Jordanian King: We Will Continue to Provide Land and Air Assistance for Gaza

Jordanian Armed Forces members air drop aid parcels to several areas in northern Gaza, in this undated handout picture released on March 1, 2024. Jordanian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS
Jordanian Armed Forces members air drop aid parcels to several areas in northern Gaza, in this undated handout picture released on March 1, 2024. Jordanian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS
TT

Jordanian King: We Will Continue to Provide Land and Air Assistance for Gaza

Jordanian Armed Forces members air drop aid parcels to several areas in northern Gaza, in this undated handout picture released on March 1, 2024. Jordanian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS
Jordanian Armed Forces members air drop aid parcels to several areas in northern Gaza, in this undated handout picture released on March 1, 2024. Jordanian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS

Jordan’s King Abdullah stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, raising concerns over a prolonged war and escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
King Abdullah rejected all attempts aiming at dividing Gaza and the West Bank, and displacing the Palestinians, the Jordanian Royal Court said in a statement on Monday.
King Abdullah also stressed the need to continue providing relief and humanitarian aid to the war-torn Strip.
He affirmed Jordan’s continued protection of Islamic and Christian sanctities as part of Jordan's administration and custodianship of Jerusalem's Muslim holy sites.
Jordanian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the King will continue to “hold meetings with Palestinian political factions”.
Other official sources told the newspaper that some foreign and local accounts on social media, including Facebook and X platforms, are posting inciting content provoking distrust in the official Jordanian stance.
The “organized campaigns” come as part of schemes aiming to undermine Jordan’s relief and humanitarian air drop efforts to the war-torn enclave, they said.
The sources added: “These campaigns come in parallel with street marches carried out every Friday demanding a halt to trade with the occupation entity”. However, Jordanian ministers assured that trade agreements with Israel are linked to Jordanian traders and not the government, according to the sources.



Lebanon Joins Middle East Green Initiative

 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
TT

Lebanon Joins Middle East Green Initiative

 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)
 Prime Minister Najib Mikati sits between Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan and Environment Minister Nasser Yassin during the announcement (Office of the Prime Minister)

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister announced that the country has joined the Middle East Green Initiative, launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to mitigate the impact of climate change on the region.

“This is an essential step for Lebanon, especially since our southern villages and towns have been exposed to significant environmental and agricultural damage due to Israeli attacks, which requires cooperation with all of Lebanon's friends,” a statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers quoted Mikati as saying.

Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan welcomed Lebanon’s participation in the initiative, confirming that a high committee has been established to ensure the project’s sustainability and facilitate relevant cooperation.

He noted that the timing of the announcement “comes in light of the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and this matter must be drawn to attention, especially since Israel is destroying very large areas, whether agricultural lands, fruit trees or forests.”

Environment Minister Nasser Yassin said that the Middle East Green Initiative has very important goals to plant 40 billion trees across the region and protect the Gulf and the Middle East from climate change, stop land degradation and desertification and find the means to adapt to future challenges.

The Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture estimates that more than 2.8 million square meters of forest and agricultural land were completely burned, while about 6.7 million square meters of agricultural and forest land were partially damaged as a result of Israel’s attacks and its use of internationally-banned incendiary munitions.