In a speech to the Doha Arab Summit, read out by foreign minister Saad Dine El Otmani on Tuesday, HM the King welcomed the ongoing contacts, expressing support for the efforts made to ensure successful, constructive dialogue between the Palestinians.

    "I also support the appeal made by the Palestinian stakeholders to promote Palestinian unity and achieve a successful outcome," the Sovereign said.

    HM the King regretted that in the midst of the complex developments and turmoil gripping the Middle East, the central, critically important issue of the Palestinian people remains deadlocked.

    He insisted that "there has been no progress in this regard since successive Israeli governments have invariably sought to impose the fait accompli policy, thereby violating international legitimacy, ignoring all their documented obligations and breaching human rights and international humanitarian law, on a large scale, by stubbornly rejecting all peace efforts and overtures."

     In his capacity as President of the Al-Quds Committee, the Sovereign pledged that he "shall do everything I can to continue urging influential international actors to compel the Israeli government to stop its policies which are designed to Judaize East Jerusalem and obliterate its identity."

     In this respect, HM the King highlighted the tangible projects being implemented by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency for the benefit of the inhabitants of the holy city.

    The Sovereign insisted that "opting for peace is an irreversible choice. Likewise, the Arab Peace Initiative cannot be ignored."

    He underlined the need to take clear, firm positions as part of an effective, joint strategy to uphold the right of the Palestinian people to an independent state based on the 1967 borders, with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital.