In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate,

Madam President,
Mr. Secretary General,
Your Excellencies,

Thank you. It is an honour to take part, once again, in this great General
Assembly.

The United Nations was bom in the ashes of the Second World War, out
of a deep desire to protect new generations from suffering, destmction, and
want. Today, these hopes still face challenges; peace and stability have met
threats in every region; too many people remain excluded from the promise
of prosperity, and global terror continues to target all nations. Here in this
chamber, Eve called it a third world war.

My friends,

These challenges do not make collective action and mutual respect less
important. They make our partnership more important. Because what is the
alte ative? A world without the peace and accord we need to work together,
trade together, expand opportunity together? A world where crises are not
resolved, but magnified? Violence spreads, more refugees flee, because we
can’t work together to help people stay safe and thrive?

We have a long way to go to deliver global opportunity and hope, but we
can t simply give up because the task is hard. All our countries benefit when
we unite in common cause. I am compelled to talk about this today because
of the critical role of collective action in ending the serious crises in my
region, and especially the key crisis the long denial of a Palestinian state.
Every UN resolution since the beginning of this crisis every resolution,
whether from the General Assembly or the Security Council recognises the
equal rights of the Palestinian people to a future of peace, dignity, and hope.
This is the heart of the two-state settlement, the only pat to a comprehensive,
lasting peace.

Only a two-state solution based on international law and relevant UN
resolutions can meet the needs of both sides: an end to conflict, a viable,
independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East
Jerusalem as its capital, and a secure Israel, fully part of its own region,
recognised by Arab and Muslim states around the world.

Arab and Muslim countries are committed to a comprehensive peace; the
Arab Peace Initiative has been on offer for more than 16 years. Indeed, every
major country in the world, the UN, the European Union, all have worked to
help the parties reach a durable peace that can last. The US administration has
long been committed to peace, and has a leading role in our progress going
forward.

Yes, we have a long way to go, but we can t give up because the task is
hard. Because, what is the alternative? Can we afford to let one of the world’s
most strategic regions be tied to an endless cycle of violence in its midst? How
long must Jerusalem, a holy city to more than half the world’s people, face
dangers to its multi-faith heritage and identity? How can we accept a status
quo of continuing crisis and bigotry? Palestinian families displaced for
generations, their children’s very identity denied. Israeli families, living in
continuing national self-isolation; without the security of peaceful
relationships worldwide.

And what could possibly be the f ture of what some propose: a single, bi-
national state, whose very foundation is a rejection of the equality of its own
people? That’s the ugly, undemocratic reality of the one-state idea. It is by no
means an alternative to a two-state peace settlement, it is an abandonment of
peace, a new way to go AWOL from the work of reconciliation, and the
opposite of what both sides need, and have sought for so long.

My friends,

There is no such thing as a unilateral agreement; it takes at least two parties
to make an agreement. Helping the parties achieve that agreement, and work
together to build a new future, deserves the strong, steady support of all our
world.

Our countries need to pull together to get this peace process back on track.
That means utterly rejecting actions that jeopardise negotiations, whether by
illegal encroachments, land confiscations, or threats to the welfare of
innocents, especially children.

We need to support full funding of UNRWA and other vital efforts to
protect families, keep communities stable, and prepare young people for
productive lives. It would be a terrible mistake to abandon youth to the forces
of radicalism and despair. Such support is urgently needed to ensure UNRWA
fulfils its role, in accord with its UN mandate.

Above all, we need to safeguard the heritage an peace of Jerusalem, a
holy city to billions of people around the world. The Hashemite Custodianship
of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem is a duty that Jordan is proud
to carry, and we will counter any attempts to change the holy city s historic
Arab Christian and Muslim identity.

But Jerusalem’s future is not Jordan’s concern alone; it is yours. There are
global implications when religious worship is threatened and international law
is undermined.

My friends,

Collective action is also vital when it comes to resolving other conflicts
and crises that threaten our world. Jordan will continue to support all
multilateral efforts to help Syria achieve a political solution, based on the
Geneva process, and UN Security Council Resolution 2254, to safeguard the
country’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and create the conditions
for stability and rebuilding.

An effective global response to terror also requires continued collective
action. Let’s be clear about it: for all our victories, the fight against these
outlaws, the khawarej of Islam, is not over. Winning the war demands a long¬
term, holistic approach, one that pairs security measures with strong initiatives
that support inclusion and hope. Online and offline, we must counter all I
say all ideologies of hatred, including Islamophobia. Jordanians have led
efforts to unite the world in mutual respect and understanding.

Finally, we must also strengthen our collective response to the global
refugee crisis.

As many of you know, Jordan has carried a massive, disproportionate
burden as a refugee host. Our people have opened their homes, schools, public
services, hospitals. We have shared our country s scarce resources, our food
and energy, our precious water. The crisis has held back economic growth and
job creation, jobs urgently nee ed by our young people, more than 60 percent
of our population.

Jordanians have borne this refugee burden in full accord with our country s
long humanitarian traditions, but we know, and the world knows, that this
crisis is a global responsibility. The sacrifices we and other host countries
make every day can only continue if donor nations hold up their side of the
partnership. That means continued, multi-track efforts in development support
and humanitarian assistance; efforts which not only prepare refugees to retu
home and rebuild their countries, but also give hope to the people of host
countries, who have sacrificed so much.

My friends,

The world cannot address the refugee crisis, or any global crisis, unless we
work together to support those who are doing the right thing for the future we
all share.

Peace and prosperity demand constant, collecti e action. The alternative is
to fail our history, and fail our future.

Let us choose, instead, to succeed, to give the world’s people, especially
young people, confidence in global justice, hope for new opportunity, and
international laws and agreements and institutions that everyone can rely on.

Thank you.

Abdullah II of Jordan