“Jordan is a critical partner to help prevent the conflict from spreading in the region,” Blinken’s spokesman Matthew Miller wrote on X (Twitter) after Blinken’s arrival in Amman. Jordan is calling on the US to pressure Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
As the Jordanian palace announced, the USA had to play an important role here, King Abdullah II Blinken said in Amman. Abdullah also warned of the “catastrophic consequences” if the Israeli military operation in the Palestinian territory continued. The “tragic humanitarian crisis” in the Gaza Strip must be ended, said Abdullah II. The USA must work towards an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians and the appropriate delivery of aid supplies. There will be no stability in the region without a just solution to the Palestinian issue. The forced expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip is a clear violation of international law. The USA is Israel’s most important ally.
The United States is grateful to the kingdom, which borders Israel, for its leading role in delivering aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, Blinken’s spokesman added. After meetings with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and King Abdullah II, Blinken wanted to travel to Qatar on Sunday. In Doha, his program included talks with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Blinken is traveling to the Middle East again to talk to several countries in the region about de-escalating the conflict between Israel and the Islamist organization Hamas. Since the deadly terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th last year, the Israeli army has been fighting the Islamists in the Gaza Strip with an offensive. In the coming days, Blinken also plans to visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.
Before arriving in Jordan, the US Secretary of State visited Turkey and the Greek island of Crete on Saturday. According to Blinken spokesman Miller, the USA sees Turkey as having a crucial role in dealing with regional security issues. This also includes preventing the Gaza conflict from spreading. According to Greek television, Blinken spoke to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about the situation in the Middle East and about the military cooperation between the two NATO partners.
Image: APA/AFP/POOL/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also traveled to the Middle East on Sunday. She called for a solution. “We all feel that the script of terror must not continue to unfold: the terror must come to an end,” explained Baerbock on Sunday before her departure from Berlin. The humanitarian plight of the people must come to an end. “The region must emerge from the eternal cycle of violence.” Baerbock first flies to Israel, other stops on her three-day stay include Egypt and Lebanon. The people of the region longed for peace. “To achieve this, Gaza must no longer pose a threat to Israel’s existence, Hamas must lay down its arms, and Hezbollah and the Houthis must stop their dangerous bombing,” explained the minister.
Hamas fighters entered Israeli territory on October 7th and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The radical Islamic organization also had around 240 people kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded by bombing the Palestinian coastal strip and launching a ground offensive that is still ongoing. The declared goal is to destroy Hamas. According to Hamas, more than 22,700 people have been killed so far. Baerbock warned that Israel has the right and the duty to defend itself. But it must “protect civilians much better in its military actions.”
