King of Jordan Calls for Immediate Cease-fire during Washington Visit

February 14, 2024

by: Kate Norman

Wednesday, 14 February 2024 | Jordanian King Abdullah II called for an immediate cease-fire during his visit to Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden about the situation in Gaza.

As the US and Jordan marked 75 years of their alliance, Abdullah II met with Biden in Washington to discuss the latest developments in Gaza and how to bring peace to the region, according to a readout of the meeting from the White House. They also reiterated their commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

King Abdullah II called for an immediate, lasting cease-fire to end the fighting in Gaza as Israel continues its operation to wipe out the Hamas terrorist organization after thousands of its fighters stormed into Israel on October 7 in the bloodiest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

The terrorists killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped an estimated 253 hostages—men, women, children, babies and grandparents.

Israel has made its stance on a cease-fire clear: the Jewish state will not rest until all of its remaining 134 hostages are returned and Hamas is wiped out to ensure there will never be another day like October 7.

Biden, rather than calling for an immediate and lasting cease-fire, took a more pragmatic stance. He said the US has been working on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas that “would bring an immediate and sustained period of calm into Gaza for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build something more enduring.”

The president added that he has been in contact with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu as well as leaders in Egypt in Qatar to advance an agreement.

“The key elements of the deal are on the table,” Biden added. “There are gaps that remain, but I’ve encouraged Israeli leaders to keep working to achieve the deal. The US will do everything possible to make it happen.”

The two leaders also expressed commitment to increase deliveries of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

The Jordanian king praised the work of the United Nations [UN] Relief and Works Agency [UNRWA] in Gaza and said that “no other UN agency can do what UNRWA is doing in helping the people of Gaza through this humanitarian catastrophe.” The king called their work “vital” and added that “it is imperative that UNRWA continues to receive the support it needs to carry out its mandate.”

The US and other financial supporters of the UNRWA have frozen their funding for the agency pending an investigation following allegations that 12 UNRWA employees participated in the massacre on October 7.

Biden also said that the two discussed how to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza but did not mention UNRWA specifically.

The president praised Abdullah II for his efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and for personally joining one of the flights to airdrop medical supplies into Gaza.

The king, as well as two of his children, have joined humanitarian aid air drops over Gaza.

“And at the same time,” Biden added, “we’re working to create the conditions for a lasting peace, as we talked a lot about upstairs, with the Israeli security guaranteed and Palestinian aspirations for their own state fulfilled.

“I say this as a long—a lifelong supporter of Israel,” Biden said. “That’s the only path that guarantees Israel’s security for the long term. To achieve it, the Palestinians must also seize the opportunity.”

Though Israel and Jordan have been technical peace partners since 1994, the king took a swing at the Jewish state when he said, “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,” the king added in a seeming swipe at Israel’s operation to eliminate Hamas.

Abdullah II added that “all attacks against innocent civilians—women and children—including those of October 7th, cannot be accepted by any Muslim, as I have previously stressed.

“We must make sure the horrors of the past few months since October 7th are never repeated nor accepted by any human being.”

The king then repeated his call to work with Arab partners and the international community to bring about an immediate cease-fire and work towards a two-state solution.

Posted on February 14, 2024

Source: (Bridges for Peace, February 14, 2024)

Photo Credit: EP/Wikimedia.org

Photo License: Wikimedia