Fayez said the Kingdom had maintained stability and a reasonable level of economic resilience despite limited resources, substantial responsibilities and its exposure to regional conflicts.

He said Jordan's foreign policy remained grounded in respect for international law, noninterference in other countries' affairs, avoiding involvement in conflicts and maintaining constructive relations with all nations.

Fayez called for stronger international cooperation in politics, economics, parliamentary affairs and sustainable development, stressing that global resources could better serve humanity if spending on wars, armaments and barriers between nations were redirected toward shared prosperity and challenges such as climate change.

Addressing the recent terrorist attack on a church in Karak Governorate that claimed several lives, Fayez said it was an assault on Jordanian society as a whole, not Christians alone.

He said the attack had failed to undermine Muslim-Christian solidarity and instead strengthened national unity, Jordanians' determination to combat terrorism and their support for the Hashemite leadership.

The summit brought together parliamentary leaders, ministers, politicians, economists and experts to discuss global political and economic developments, technology, climate change and sustainable development. Copies of the Amman Message were distributed to participants, according to a Senate statement.

//Petra// AJ