Jordan’s foreign minister on Saturday slammed Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calling it a “blatant invasion” against Palestinian civilians that threatens to engulf the entire Middle East.
Ayman Safadi’s scathing assessment, which claims Israel is committing “war crimes” by besieging the Gaza Strip and cutting off shipments of food, medicine and fuel, comes after Israel and Israel reached a peace agreement in 1994. It shows how strained relations with Jordan are.
“We all need to speak loud and clear about the devastation that the Israeli war is wreaking not just on Gaza but on the entire region,” Safadi said at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Manama Dialogue Summit in Bahrain. No,” he said. “Now is not the time to mince words. Now is the time to state the facts as they are.”
He added: “This is not self-defense. This is blatant aggression, and the victims are innocent Palestinians.”
Israel did not immediately respond to Safadi’s comments, which included calls for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of fighting. But Brett McGuirk, Middle East coordinator at the White House National Security Council, was also present, saying, “The release of a large number of hostages will result in a significant pause in fighting and a massive increase in humanitarian relief.” Probably.” ”
“There’s no going back to October 6th. That’s true of Israel. That’s true of Palestinians, too,” McGurk said. “No country is under the threat of terrorism like the one we saw unleashed by Hamas near our borders on October 7th. And at the same time, Palestinians have a right to security and self-determination. and we need it.”
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s top diplomat, added: “We fully understand that nothing can be resolved without the freedom of the hostages.”
Safadi then issued a sharp rebuttal, saying, “Israel is holding 2.3 million Palestinians hostage.”
The war started On October 7, Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack in southern Israel.. Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Approximately 240 men, women, and children were abducted.taking them back to the Gaza Strip.
Israel responded with a heavy air campaign, followed by a ground offensive that surrounded Gaza City in the north of the Gaza Strip. More than 11,400 Palestinians have died in the war, two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the Palestinian Health Authority. A further 2,700 people are reported missing. believed to be buried under rubble.count do not differentiate There have been clashes between civilians and militants, with Israel saying it has killed thousands of militants.
The annual Manama Dialogue in Bahrain typically focuses on Gulf Arab states’ fears of Iran in the region, and Borrell also joked in his remarks. But this year, the Israel-Hamas war took center stage, with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates also participating. diplomatic recognition agreement reached and Israel in 2020.
On Friday night, Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa opened the summit by calling for an end to the hostage exchange and bloodshed between Hamas and Israel.
“You want to call it a truce. You want to call it a suspension. You can call it whatever you like,” said the prince. “The purpose is a break for people to reflect. People can bury their dead. People can finally begin to grieve. And perhaps people can reflect on the intelligence failures that caused this crisis in the first place. You might start asking yourself questions.”
Speaking before Saturday’s summit, Safadi said that the Israeli government, currently led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is the most hardline right-wing coalition to have ever ruled the country and is clearly bent on expelling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. He said he is aiming for He said it “would pose a direct threat to our national security” in Jordan and Egypt.
“They have been saying for years that the only way forward is to drive Palestinians from their ancestral lands and wipe Palestinians from the face of the earth,” Safadi said.
After the war, Safadi said Arab countries “will not come to clean up the mess in Israel’s wake.”
“Let me be clear: I know I am speaking on behalf of Jordan, but after discussing this issue with many people, almost all of our compatriots, Arab troops will not go to Gaza. . None. We do not intend to be seen as enemies, ”he said. “How can we talk about the future of Gaza when we don’t know what kind of Gaza will remain after this invasion is over?”
Mr. Safadi argued that although the peace process has been stalled for years, the only way forward is a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.
McGuirk also offered what he described as the “five no’s” for the war: “no displacement, no reoccupation, no territorial retrenchment, no threat to Israel, and no siege.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s efforts to reach new diplomatic recognition agreements with Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, appear to be on ice.
“We have always said that it is a mistake to think that we can parachute in on the Palestinian issue to create regional peace,” he said. “That will only lead to disaster. And here we come. Show us who is talking about regional projects in this war, who is talking about integration at this point. It’s all about the war.”
But McGuirk insisted that Palestinians would play a key role in any possible diplomatic deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“In this case, what was true before October 7 is even truer now,” he said. “That core issue must be addressed. As Hamas’s standing declines, we are determined to help address that issue.”