H.M. KING ABDULLAH II OF JORDAN TO RECEIVE 2005 TOLERANCE AWARD FROM SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER

A delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading international Jewish human rights NGO, will arrive in Amman, Jordan on Tuesday, June 21, 2005 to present His Majesty King Abdullah II with its 2005 Tolerance Award in a ceremony at the Royal Palace.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center will make the presentation to the King on behalf of the 38-member delegation from the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom.

"We are recognizing King Abdullah for being a force for moderation," stated Rabbi Hier, "His consistent repudiation of terrorism, antisemitism and extremism are critical in interfaith relations and in moving the Middle East peace process forward."

King Abdullah is the second Muslim leader to receive this honor from the Wiesenthal Center. The first was his late father, King Hussein, who was given the award in 1995 when he visited the Center's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families worldwide. It is an NGO in consultative status to the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Shimon Samuels, the Center's Director for International Liaison,

Tel: 00-336-0977-0158, 00-44-7810-697-165

Susan Gopstein, Ruder Finn, Tel: 00-972-54-467 6964, 00-972-671-6614

Avra Shapiro, Director of Public Relations, Tel: 001-310-772-2458