‘Jordan to continue supporting Palestinians, seeks lasting truce in Gaza’

AMMAN — Jordan will continue with its efforts and contacts with the international community to guarantee that the Gaza truce will be sustained and secure a permanent end to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, His Majesty King Abdullah said on Wednesday.

In phone calls with the French, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders, King Abdullah asserted that Jordan will continue to stand by the Palestinians with all its capabilities and keep providing them with humanitarian assistance and medical supplies, especially as the Israeli aggression has taken its toll on Gaza’s infrastructure and services. 

In a telephone call, King Abdullah and French President Francois Hollande discussed the latest developments in the Middle East, especially regional and international efforts to ensure that the recently adopted ceasefire in Gaza will hold.

The King stressed that the international community should shoulder its responsibility in Gaza, highlighting the draft resolution that Jordan has submitted, on behalf of the Arab group, to the UN Security Council, which calls for lifting the Israeli siege on the coastal enclave and presents a plan to rebuild the strip. 

Discussions also covered the repercussions of the crisis in Syria on its neighbouring countries, and the developments in Iraq, a Royal Court statement said.

The King reaffirmed Jordan’s position, which calls for a comprehensive political solution for the Syrian crisis and supporting all efforts to strengthen the unity of the Iraqi people. 

The two leaders also discussed developments in Lebanon, with His Majesty stressing Amman’s support for Beirut in confronting the various challenges. 

Speaking to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, King Abdullah stressed the importance of coordination among Arab countries to deliver a unified and clear message to the international community on the need to put a stop to Israeli operations against Gaza and its people.

This should pave the way for a resumption of peace negotiations on the basis of the two state-solution, he noted.

His Majesty stressed the importance of maintaining coordination to develop a clear perspective of the coming stage, including a return to peace negotiations that deal with all final status issues, in accordance with the two-state solution, the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions. 

He also warned against the consequences of Israel’s continuation of its unilateral policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in Jerusalem. Abbas briefed the King on the “difficult and tragic humanitarian conditions” in Gaza, the “heavy human losses” and the “unprecedented volume of destruction” caused by the Israeli aggression on the strip, highlighting the massive efforts needed to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians and to work on reconstruction.  

He commended Jordan’s position in support of the Palestinian people and lauded the Kingdom’s efforts through its membership at the Security Council to stop the Israeli offensive and to present relief aid to Gaza during these harsh conditions. 

Also in a telephone call, King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi discussed the developments in Gaza, including Cairo’s hosting of Palestinian and Israeli delegates to arrive at a permanent truce in the strip. 

His Majesty reasserted Jordan’s support for the Egyptian initiative in this regard and stressed that the Kingdom will continue its efforts to provide Gazans with necessary relief aid and medical assistance. 

The two leaders also reviewed efforts to secure humanitarian and medical assistance for the people of Gaza. 

Also on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh received a telephone call from US Secretary of State John Kerry, within the framework of the Kingdom’s continued consultations and contacts over Gaza. 

Judeh had telephoned Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Arab League, and Arab League Secretary General Nabil El Araby for consultations on the latest developments, especially the negotiations that are currently under way in Cairo to arrive at a permanent ceasefire and to deal with the repercussions of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.