WASHINGTON: King Abdullah II of Jordan met with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday and stressed that the war on Gaza is “one of the most devastating wars in recent history”, noting that “we cannot stand by and let this continue,” according to the Jordan News Agency (Petra).
In joint remarks to the press following a meeting with President Biden, King Abdullah II said, “We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end.”
He added that nearly 100,000 people have been killed, injured, or are missing the vast majority are women and children, warning that an Israeli attack on Rafah “is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe.”
King Abdullah II continued, “The situation is already unbearable for over a million people, who have been pushed into Rafah since the war started.”
“The potential threat of Palestinian displacement beyond the borders of Gaza and the West Bank is something we view with extreme concern and cannot be allowed,” the King stressed.
Calling for urgently and immedia
tely working to ensure the sustainable delivery of sufficient aid into Gaza, through all possible entry points and mechanisms, King Abdullah II thanked the US for its support on this, and warned that restrictions on vital relief aid and medical items are leading to inhumane conditions.
“It is imperative that UNRWA continues to receive the support it needs to carry out its mandate,” the King reaffirmed, noting that “no other UN agency can do what UNRWA is doing in helping the people of Gaza through this humanitarian catastrophe”.
King Abdullah II stressed that UNRWA’s work in other areas of operation, especially in Jordan where 2.3 million Palestinian refugees are registered, is also vital.
Warning against ignoring the situation in the West Bank and the holy sites in Jerusalem, King Abdullah II said nearly 400 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, including almost 100 children, and over 4,000 injured.
“Continued escalations by extremist settlers in the West Bank and Jerusalem’s ho
ly sites and the expansion of illegal settlements will unleash chaos on the entire region,” he warned.
King Abdullah II added that the vast majority of Muslim worshippers are not being allowed to enter Al Aqsa Mosque, while Christian churches have also voiced concerns about increasing and unprecedented restrictions and threats.
“It is also important to stress that the separation of the West Bank and Gaza cannot be accepted,” he added, reiterating that seven decades of occupation, death, and destruction have proven beyond any doubt that there can be no peace without a political horizon.
“Military and security solutions are not the answer. They can never bring peace,” King Abdullah II said.
King Abdullah II noted the importance of working along Arab partners and the international community to step up efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and immediately start working to create a political horizon that leads to just and comprehensive peace, on the basis of the two-state solution.
An independent, sovereign, a
nd viable Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel, in peace and security is the only solution that will guarantee peace and security, for the Palestinians and the Israelis, as well as the entire region, he said.
Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA