Resoconto integrale delle discussioni

Martedì 17 giugno 2025 - Strasburgo

5. Seduta solenne - Allocuzione di Sua Maestà Re Abdullah II, sovrano del Regno hascemita di Giordania

  President. – Good afternoon to you all, dear colleagues. It is an honour to welcome His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan back to the European Parliament. Your Majesty, this is not the first time that you address this House, and each time your inspiring words have left a lasting impact on all who listened. We are grateful that every time that it feels that the world is at an inflection point, leaders like Your Majesty are able to come here and outline a way forward for our common humanity.

Ten years ago, in the midst of the horror inflicted by Daesh, I was here in the Chamber when you said: 'Our world force faces an assault by terrorists with ruthless ambition. The motive is not faith, it is power; power pursued by ripping countries and communities apart in sectarian conflicts, and inflicting suffering across the world.' Your words echoed through this House and beyond, and the urgency of our shared responsibility against the threat of extremism has only since grown.

Five years ago, as the globe faced further crises, you were here to remind us all that a life spent in the service of others is a life fully lived, but only if we meet the expectations of the people we represent. Words that mattered then to us all and that ring true still today.

Your Majesty, on behalf of this House, I want to commend you and your great country on its commitment to stability and peace in the Middle East. We appreciate Jordan's critical efforts in reducing regional tensions; in pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza; in supporting the West Bank; in all you have been you have done for the sick; in the need for the return of hostages; for facilitating so much urgently needed humanitarian aid to those who so desperately need it; and for your unwavering support for Palestinian and Syrian refugees and a two-state solution as a path to lasting peace.

The G7 has reiterated this week that Iran should not have a nuclear bomb. And with what we have witnessed between Israel and Iran in recent days and its potential spillover effects, Jordan's role has become even more vital. The challenges call for stronger ties and a renewed relationship between Europe and the Middle East as we push for broad de-escalation.

So, Your Majesty, Jordan is not only a great friend to this Parliament, but an important partner for the European Union. We welcome the EU-Jordan Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership that was signed earlier this year. It represents an important political milestone in our bilateral relations, and reflects our shared commitment towards regional stability and economic cooperation.

In this Parliament, we look forward to further building on it, on values, on market access, on trade. Because while our people may come from different countries, as you see before you, they may carry different histories and hold different perspectives, ultimately they all want the same things: they want peace, they want to feel safe, they want a fair chance to succeed – the same aspirations that our partnership aims to secure.

So, Your Majesty, it is my great pleasure to inform you that the floor is now yours.

   Abdullah II, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. – In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful; Madam President, honourable Members, your Excellencies, thank you all. It is an honour, as always, to be here to address the European Parliament.

My friends, five years ago, I stood at this podium and spoke of the urgent need to find political solutions to conflicts, to restore confidence in global justice and help people – especially young people – find hope and opportunity.

Since then, multiple political, technological and economic upheavals have tested our international community. A global pandemic, new security threats, unprecedented technological acceleration, rampant hyper-charged misinformation, and a raging war in Ukraine and a cruel one on Gaza. And now the attacks on Iran, which threaten a dangerous escalation of tensions in my region and beyond.

We are living through wave after wave of disruption, without pause. It is no wonder our world feels untethered – like it has lost its moral gravity. Rules are unravelling; truth shifts by the hour, hatred and division thrive, and moderation and universal values are losing ground to ideological extremes.

In the chaos, we risk forgetting who we are, and what we stand for. But it is precisely at these junctures of history that we must recommit to our values. Because when the world loses its moral bearings, we lose our shared sense of right and wrong – of what is just, and what is cruel. And when that happens, conflict is never far behind.

History teaches us that wars are rarely just about territory. They are battles over worldviews – over which ideas and ideals will shape our future.

Europe understands that. After World War II, it made a choice: to rebuild not just its cities, but its founding pillars. The people of Europe were determined to leave the past in the past, and build a new era of peace. They chose human dignity over domination, values over vengeance, law over might, cooperation over conflict.

In the wake of war, Europe realised that real security does not lie in the strength of armies, but in the strength of shared values, and that peace imposed by force or fear would never last.

Equally, you chose to recognise that what you had in common was far greater than what set you apart.

Today, so must our global community. We know that disputes and differences are a human reality, that the challenges we face will only get more complex, and that disruptions are the hallmark of our age. But it's how we handle them, and the values we anchor ourselves to that count.

Throughout Arab and European history, respect, responsibility, goodwill, and good faith have guided collaborations that led to our mutual good. And they can guide our response to today's challenges as well.

Speaking from this podium, and many others in the last two decades, I have sought to shed light on the values we share – many rooted in our different faiths: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The values of compassion, justice, and equality. The moral teachings passed to us over generations that call on us to love our neighbours, to protect children and the innocent, to aid the poor and injured, to care for God's earth, and more.

In Jordan, our firm belief in these common values, grounded in our history and heritage, drives our national principles of tolerance and mutual respect. We are proud to be home to the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, at Bethany Beyond the Jordan.

Our Muslim country is home to a historic Christian community, and all our citizens share in building our nation. The same call to goodwill lies behind the Hashemite Custodianship of Muslim and Christian Holy Sites in Jerusalem, whose historical and multi-religious identity we have vowed to protect from attack.

Indeed, our commitment echoes a promise to the people of Jerusalem made many centuries ago – the Pact of Omar ordered Muslims to respect and protect the city's churches and not to harm a priest, nor kill a child, woman or elder.

A thousand years later, the Geneva Conventions made these tenets universal. Recent events have called them into question. But we must ensure that these values and principles stand the test of time and turmoil.

My friends, when I was last in this hall, I shared my conviction that 'there is always a better version of us around every corner.' Eighty years ago, you turned that corner, you chose a better Europe, and, for the longest time, the choices you made helped shape a more stable, principled world.

Today, that world is in moral decline. A shameful version of our humanity is unfolding before our eyes in real time and our global values are unravelling at a shocking pace, with devastating consequences. Nowhere is that clearer than in Gaza, a place where the world has stood at countless corners, each an opportunity to become something better, and time after time, it failed to do so.

Think back to 2023 – the first Israeli attacks and raids on a hospital in Gaza sparked global shock and outrage. Since then, the World Health Organisation has documented nearly 700 attacks on Gaza’s healthcare facilities. How is it that what was considered an atrocity just 20 months ago, is now so commonplace it barely registers? What version of our humanity allows the unthinkable to become routine? Permits weaponising famine against children? Normalises the targeting of health workers, journalists, and civilians seeking refuge in camps?

20 months. That should alarm us all. But not surprise us. Because when our global community fails to bridge the gap between principle and action, when values are not practised, they become performative, abstract, and expendable.

We are at another defining crossroad in our history, one that demands a choice – power or principle, the rule of law or the rule of force, decline or renewal. Because that is what’s at stake, for everyone.

This is not just about Gaza. And it is not just another political moment. It is a struggle over who we are as a global community and who we will become. This year is likely to be a time of pivotal decisions for our entire world. Europe's leadership will be vital in choosing the right course. And you can count on Jordan as your staunch partner.

There are two essential areas for action. First, is supporting development, because a thriving Middle East creates opportunities that benefit us all. But as we have seen time and again, that reality cuts both ways. When hope is diminished, the consequences ripple across borders.

Second, is strong, coordinated action to ensure global security. Our mutual security won't be assured until our global community acts, not only to end the three-year war in Ukraine, but also the world's longest and most destructive flashpoint: the eight-decade-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Because, my friends, Palestinians, like all people, deserve the rights to freedom, sovereignty, and, yes, statehood. What is happening in Gaza today defies international law, moral standards and our common values. And we are witnessing transgression after transgression in the West Bank, with the situation worsening by the day.

If our global community fails to act decisively, we become complicit in rewriting what it means to be human. Because if Israeli bulldozers continue to illegally demolish Palestinian homes, olive groves, and infrastructure, so too will they flatten the guardrails that define moral conduct. And now with Israel's expansion of its offensive to include Iran, there is no telling where the borders of this battleground will end. That, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere.

Ultimately, this conflict must end. And the only viable solution is one grounded in a just peace, international law, and mutual recognition.

My friends, the path to our better selves cannot be paved by technological advancements, scientific breakthroughs, or political triumphs alone. It is forged by the choices we make, each day, as individuals and as leaders. The path to peace has been walked before. It can be again, if we have the courage to choose it, and the will to walk it together.

Thank you.

(The House rose and accorded the speaker a standing ovation)

(The sitting was suspended at 12:26)

PRESIDENZA: ANTONELLA SBERNA
Vicepresidente