He followed up on his word by summoning an Arab League summit, which was convened that same year in Beirut to forward his proposal to all the other Arab countries and push for acceptance of his resolve for a final, just and lasting peace. The Council of Arab States at the Summit Level, at its 14th Ordinary Session, adopted the Saudi-inspired peace plan.

Abdullah’s proposal called for full Israeli withdrawal from all Arab territories occupied since June 1967, in implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, reaffirmed by the Madrid Conference of 1991 and the land-for-peace principle, and Israel’s acceptance of an independent Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as its capital, in return for the establishment of normal relations in the context of comprehensive peace with Israel.

Abdullah had spelled out clearly that a military solution to the conflict would not achieve peace or provide security for the parties, nor would it be in the interest of the people in the region — both Israelis and Arabs. The fact that he managed to get a commitment from all Arab states on the specifics of his proposal was a remarkable step in the right direction.

The specifics of what eventually would be called the ‘Arab Peace Plan’ requested Israel to reconsider its policies and declare that a just peace was its strategic option as well. It also called for full Israeli withdrawal from all the territories occupied since 1967, including the Syrian Golan Heights, to the June 4, 1967, lines as well as the remaining occupied Lebanese territories in the south of Lebanon and the realisation of a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem, to be agreed upon in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194.