AMMAN: King Abdullah of Jordan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday reiterated the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
During their meeting in Amman, at which they were joined by Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, the king said it was imperative that swift action is taken to ease the escalating humanitarian crisis in the territory and protect innocent civilians.
He called for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, including relief supplies and medical assistance, to Gaza using all available channels, and cautioned against any Israeli military operations in the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, which has become the last refuge for more than a million Palestinians displaced from other parts of the territory by fighting.
King Abdullah also warned of the potential for the effects of the war in Gaza to spill over to the West Bank, Jerusalem and the wider region.
The king said international support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees is crucial to the provision of aid and support to help meet the basic needs of nearly 2 million people in Gaza, along with refugees in other areas.
Jordan, which has diplomatic relations with Israel and hosts more than 2 million registered refugees from Palestine, the largest number in any single country in which UNRWA operates, is particularly sensitive to tensions in the Palestinian territories.
Acknowledging the pivotal role of the US in the region, the king reiterated the importance of efforts by Washington to help establish a political framework for a just and comprehensive resolution to the long-running conflict between Israel and Palestine based on a two-state solution, which he said is crucial to the security and stability not only of those states but the entire region.
Earlier, Blinken and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi reviewed their ongoing engagements with Arab leaders as part of the efforts to end the conflict in Gaza, address the humanitarian crisis, avert an Israeli military offensive in Rafah, deescalate tensions in the West Bank, and promote a comprehensive peace plan based on a two-state solution.
Blinken arrived in Amman on Tuesday following talks with other Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh as part of his seventh tour of the region since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas.
Later, Blinken was scheduled to travel to Israel to discuss the latest negotiations for a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Despite criticism from some other countries and escalating protests among students on US college campuses, President Joe Biden’s administration has largely supported Israeli authorities in their war on Gaza, during which 34,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed.
