Amman, Oct. 8 (Petra) — His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin
Talal said achieving a just peace in the region remains hindered by
the absence of an Israeli government willing to accept it, stressing
that the fundamental problem lies in managing the conflict rather
than resolving it. He also emphasized that the West Bank and Gaza
Strip are occupied territories, not disputed territories.

Prince El Hassan made the remarks in an interview with journalist
Yalda Hakim, broadcast Wednesday evening on Britain’s Sky News
channel as part of The World with Yalda Hakim program.

The Prince said Jordan has pursued a peace based on justice for more
than three decades, emphasizing that the obstacle has not been the
absence of a partner seeking peace, but rather the lack of an Israeli
government prepared to accept it.

He criticized the Israeli government’s response to criticism, arguing
that it seeks to divert attention and undermine the credibility of
its critics instead of changing its policies.

Addressing the current state of diplomatic relations between Jordan
and Israel, Prince Hassan noted that diplomatic ties remain in place,
although meaningful communication and exchanges of ideas between the
two sides have become almost nonexistent, apart from contacts
conducted through third parties.

He stressed that the question of Jerusalem remains unresolved and
reiterated that the West Bank and Gaza Strip are occupied territories
with clear sovereign rights, rather than disputed territories.

Prince El Hassan noted that European and other Western countries have
begun adopting clearer positions on Israeli settlement activity,
describing it as a central issue that cannot be ignored at this
stage, particularly amid the widespread destruction in Gaza.

He also referred to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236
of 1974, which reaffirmed the inalienable rights of the Palestinian
people, foremost among them the rights to self-determination,
national independence, sovereignty and return.

Prince El Hassan rejected Israeli accusations that Jordan had
deprived Palestinians of their rights, stressing that the Kingdom
does not accept stripping individuals of their nationality or
treating them as second-class citizens.

Turning to regional developments, he said Jordan continues to face
the repercussions of regional crises because of its geographical
location, underscoring the importance of dialogue, even with
adversaries, as a means of achieving stability. He recalled that this
approach had formed the basis for reaching the peace treaty.

Prince El Hassan noted that missiles and drones entering Jordanian
airspace amid tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel
represent more than a security challenge, as they violate state
sovereignty and demonstrate Jordan’s exposure to the consequences of
conflicts it did not initiate.

He called for restoring the human dimension to approaches addressing
the region’s challenges, noting that the Levant and its wider
surroundings are home to hundreds of millions of people who must not
be reduced to statistics or viewed solely through the lens of their
region’s natural resources.

Prince El Hassan concluded by stressing that Jordan does not want to
become a battleground for conflicts taking place elsewhere, calling
for respect for state sovereignty and efforts to address the root
causes of conflicts rather than merely managing them.

//Petra// AJ