Parliament to hold special meeting on Gaza

AMMAN — The Lower House said on Monday it will hold a special, unofficial meeting on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza.

The meeting will be held in response to calls made by MPs during the House’s annual iftar banquet on Sunday.

The lawmakers urged the Lower House to further its efforts in both pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and for organising a donation campaign to help the Palestinian people in the strip.

Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh noted that there has been a call by some deputies to make a collective donation to Gaza from their salaries. 

There has been a call for more drastic measures. MP Motaz Abu Rumman sent a letter to Tarawneh calling House members to stage a sit-in near the Israeli embassy in Amman on Friday. 

Also on Monday, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh reviewed the developments related to the latest Israeli escalation in Gaza and called for an end to the Israeli offensive there. 

In telephone calls with several Arab and foreign officials and ministers of foreign affairs, Judeh stressed the need for a ceasefire and a return to peace negotiations to arrive at a solution to the Palestinian issue.

He had phone conversations with foreign ministers of the Netherlands, Frans Timmermans, Britain, Philip Hammond, Tunisia, Mongi Hamed, and Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, as well as with Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al Araby.

Judeh called for stopping the Israeli offensive and the targeting of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Jordan has been exerting efforts towards that end, led by His Majesty King Abdullah, through contacts and intensive meetings with regional and world leaders, Petra said. 

Also on Monday, the Senate Committee on Arab, International and Expatriates’ Affairs discussed the latest developments in the region and Jordan’s action regarding these developments. Senator Samir Rifai presented an analysis of the circumstances in the Arab region, in general, and the “brutal acts of aggression” against Gaza, in particular, Petra reported.

Committee members called for providing international protection for the Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation, stressing that the Palestinians and the Israelis need to return to peace negotiations. They expressed their support for efforts to achieve peaceful coexistence among the various sects and ethnic groups in the region.