In a recent press conference following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, King Abdullah II of Jordan firmly dismissed the possibility of accepting Palestinian refugees fleeing northern Gaza into either Jordan or Egypt.
The King referred to this as a "red line," amidst ongoing diplomatic efforts to establish safe zones within the beleaguered Gaza Strip.
"There will be no refugees in Jordan and no refugees in Egypt," King Abdullah II declared unequivocally. He insisted that the humanitarian crisis must be managed within the confines of Gaza and the West Bank. The King's comments appear to be a response to Israel's call for approximately 1.1 million Gazans to move south, towards the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in anticipation of a looming ground offensive.
Egypt, wary of a potential influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees, has resisted pressure to open the crossing. This resistance remains firm even in the face of calls to allow foreigners and Palestinians with dual nationality to pass, pending the allowance of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
In an attempt to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians trapped within Gaza, a bipartisan group of US Congress members has urged Egypt to establish and maintain safe zones in the southern part of the narrow enclave, home to over 2 million people. In a letter to the Egyptian ambassador to the U.S., Motaz Zahran, as reported by Axios, the group advocated for "humanitarian access corridors, for civilians seeking refuge from the fighting in the north of the [Gaza] Strip."
During a recent tour of Arab nations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed support for the creation of "safe zones" in Gaza. He stated that he was collaborating with UN agencies, Israel, and other regional governments to implement this plan. "We have urged the Israelis to use every possible precaution to avoid harm to civilians," Blinken said. "We recognize many Palestinian families in Gaza are suffering through no fault of their own and that Palestinian civilians have lost their lives."
King Abdullah II issued a stark warning on Tuesday, cautioning that allowing the conflict to spread could have catastrophic implications for the Middle East. "The whole region is on the brink of falling into the abyss," he said. "All our efforts are needed to make sure we don't get there."
Chancellor Scholz, scheduled to travel to Israel later in the day, also warned against an escalation of hostilities. "We have a common goal to prevent a conflagration in the region," he said. "I once again expressly warn Hezbollah and Iran not to intervene in this conflict."
On Wednesday, Jordan will host a four-party summit in Amman with President Biden and Egyptian and Palestinian leaders. The summit will discuss the "dangerous" repercussions of the war in Gaza for the region, according to state media. The discussions will focus on ways to halt "the ongoing war in Gaza and ways to find a political horizon that would allow the revival of the peace process," an official statement said.
In addition, King Abdullah will hold a separate summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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