Jordan king links regional security to Palestinian homeland

Jordan's King Abdullah II said Monday that the Middle East would not have security or stability unless Palestinians' right to a homeland was upheld.

Speaking at the opening of Jordan's parliament, Abdullah said: “There can be no security or stability in our region without upholding the Palestinian people's right to their homeland.”

The king said the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza was continuing, along with what he called relentless attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem. He also said Israel's “expansionist ambitions” remained the greatest threat to the region's future.

Jordan neighbours Israel and the occupied West Bank, has long backed a two-state solution and signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

The speech came days after Israel held a legislative election in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party won the most votes but fell short of a majority. It also followed threats of renewed wider conflict, with Iran saying it would hit back if the United States and Israel renewed strikes against it.