Jordanian Military, Security Observers Expect Gaza Conflict to 'Inevitability' Expand

Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi at the 19th IISS Manama Dialogue (Reuters)
Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi at the 19th IISS Manama Dialogue (Reuters)
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Jordanian Military, Security Observers Expect Gaza Conflict to 'Inevitability' Expand

Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi at the 19th IISS Manama Dialogue (Reuters)
Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi at the 19th IISS Manama Dialogue (Reuters)

Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi asserted that Arab forces will not be deployed in Gaza after the end of the war.

Several reports discussed proposals regarding the fate of Gaza after the Israeli aggression, including the deployment of Arab forces to establish stability and the Palestinian Authority (PA) managing the Strip.

However, the Foreign Minister said during the 19th IISS Manama Dialogue that after discussing this issue with "almost all our brethren, there'll be no Arab troops going to Gaza. None. We're not going to be seen as the enemy."

"How could anybody talk about the future of Gaza when we do not know what kind of Gaza will be left once this aggression ends?"

The White House's National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell attended the security summit.

An informed political source in Amman told Asharq Al-Awsat that Jordan sends pre-emptive stances to test the future of Gaza, according to Israeli plans to impose a new administration after eliminating Hamas.

He said such positions portray Jordan's rejection of the Israeli scenarios about reoccupying parts of the Strip, displacing all residents of northern Gaza, and rejecting any proposals related to the deployment of Arab forces in Gaza after the end of the war.

Jordan fears the expansion of the humanitarian catastrophe and siege in the Strip. Military and security observers believe it would inevitably lead to an increase in the conflict and a deterioration of the security situation in the West Bank.

In light of mounting popular pressure and anticipation of the parliamentary review of the agreements between Amman and Tel Aviv, Safadi announced on Thursday the cessation of talks on the energy-for-water deal with Israel.

During a televised interview, the Minister said Jordan won't sign a deal to provide energy to Israel in water exchange, which was planned to be ratified last month.

"We [Jordan] signed the peace agreement in 1994 as part of a wider Arab effort to establish a two-state solution. That has not been achieved. Instead, Israel has not upheld its part of the agreement. So the peace deal will have to remain on the back burner, gathering dust for now," he said.

Jordanian political observers informed Asharq Al-Awsat of their estimates that Israel plans to impose a policy of displacing Gazans through the expansion of force and the continued targeting of civilians in preparation for the occupation of parts of the enclave.

The Israeli plan aims to prevent Benjamin Netanyahu's government from confronting the public after stopping the war on Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry in Amman is witnessing several meetings with Western officials to address the escalatory Jordanian positions, especially after talking about "putting all possibilities" in confronting the Israeli aggression on Gaza and undermining opportunities for resuming peace efforts in the region.

Western officials are concerned about freezing the peace agreement Jordan concluded with Israel in 1994.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.