Jordan’s King Rejects ‘Collective Punishment’ for Gaza Residents

Jordan's King Abdullah II with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman (Royal Hashemite Court)
Jordan's King Abdullah II with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman (Royal Hashemite Court)
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Jordan’s King Rejects ‘Collective Punishment’ for Gaza Residents

Jordan's King Abdullah II with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman (Royal Hashemite Court)
Jordan's King Abdullah II with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman (Royal Hashemite Court)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is increasing his efforts to "stop the aggression" against the Gaza Strip, knowing that such a demand can't be achieved immediately.

Abbas is currently pressing to deliver medical aid, food, and fuel into the enclave.

An informed Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abbas will discuss the matter with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman, demanding more pressure on Israel to allow the delivery of fuel, medical, and food aid.

The source confirmed that Abbas is not proposing safe passage to Egypt, as Palestinians reject other displacement attempts, stressing the need to stop the Israeli attack on civilians, protect them, and open an aid corridor to bring in basic conditions.

Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Amman on Friday and hold separate talks with the Jordanian monarch and Palestinian President.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian President met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Thursday.

The King warned against adopting a policy of collective punishment of the Gaza Strip, stressing the need to respect international humanitarian law and not to target innocent civilians.

During his meeting with Abbas in Amman on Thursday, the King urged the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow for the entry of urgent medical and relief aid to Gaza and the provision of water and electricity.

He called for removing obstacles facing international agencies providing humanitarian services guaranteed by international humanitarian law and ending the escalation in Gaza and the West Bank.

The King said Jordan is exerting intensive efforts with regional and international partners to discuss urgent global action to stop the escalation, protect the Palestinians, and prevent displacement.

King Abdallah reaffirmed Jordan's support for the Palestinian Authority as the representative of the Palestinian people.

The two leaders also urged maintaining close Arab coordination and uniting efforts to prevent the deterioration of the situation in Gaza, warning of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and the impact of a spillover of the violence on the entire region.

The King also stressed that Jordan would spare no effort in standing by the Palestinian people and providing humanitarian and medical assistance to the Gaza Strip.

He reaffirmed the Kingdom's unwavering position towards the Palestinian cause and the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

The King stressed Jordan's commitment to safeguarding Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under the Hashemite Custodianship.

The King reiterated that the region cannot enjoy peace or stability without just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which guarantees establishing an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Meanwhile, the Jordanian government banned pro-Palestinian protests in Jordan Valley and border areas.

"Calls for gatherings and demonstrations in the Jordan Valley and border areas are not allowed," the Interior Ministry said as it vowed to take measures to prevent any protests near the border.

"The Jordan Valley and the surrounding areas along the border with Palestine are prohibited for gatherings, and the Jordanian armed forces are responsible for their protection and maintaining security therein," it said.

The Ministry called upon all individuals to comply with its directive, underscoring its unwavering commitment to safeguarding the right to free expression across all regions of the Kingdom.

On Thursday, Interior Minister Mazen al-Farayyeh met leaders from the "Islamic Action Front," the partisanship arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is unlicensed in Jordan.

The Islamic Action Front issued a statement, calling on the government to allow the mobilization of the popular army and the Jordanian people and prepare to confront the Zionist entity's plans for a new Nakba in Palestine.

Government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting occurred within the framework of preparing for the Friday protests and ensuring they remained within the authorized places.



Israel Army Issues Evacuation Warning for Lebanon Village ahead of Strikes

 Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Chehour, southern Lebanon November 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Chehour, southern Lebanon November 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir
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Israel Army Issues Evacuation Warning for Lebanon Village ahead of Strikes

 Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Chehour, southern Lebanon November 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes following Israeli military's evacuation orders, in Chehour, southern Lebanon November 19, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Hankir

The Israeli army issued an evacuation warning on Sunday for the village of Kafr Hatta in southern Lebanon ahead of air strikes on Hezbollah targets in the area, AFP reported.

"The Israeli (army) will soon, and once again, strike terrorist Hezbollah military infrastructure in the village, in order to address the prohibited attempts it is making to rebuild its activities there," Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee wrote on X, posting a map of the expected target.

The Lebanese army said Thursday that it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani river, the first phase of a nationwide plan. Kafr Hatta is located north of the river.


Sudan PM Announces Govt Return to Khartoum from Wartime Capital

File Photo: Some shops reopen despite extensive damage (Asharq Al-Awsat)
File Photo: Some shops reopen despite extensive damage (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Sudan PM Announces Govt Return to Khartoum from Wartime Capital

File Photo: Some shops reopen despite extensive damage (Asharq Al-Awsat)
File Photo: Some shops reopen despite extensive damage (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris announced on Sunday the government's return to Khartoum, after nearly three years of operating from wartime capital of Port Sudan, AFP reported.

"Today, we return, and the Government of Hope returns to the national capital," Idris told reporters in Khartoum, ravaged by the war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

"We promise you better services, better healthcare and the reconstruction of hospitals, the development of educational services... and to improve electricity, water and sanitation services," he said.


Iran Protest Death Toll Rises as Alarm Grows over Crackdown 'Massacre'

Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, released on January 10, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, released on January 10, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
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Iran Protest Death Toll Rises as Alarm Grows over Crackdown 'Massacre'

Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, released on January 10, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS
Smoke rises as protesters gather amid evolving anti-government unrest at Vakilabad highway in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, released on January 10, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. SOCIAL MEDIA/via REUTERS

At least 192 protesters have been killed in Iran's biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years, a rights group said Sunday, as warnings grew that authorities were committing a "massacre" to quell the demonstrations.

The protests, initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, have now become a movement against the theocratic system in place in Iran since the 1979 revolution and have already lasted two weeks.

The mass rallies are one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel's 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June, which was backed by the United States.

Protests have swelled in recent days despite an internet blackout that has lasted more than 60 hours, according to monitor Netblocks, with activists warning the shutdown was limiting the flow of information and the actual toll risks being far higher.

"Since the start of the protests, Iran Human Rights has confirmed the killing of at least 192 protesters," the Norway-based non-governmental organization said, warning that the deaths "may be even more extensive than we currently imagine".

Videos of large demonstrations in the capital Tehran and other cities over the past three nights have filtered out despite the internet cut that has rendered impossible normal communication with the outside world via messaging apps or even phone lines.

Video verified by AFP showed large crowds taking to the streets in new protests on Saturday night in several Iranian cities including Tehran and Mashhad in the east, where images showed vehicles set on fire.

Several circulating videos, which have not been verified by AFP, allegedly showed relatives in a Tehran morgue identifying bodies of protesters killed in the crackdown.

The US-based Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said it had received "eyewitness accounts and credible reports indicating that hundreds of protesters have been killed across Iran during the current internet shutdown".

"A massacre is unfolding in Iran. The world must act now to prevent further loss of life," it said.

It said hospitals were "overwhelmed", blood supplies were running low and that many protesters had been shot in the eyes in a deliberate tactic.

 

- 'Significant arrests' -

 

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said it had confirmed the deaths of 116 people in connection with the protests, including 37 members of the security forces or other officials.

State TV on Sunday broadcast images of funeral processions for security forces killed in recent days, as authorities condemned "riots" and "vandalism".

National police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said authorities made "significant" arrests of protest figures on Saturday night, without giving details on the number or identities of those arrested, according to state TV.

Iran's security chief Ali Larijani drew a line between protests over economic hardship, which he called "completely understandable", and "riots", accusing them of actions "very similar to the methods of terrorist groups", Tasnim news agency reported.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said "rioters" must not distrupt Iranian society.

"The people (of Iran) should not allow rioters to disrupt society. The people should believe that we (the government) want to establish justice," he told state broadcaster IRIB.

In Tehran, an AFP journalist described a city in a state of near paralysis.

The price of meat has nearly doubled since the start of the protests, and while some shops are open, many others are not.

Those that do open must close at around 4:00 or 5:00 pm, when security forces deploy in force.

 

- 'Legitimate targets' -

 

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the ousted shah, who has played a prominent role in calling for the protests, called for new actions later Sunday.

"Do not abandon the streets. My heart is with you. I know that I will soon be by your side," he said.

US President Donald Trump has spoken out in support of the protests and threatened military action against Iranian authorities "if they start killing people".

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged the European Union on Sunday to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps as a "terrorist organization" over the suspected violence against protesters.

He also said Israel supports the Iranian people's "struggle for freedom".

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran would hit back if the US launched military action.

"In the event of a military attack by the United States, both the occupied territory and centers of the US military and shipping will be our legitimate targets," he said in comments broadcast by state TV.

He was apparently also referring to Israel, which the Islamic republic does not recognize and considers occupied Palestinian territory.