Jordan Stresses Two-State Solution to Resolve Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

A handout image made available by the Jordanian Armed Forces Media office on November 6, 2023, shows humanitarian aid being loaded into a Jordanian military cargo plane. (Photo by Jordanian Armed Forces / AFP)
A handout image made available by the Jordanian Armed Forces Media office on November 6, 2023, shows humanitarian aid being loaded into a Jordanian military cargo plane. (Photo by Jordanian Armed Forces / AFP)
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Jordan Stresses Two-State Solution to Resolve Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

A handout image made available by the Jordanian Armed Forces Media office on November 6, 2023, shows humanitarian aid being loaded into a Jordanian military cargo plane. (Photo by Jordanian Armed Forces / AFP)
A handout image made available by the Jordanian Armed Forces Media office on November 6, 2023, shows humanitarian aid being loaded into a Jordanian military cargo plane. (Photo by Jordanian Armed Forces / AFP)

Jordan's air force air-dropped urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza early on Monday, while King Abdullah headed to Brussels where he met Belgian, EU and NATO officials to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian enclave.

Meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, King Abdullah called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the protection of civilians.

“Everyone today is paying the price of the absence of a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” he said.

He added that dealing with the day after the war must begin with addressing the root cause of the conflict on the basis of the two-state solution.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh held a meeting with speaker of the Lower House, members and heads of parliamentary committees and blocs to brief them about the country’s efforts to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza and ensure the delivery of aid to the people.

He condemned the Israeli attack and the “international silence” over its violations and atrocities against the Palestinian people.

“The immunity given for Israel and the silence on violations against civilians are a double standard,” the PM said, adding that any attempt to displace the Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank is a red line.

Earlier, a royal air force plane dropped urgent medical aid to the Jordanian field hospital in Gaza whose supplies were about to run out due to the delay in delivering aid through the Rafah crossing, Jordan's state news agency said citing a Jordanian military source.

The decision to send the plane was taken on Saturday during a meeting between military, political and security officials, added the source.

The US was informed of the plan during a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the kingdom where he met King Abdullah, it continued.

It revealed that more flights will be planned in the near future to deliver more aid to those in need.

Jordan has also completed preparations to set up a field hospital in Rafah near the border with Gaza.



Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Meets HTS Leader in Damascus

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
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Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Meets HTS Leader in Damascus

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ministry headquarters in the Turkish capital Ankara Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP)

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Sunday, Türkiye’s foreign ministry said, without providing further details.

Photographs and footage shared by the ministry showed Fidan and Sharaa, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which led the operation to topple Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, walking ahead of a crowded delegation before posing for photographs.

The two are also seen shaking hands, hugging, and smiling.

On Friday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that Türkiye would help Syria's new administration form a state structure and draft a new constitution, adding Fidan would head to Damascus to discuss this new structure, without providing a date.

Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Türkiye’s MIT intelligence agency, also visited Damascus on Dec. 12, four days after Assad's fall.

Ankara had for years backed opposition fighters looking to oust Assad and welcomed the end of his family's brutal five-decade rule after a 13-year civil war. Türkiye also hosts millions of Syrian migrants it hopes will start returning home after Assad's fall, and has vowed to help rebuild Syria.

Fidan's visit comes amid fighting in northeast Syria between Türkiye-backed Syrian fighters and the Kurdish YPG militia, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast and Ankara regards as a terrorist organization.

Earlier, Türkiye’s defense minister said Ankara believed that Syria's new leadership, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive YPG fighters from all territory they occupy in the northeast.

Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the Kurdish faction in northern Syria and controls swathes of Syrian territory along the border, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halts support for the Kurdish fighters.

The SDF has been on the back foot since Assad's fall, with the threat of advances from Ankara and Türkiye-backed groups as it looks to preserve political gains made in the last 13 years, and with Syria's new rulers being friendly to Ankara.