Jordan hosts three-way summit for Gaza ceasefire

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Jan 2024 10:06

A three-way summit to discuss the Gaza cease-fire is taking place in Jordan.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, center, and King Abdullah II of Jordan in Egypt, February 12, 2023. (AP)

Jordanian monarch King Abdullah II is hosting, today, summit talks in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba with the leaders of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip.

The purpose of the summit is to discuss "the dangerous developments in Gaza and the situation in the West Bank," according to King Abdullah II.

He added that this summit comes as part of efforts "to coordinate Arab positions to push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid."

It is important to note that this event is taking place amid a regional tour by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken "to seek to prevent an expansion of the conflict in the region."

A warning for Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting on Sunday with Jordan's King Abdullah II. Additionally, he visited a World Food Program warehouse in Amman as part of his ongoing urgent diplomatic mission in the Middle East to prevent the escalation of the Israeli war on Gaza.

King Abdullah II “warned of the catastrophic repercussions" of the war in Gaza while calling on the US to press for an immediate ceasefire, a statement by the Royal Court said.

He also emphasized that Jordan categorically rejects the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which constitutes a clear violation of international law, adding, “We reject attempts to separate Gaza and the West Bank because they are an extension of the one Palestinian state.”