Jordan, Egypt will not be able to take in refugees: King Abdullah

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Oct 2023 22:46
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More than 1 million people have been displaced since the Israeli aggression on Gaza started.

Jordan's King Abdullah II addresses a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not in image) after a meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on October 17, 2023 (AFP)

Jordanian King Abdullah bin Al Hussein was quoted by the PETRA news agency as announcing that neither Jordan nor Egypt will take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza.

"I speak out forcefully not just on behalf of Jordan, but also on behalf of our brothers in Egypt: neither Jordan nor Egypt will be able to take in refugees. The situation has a range of humanitarian aspects that have to be decided on Palestinian territories in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank. It is impossible to try to force a situation concerning Palestinians' future on other countries," he said after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

King Abdullah added that a new reality was being established on the ground.

"We all realize that the situation is serious and how we are going to cooperate to ease the escalation and halt violence, and we have to think about what happens next. The violence must stop, we cannot go on with the same circle of violence each year," he stated.

Finding "a political horizon enabling Palestinians and Israelis to cooperate" was important, according to King Abdullah, who later warned that the repercussions of the conflict would be terrible for the world.

This comes after King Abdullah left for a tour in Europe to discuss the escalation.

On his part, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi explained that Egypt is intensifying its diplomatic efforts at all levels to halt the current military confrontations, in an effort to spare Palestinian lives.

Israeli warplanes launched three airstrikes on the Rafah crossing - Gaza's only exit point - earlier today, shortly after the occupation entity warned Egypt against attempting to deliver supplies to Gaza. The Egyptian side informed the crews of the crossing on the Palestinian side that the crossing must be evacuated immediately "because of Israeli threats to bomb" it.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to "change the Middle East" in "Israel's" war on Gaza, as the occupation launched continuous airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.