Jordan's King Abdullah warned continued Israeli attacks against Palestinian cities would have a "devastating" effect and could easily spread farther in the region.
"I think it would be devastating," the king told CBS News Sunday when asked what effect Israel's refusal to comply with international demands for its withdrawal from the West Bank could have on neighboring Arab states.
"Our hope is that our friends in America understand the importance of putting a stop to the Israeli army actions because it could very, very easily escalate to beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine," he added.
The king dismissed Israeli assertions that they were facing a security problem in their relations with the Palestinians. "It's not a security problem. It's a political one," he said. "This is an occupying country, the only country in the world that is occupying another people ... and people fail to understand that."
Abdullah thanked US President George W. Bush for asking the Israeli armed forces to withdraw as quickly as possible and putting forward a vision of an independent Palestinian state. But he added Americans, by and large, failed to grasp the plight of the Palestinian people.
"If you sit back in America and say this is not my problem, then all you're doing is delaying any chance that we have in eradicating terrorism," the monarch warned.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah's visit to Cairo and talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo slated for Monday have been cancelled, Egyptian and Jordanian officials said.
An official at the royal court in Amman confirmed that the meeting would not take place and told AFP "there has been a change" in plans but did not provide any further explanation.
Jordan's state news agency Petra reported that Abdullah and Mubarak spoke on the phone Sunday to review the situation in the Palestinian territories.
During their phone consultations, it was decided that Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb would fly instead of the king to Cairo on Monday to meet Mubarak. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
