Islam Times - Jordan King Says; Jordan Won’t Allow Israel to Hold Region’s Future Hostage

Islam Times - Jordanian King Abdullah II says the Arab country will not allow the future of the West Asia region to be held hostage by the extremist Israeli regime.

Abdullah II made his remarks during a Tuesday meeting with political and media figures at al-Husseiniya Palace in the capital Amman, according to a press statement issued by the Royal Hashemite Court (RHC).

He highlighted Jordan’s efforts to reach comprehensive calm in the region, renewing his appeal to the international community to step up efforts in order to end the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and its repressive measures in the West Bank, especially at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of al-Quds, so that tensions will not spiral into a regional war.

King Abdullah II also reiterated Jordan’s absolute rejection of attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, reaffirming that the kingdom will not allow any regional escalation to come at the expense of its people and their safety and security.

About 50 to 60 percent of Jordan’s population is of Palestinian descent, and many still have family ties to people in the West Bank or Gaza. Therefore, the Palestinian issue is very emotional for many Jordanians.

Anti-Israeli sentiment in the kingdom has been running high since October last year when the Tel Aviv regime started a bloody onslaught against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

A poll conducted by the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan in Amman in late November found that two-thirds of Jordanians (66%) supported Palestinian resistance movements’ surprise attack, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, against Israel.

The Tel Aviv regime has so far killed at least 40,173 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 92,857 others, since it waged the brutal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, according to the Gaza-based health ministry.

The occupying entity has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.