King Abdullah II Not Amused by Jordan is Palestine Conference

Illustration: Jordan's King Abdullah II Accompanying Netanyahu After Their Meeting At The Royal Palace In Amman (Image credit: Avi Ohayon/Government Press Office of Israel)

King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas are opposed to a conference focusing on addressing a wide range of issues, from how to foster or implement peace to how Jordan can be recognized as “Palestine.” The International Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Center (IJMDC) reports that the king has not responded to an invitation to participate in The Jordan Option: The Ultimate Alternate Solution Conference.

The IJMDC extended the invitation to the king of Jordan to debate Jordan’s future at the international/interdenominational peace conference, scheduled for October 17th in Jerusalem at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

According to Michael Ross, the IJMDC’s Director, “The International Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Center was created to bring people together and tackle problems peacefully, in a way that governments can’t, won’t or don’t.”

“The king of Jordan, Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas have already taken positions against this conference and the proposed plan without listening to the details,” Ross said. “We want everyone to participate, but we will not invite groups that do not recognize Israel’s right to exist, as well as terrorist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas who call for the death of Israel and Jews.”

“Jordan has diplomatic relations with Israel, and I would like Jordanian leaders and citizens to come and express their views,” Ross added. “The IJMDC is taking a different approach to peace in putting together this conference and wants people from all four corners of the world to participate, roll up their sleeves, and focus on helping people and businesses work together to help formulate and discuss ideas, options and solutions and then bring them to fruition”.

Citizens from over 35 countries have been invited to participate, including China, France, Russia, the UK, and the USA. The list of speakers include a variety of internationally known people, including Yishai Fleisher, spokesman for Hebron’s Community, Jordanian Palestinian politician and academic Dr. Mudar Zahran, and Knesset Member Yehuda Glick (Likud).

Presented as a round table, the speakers’ presentations fall into three categories, as detailed in the following early schedule of confirmed speakers.

Keynote Presentations: Michael Ross, IJMDC Executive Director, Ted Belman, Mudar Zahran, MK Yehuda Glick, and Mordechai Nissan.

Stating Facts: Mordechai Kedar, Martin Sherman, Edy Cohen, and Rachel Avraham
The Solution: Mudar Zahran, David Ha’Ivri, David Bedein and Arieh Eldad
The Pathway To Peace: How to Materialize a True Solution: Raphi Israeli, Michael Ross, Samer Libdeh, and Abed Al Maala

Ross described the effort, saying, “We are an NGO, and can do things governments can’t – and the first step in achieving a lasting peace is if people - not governments – talk to each other, respect each other, and work together. This is just the beginning of inter-denominational communications. There are millions of people around the world who understand that Middle East peace can only be achieved if everyone rolls up their sleeves, puts ideas on the table, and then gets down to business and creates a viable plan.”

Further information on the conference can be found on the IJMDC Facebook page.