Jordan Warns Blinken against Displacement of Palestinians

Jordanian King Abdullah II receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Amman. (Petra – dpa)
Jordanian King Abdullah II receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Amman. (Petra – dpa)
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Jordan Warns Blinken against Displacement of Palestinians

Jordanian King Abdullah II receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Amman. (Petra – dpa)
Jordanian King Abdullah II receives US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Amman. (Petra – dpa)

Jordanian King Abdullah II warned Friday in a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken against Israeli attempts to displace Palestinians.

“The crisis (between Hamas and Israel in Gaza) should not spread to neighboring countries and exacerbate the refugee issue,” King Abdullah told Blinken, according to a palace statement.

In the talks with Blinken, the Jordanian king called for “opening humanitarian corridors to allow for the entry of urgent medical and relief aid to Gaza and protecting civilians and stopping the escalation and war on Gaza,” the statement said.

He also cautioned against adopting a policy of collective punishment towards the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, affirming the necessity of protecting innocent civilians from both sides, in line with common humanitarian values, international law, and international humanitarian law.

The King highlighted the importance of allowing international organizations to carry out their humanitarian duties in Gaza without hindrance.

He reiterated the importance of building a political horizon to ensure opportunities for achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution and preventing further cycles of violence and wars in the region.

Moreover, the King emphasized the significance of preserving the existing historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem and pointed to the continued protection and care of these sanctities under Hashemite custodianship.

In the same context, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Friday met with Blinken and discussed efforts to de-escalate and end the war in Gaza.

Safadi stressed the need to address the humanitarian repercussions and the danger of its continuation and expansion across the region.

Safadi urged the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and ending the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Strip. He emphasized that protecting civilians on both sides and condemning their targeting and killing is a collective legal, moral, and humanitarian responsibility.

The Jordanian warnings expressed by the King follow concerns expressed by official sources to Asharq Al-Awsat of a possible deterioration in the West Bank.

These sources stressed the urgency of refraining from the expansion of the Israeli aggression on Palestinians and sparing the innocents more killing.

Jordan is aware of the American and Western support to Israel that falls under “the right of self-defense” following the Al-Aqsa Storm operation that was launched by “Hamas”. This pushed Amman to gradually level up its rhetoric against the Israeli far-right policies that are making use of international support to Tel Aviv in order to achieve their ambitions.

In the meantime, hundreds of protesters rallied in the Jordanian capital amid high security presence. Jordanian police forcibly dispersed dozens of protesters who tried to reach a border zone.

The Public Security Directorate (PSD) called on Jordanians to adhere to the instructions on assembly sites and not to attempt to bypass them, stressing the implementation of the law and preventing anyone from trespassing or bypassing them.

The statement noted that a few tried to come into contact with the security men, urging them to adhere to the places of assembly and protest that have been designated for them to stand and deliver their message and exercise their right to do so without any violation of the law and instructions issued in this regard.

Amman is imposing a security cordon in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy in to prevent the protesters from reaching it.

It further fears that the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood that is unlicensed in the country, would exploit the people’s anger.

The Ministry of Interior confirmed on Thursday that, out of its concern for the safety of citizens and to ensure the legitimate right to express their national feelings about what is happening in Palestinian territories, calls for gatherings and demonstrations in the Jordan Valley and border areas are not allowed.

The security agencies will take all necessary measures to prevent this, according to the ministry.



Amnesty International Says Israel and Aid System Use Starvation to Commit Gaza Genocide

Palestinians queue for a hot meal at a charity kitchen at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
Palestinians queue for a hot meal at a charity kitchen at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
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Amnesty International Says Israel and Aid System Use Starvation to Commit Gaza Genocide

Palestinians queue for a hot meal at a charity kitchen at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)
Palestinians queue for a hot meal at a charity kitchen at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on May 4, 2025. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

Amnesty International issued a report Thursday claiming a controversial Israeli- and US-backed system to distribute aid in Gaza uses starvation tactics against Palestinians to continue to commit genocide in the Gaza Strip during Israel's war with Hamas.

The UK-based human rights group condemned Israel and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which the US and Israel have backed to take over aid distribution in Gaza from a network led by the United Nations.

Israel’s foreign minister denounced the Amnesty report, saying the organization has “joined forces with Hamas and fully adopted all of its propaganda lies.”

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 500 Palestinians have been killed at or near GHF distribution centers over the past month. The centers are guarded by private security contractors and located near Israeli military positions. Palestinian officials and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of opening fire at crowds of people moving near the sites.

The Amnesty report said Israel has “turned aid-seeking into a booby trap for desperate starved Palestinians” through GHF's militarized hubs. The conditions have created "a deadly mix of hunger and disease pushing the population past breaking point.”

“This devastating daily loss of life as desperate Palestinians try to collect aid is the consequence of their deliberate targeting by Israeli forces and the foreseeable consequence of irresponsible and lethal methods of distribution,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general.

Israel rejects claims

The Israeli army says it has fired warning shots to control crowds and only fires at people it says are acting suspiciously.

The Foreign Ministry and COGAT, the Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, said Israel has facilitated the entry of over 3,000 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip since May 19 and GHF has delivered boxes of food with the equivalent of 56 million meals.

Humanitarian organizations say that amount is not nearly enough to meet overwhelming need in Gaza. GHF did not immediately return requests for comment.

The World Food Program says despite the new Israel-backed initiative, food consumption reached a critical low last month, with food diversity reaching its worst level since the conflict began.

“The continued closure of crossings, intensified violence since March, soaring food prices, and extremely limited humanitarian and commercial supplies have severely restricted access to even basic food items,” the WFP said in a June report.

GHF hubs are close to Israeli military positions

Amnesty’s report follows a statement earlier this week from more than 165 major international charities and non-governmental organizations calling for an immediate end to the foundation. They say the new mechanism allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and is ineffective.

It’s the latest sign of trouble for the GHF, a secretive initiative headed by an evangelical leader who is a close ally of President Donald Trump. Last month, the US government pledged $30 million for the group to continue operation, the first known US donation to the group, whose other funding sources remain opaque.

GHF started distributing aid May 26 following a nearly three-month Israeli blockade that pushed Gaza’s population of more than 2 million to the brink of famine.

Palestinian witnesses have described scenes of chaos around the distribution sites, and two contractors in the operation have told The Associated Press that colleagues fired live ammunition and stun grenades toward crowds of people. Palestinians often must travel long distances to reach the sites.

In a statement Tuesday, GHF rejected criticism of its operations and claimed it has delivered more than 52 million meals to hungry Palestinians.

“Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza,” GHF said.

GHF has called for Israel’s military to investigate the allegations from Gaza’s Health Ministry, but last month the organization said there has been no violence in or around its centers and its personnel have not opened fire.

Israel demanded the alternative plan because it accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid. The UN and aid groups deny there is significant diversion.

Amnesty's allegations of genocide Amnesty accused Israel last year of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during its war with Hamas, saying it has sought to deliberately destroy Palestinians by mounting deadly attacks, demolishing vital infrastructure, and preventing the delivery of food, medicine and other aid.

Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic “blood libel.” It is challenging such allegations filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice and has rejected the International Criminal Court’s accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister committed war crimes in Gaza.