Amman, Sept. 23 (Petra) -- His Majesty King Abdullah II's address to the United Nations General Assembly set out Jordan's priorities amid regional upheaval, placing national security, water and border protection alongside the Kingdom's support for Palestinian rights and a political path to peace, lawmakers said.
In separate statements on Wednesday, MPs and parliamentary blocs said the King's address to the 81st session of the General Assembly in New York presented Jordan's approach to a region undergoing rapid change: pursuing diplomacy and political solutions while protecting the Kingdom's sovereignty and strategic interests.
They said the speech also underscored that lasting peace cannot be achieved by managing crises indefinitely, but requires addressing their root causes and greater international responsibility.
MP Mujhem Al-Sqour said the address went beyond a conventional diplomatic statement by defining Jordan's position toward the accelerating and increasingly complex changes in the region.
He said the King's remarks placed the international community before its political and moral responsibilities, warning that postponing solutions and allowing realities to be imposed on the ground could deepen instability and undermine the rights of peoples across the region.
Al-Sqour said the message extended beyond the Palestinian issue to the broader future of the Middle East, particularly amid attempts to reshape realities by force.
Jordan, he said, remains committed to diplomacy and political solutions but will not treat threats to its borders, water resources or national security as secondary issues.
The address presented peace as a strategic choice and diplomacy as an effective instrument, Al-Sqour added, while drawing a clear line around Jordan's national interests and security.
MP Awni Al-Zoubi, a member of the National Charter parliamentary bloc, said the King's remarks reaffirmed that any threat to Jordan's northern borders or water security constitutes a national security concern.
He said the speech also reiterated Jordan's positions on the Palestinian cause, support for Palestinian resilience and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as well as the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
Al-Zoubi said these positions reflected Jordan's continued reliance on diplomacy and peace while maintaining a firm commitment to protecting its security, water resources and the interests of its people.
House Education Committee Chairman Ibrahim Qaralleh said the address linked diplomacy with Jordan's commitment to human values, international law and the protection of people's rights and dignity.
Peace cannot be achieved by overlooking crises or repeatedly postponing their resolution, he said, but by tackling their underlying causes and ensuring that the international community fulfills its responsibilities.
Qaralleh said Jordan's principles would remain unchanged regardless of shifting regional circumstances or the level of international attention, with the Kingdom continuing to support peace and stability and defend Palestinian rights while safeguarding its national interests.
The National Charter Party parliamentary bloc echoed those views, saying the speech presented the position of a state committed to a just peace and international law while prepared to protect its sovereignty and national interests.
Bloc leader MP Ali Khalaileh said the King's emphasis on Jordan's northern borders, water security and the interests of its people demonstrated the country's national priorities amid mounting regional challenges.
He said the address also outlined a broader vision for Jordan that combines its regional political and humanitarian role with efforts to strengthen the Kingdom as a center for trade, industry and technology, develop its defense capabilities and counter terrorism and drug trafficking.
On the Palestinian issue, Khalaileh said the King's speech warned that Israeli policies in Gaza and the West Bank, including settlement expansion, land seizures and displacement, threaten prospects for establishing a viable Palestinian state and achieving a just peace.
He said Jordan would continue supporting Palestinian resilience and UNRWA while maintaining the Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
//Petra// RZ
