The Dead Sea: Palestinians' life source

Jordan’s King Abdullah II was probably the best one to summarise the importance of the World Economic Forum at the Dead Sea, after concluding the do-or-die attempts to revive the Arab-Israeli peace process. For the seventh time in 10 years, the forum was held on the Jordanian banks of the Dead Sea. This year the forum focused more on the importance of creating job opportunities for young Arabs and trying to find a way out of the current Israeli-Palestinian impasse. Jordan’s king does not speak normally. He tries to explain the challenges facing Jordan without equivocation – talking simply to his people. As the situation in Syria continues to push refugees into Jordan – where they could form 10 percent of the population soon, maybe even hitting 20 percent by the end of the year – can a country with scarce supplies of water and natural resources sustain itself under this kind of pressure? Internal and external pressures did not affect the Jordan-held summit. Jordan knows the importance of serious dialogue to discuss problems facing each and every Arab country – among them religious extremism, educational challenges, political reform and unemployment (particularly among young people). King Abdullah topped off his speech by saying that “the whole region is characterised by the possibility of real positive changes.” “Let us work on the right track together,” the king said. “Let us overcome all the challenges and offer them the [better] living conditions that they deserve.” The World Economic Forum aims to connect politics with economics – so the summit provided the opportunity to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. For the first time in the history of the conflict, we saw civil society representatives from both sides and around 500 businessmen. All of them just want peace. There is no doubt that Jordan has played a key role in supporting this initiative, which supports the Palestinian cause. US Secretary of State John Kerry has also not hesitated in supporting the latest initiative which has been given the blessing of both Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres. Abbas, Kerry and Peres’ words show signs of hope, particularly after the US official pledged $4bn to revive the Palestinian economy in the West Bank. He did not hesitate in pointing out the importance of the political dimension to any solution, although Kerry did not refer to 1967 borders as a starting-point for peace negotiations that could lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Peres on the other hand was vague when referring to the problems of establishing Palestine along 1967 borders. There were two useful quotations in his speech. He spoke positively about Abbas, calling him “our partner,” while also praising the peace initiative endorsed by the 2002 Beirut summit. After more than 10 years, we’re witnessing Israeli recognition of the Arab peace initiative and its importance. Could this be a sign of a new mood in Israel, or is it simply talk which has not got the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? The World Economic Forum confirms there is hope left for reviving the peace process. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore Jordan’s role. Jordan has not wanted to give up on the Palestinian cause. It has been a long time since the US tried to focus on the issue – overshadowed as it was by the Iraqi occupation and the Arab Spring. But now King Abdullah II has made the Dead Sea the Palestinians’ source of life. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.