Jordan’s King Abdullah II, speaks during the opening session of the World Economic Forum in Southern Shuneh at a Dead Sea resort 22 miles west of Amman, Jordan, May 15, 2009. (Hussein Malla/AP Images)
(JTA) — The Islamic State cannot be defeated until the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved, Jordan’s king said.
Speaking Friday at the Munich Security Conference, an international gathering of foreign and defense policy leaders held in Germany, King Abdullah II said, “Left unresolved, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will become a religious conflict of a global dimension,” according to the Times of Israel.
Abdullah noted that the “festering injustice” of the unresolved conflict “continues to be exploited by [ISIS] and its kind.
“Left unresolved, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will become a religious conflict of a global dimension. And it is only a matter of time before we may be faced by yet another war in Gaza or in south Lebanon,” he said. “This is why reaching a two-state solution should remain a priority for us all.”
Abdullah also called for “a new level of global action” focused on defeating ISIS.
“We, as Arabs and Muslims, have a responsibility and duty to be in the lead in the fight against the Khawarej, or outlaws of Islam. This is a war to protect our religion, our values and the future of our people,” he said, “but it must be global in partnership, just as it is global in scope.”
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