“I don’t think the Middle East could afford another war.”

The monarchy that I hand over to my son is not going to be the same one that I have inherited.

Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

When I talk to people in need, they tell me they want to hope; they are eager for opportunity; they are ready for better days. And I can tell you that every time their hopes are disappointed, all nations lose.

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.

My view is when you use violence on your people, that never ends well.

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.

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.

I’ve benefited from the best of both societies and both cultures, East and West.

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.

I’m just very wary that once you start military operations in any country, it’s very difficult to predict what the outcome is.

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.

All this needs to stop. And we pledge that Jordan will do its utmost to help achieve it.

Jerusalem is a time bomb that I fear is just waiting to go off.

Whenever you have a crisis, you’re always going to have the extremists taking advantage of the situation.

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.

The global system they hope to create is one of new walls and new isolation, and radically smaller horizons. It is an anti-democratic, anti-economic-growth, and anti-progress agenda.