Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority could “explode” if final status talks fail, and that the Syrian civil war is rapidly spiraling out of control into a regional conflict.
Kerry is set to arrive Wednesday from Kuwait, where he has been discussing the prospects of financial aid for the PA, among other issues.
But Abdullah said that unless final status talks are launched quickly, it is more likely the region will see another round of Arab Spring violence – this time started by the Palestinian Authority.
The Hashemite monarch added that the Syrian civil war across his northern border could also ignite a regional war unless the international community is able to convene peace talks soon, according to the London-based A-sharq al-Awsat newspaper.
“It has become clear to all that the Syrian crisis may extend from being a civil war to a regional and sectarian conflict…the extent of which is unknown,” the king warned in the interview.
“It is time for a more serious Arab and international coordination to stop the deterioration of the Syrian crisis. The situation cannot wait any longer,” he added.
Jordan has absorbed more than half a million Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations. Most are being housed in U.N.-supplied tent cities in the country’s northern Mafraq sector, near the Syrian border.
At least 1.5 million Syrian citizens have fled the country, and more than two million others are homeless and displaced within the country.