Words matter. These are the best Abdullah II of Jordan Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
The incentive that you give to your youth is going to be the make-or-break future of the country.
When there’s a status quo, usually what shakes everybody up is some sort of military confrontation, at which point we all come running and screaming to pick up the pieces.
It’s a tremendous responsibility to be direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad. This family has had the burden of leadership on its shoulders for 1,400 years. I’m not going to drop the ball on my shift.
What keeps me up at night is poverty and unemployment.
When we try to push the envelope, there are certain sectors of society that say this is a Zionist plot to sort of destabilize our country, or this is an American agenda.
I’m easily entertained.
My view is when you use violence on your people, that never ends well.
Fifty-seven countries in the world, a third of the United Nations, do not recognize Israel. In a way, I think North Korea has better international relations than Israel.
Together, we can create a world in which peace is real; in which every human being can thrive; in which all share the promise of our century. I believe we can succeed.
You’re always going to have terrorism.
Prime Minister Sharon, Prime Minister Abbas, I urge you today to end the designs of those who seek destruction, annihilation and occupation, and I urge you to have the will and the courage to begin to realize our dreams of peace, prosperity and coexistence.
We’re never going to be able to get rid of terrorism, because there is always going to be evil in the world.
For me, I am left leaning when it comes to health and education, on the right when it comes to defense. So I don’t know where I come on the political spectrum. And I think this the challenge that a lot of Jordanians have to deal with.
I’m not the type of person that is forced.
Blowing up buses will not induce the Israelis to move forward, and neither will the killing of Palestinians or the demolition of their homes and their future. All this needs to stop. And we pledge that Jordan will do its utmost to help achieve it.
If everybody is happy, then something is wrong with the democratic process.
Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
Nobody scares me.
Ten years ago I said, you know, my goal is to be able to get food on the table. What I’m trying to say by that is trying to create a vibrant, capable and effective middle class. The quicker and stronger that we can be able to do this, the easier it is for political reform to move forward.
The more I support with my economic plans the building of a middle class, the quicker they’re going to turn around and say, ‘Hey, we want a bigger say in things.’ So, I knew what I was getting into right at the beginning. It’s the right thing to do.
The Arab World is writing a new future; the pen is in our own hands.
Peace with Israel is a strategic imperative for Jordan.
We want to be, I think, an example for the rest of the Arab world, because there are a lot of people who say that the only democracy you can have in the Middle East is the Muslim Brotherhood.
Through Hamas, Iran has been able to buy itself a seat on the table in talking about the Palestinian issue. And, as a result, through Hamas it does play a role in the issue of the Palestinians, as strange as that should sound.
Mr. President, prime ministers, let us have ambitions: ambitions to move beyond the violence and occupation, to the day when two states, Palestine and Israel, can live together side by side in peace and security.
Jordan has to show the Arab world that there’s another way of doing things. We’re a monarchy, yes, but if we can show democracy that leads to a two-, three-, four-party system – left, right and center – in a couple of years’ time, then the Muslim Brotherhood will no longer be something to contend with.
You’re always going to have extremists in every religion.
Today more than ever we need creative minds to address the issues of the age. And one of the most urgent is this: How can humanity know so much, achieve so much, and still fail so many people so badly?
I have the responsibility of over four million people, and I am in a position to do good, to be able to bring about a new life for my people, and I will continue to move in that direction. It’s a burden, but it needs to be done, and you have to have the courage and wisdom to see it through.
I think it’s almost impossible for any expert to predict for the rapid changes we see in the Middle East. They are rapid and they will continue for quite a while.
We have peace with Israel. We’re actually the last man standing. So there is going to be immense pressure and people asking, ‘Why are we having this relationship when it’s not benefiting anybody?’ Obviously, my answer is you always benefit from peace.
Wikileaks didn’t help confidence with American administrations because of conversations made public so easily.
I look at Jerusalem as being a beacon for the three monotheistic religions.
Many occasions I’ve sat down with Israelis to say, where do you see your country in 10 years time, and work me back, so we can figure out the synergies and the connections between Israel and the rest of the Arab world. No Israeli has ever been able to answer that question.
If you believe that the killing of innocent people is right, then you are not part of my future.
Whenever you have a crisis, you’re always going to have the extremists taking advantage of the situation.
Political development should start at the grassroots.
In our view, successful reform is not an event. It is a sustainable process that will build on its own successes – a virtuous cycle of change.
It is always dangerous to underestimate anybody.
Many will view the compromises that will be made during your negotiations as painful concessions. But why not view them as peace offerings, ones that will provide in return the priceless gifts of hope, security and freedom for our children and our children’s?
The Arab Spring I think we will look back whether it’s two years, five years, ten or fifteen. And say it’s a good thing.
If you look at military and intelligence positions from the 1950s, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been against American national interests.
No matter what’s happening in the Middle East – the Arab Spring, et cetera, the economic challenges, high rates of unemployment – the emotional, critical issue is always the Israeli-Palestinian one.
When you get billions in aid and your weapons resupplied and your ammunition stock resupplied, you don’t learn the lesson that war is bad and nobody wins.
I like to look at the glass half full.
