Relief in Jordan after Arabs Pledge Aid Package

Saudi King Salman hosts a summit in Makkah to tackle Jordan's economic crisis. (SPA)
Saudi King Salman hosts a summit in Makkah to tackle Jordan's economic crisis. (SPA)
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Relief in Jordan after Arabs Pledge Aid Package

Saudi King Salman hosts a summit in Makkah to tackle Jordan's economic crisis. (SPA)
Saudi King Salman hosts a summit in Makkah to tackle Jordan's economic crisis. (SPA)

Jordanian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ali al-Kayed stressed the importance of the aid package to support Jordan, which was pledged by Saudi Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

A Saudi-hosted summit held in the holy city of Makkah on Sunday pledged $2.5 billion in aid to help Jordan overcome its economic crisis. The meeting brought together Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Kayed told Asharq Al-Awsat that the aid will revive Jordan's faltering economy.

The aid will be provided through a deposit at the Jordanian Central Bank, guarantees for the World Bank, annual support for the Jordanian government’s budget over the next five years and financing from development funds for projects in the Kingdom.

The diplomat said the effect of the aid package will have a direct impact on Jordan’s economy and ensure its perseverance and future prosperity.

Helping Jordan overcome its crisis and mitigate the aftermath of associated economic inflation, the aid will not only be beneficial in the near term only, but also have a long-term effect.

Saudi Shura Council member Ibrahim al-Nahhas told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Kingdom, as usual, stands with its allies in times of crisis.”

“As the leader of the Arab world and center of the Islamic world, the Kingdom is establishing the principle of collective action.”

He stressed that the Saudi leadership constantly works in the interest of Arabs and Muslims everywhere and at any given time.

Nahhas said that the Makkah summit is a true expression of the joint spirit of brotherhood among Arab and Islamic countries. It gives a direct Saudi message to the whole world on the cooperation and solidarity of Arabs and Muslims during most difficult circumstances.

“Standing with Jordan and its people sends a strong message that calls upon Jordanians to side with their leadership and support it in confronting conspiracies aimed at destabilizing their country,” said Nahhas.



Some Gaps Have Narrowed in Elusive Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Sides Say

Israeli tanks take a position, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli tanks take a position, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Some Gaps Have Narrowed in Elusive Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Sides Say

Israeli tanks take a position, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Israeli tanks take a position, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Gaps between Israel and Hamas over a possible Gaza ceasefire have narrowed, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials' remarks on Monday, though crucial differences have yet to be resolved.

A fresh bid by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the fighting and release Israeli and foreign hostages has gained momentum this month, though no breakthrough has yet been reported.

A Palestinian official familiar with the talks said while some sticking points had been resolved, the identity of some of the Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return for hostages had yet to be agreed, along with the precise deployment of Israeli troops in Gaza.

His remarks corresponded with comments by the Israeli diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, who said both issues were still being negotiated. Nonetheless, he said, the sides were far closer to reaching agreement than they have been for months, Reuters reported.

"This ceasefire can last six months or it can last 10 years, it depends on the dynamics that will form on the ground," Chikli told Israel's Kan radio. Much hinged on what powers would be running and rehabilitating Gaza once fighting stopped, he said.

The duration of the ceasefire has been a fundamental sticking point throughout several rounds of failed negotiations. Hamas wants an end to the war, while Israel wants an end to Hamas' rule of Gaza first.

"The issue of ending the war completely hasn't yet been resolved," said the Palestinian official.

Israeli minister Zeev Elkin, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, told Israel's Army Radio that the aim was to find an agreed framework that would resolve that difference during a second stage of the ceasefire deal.

Chikli said the first stage would be a humanitarian phase that will last 42 days and include a hostage release.

HOSPITAL

The war was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 45,200 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave. Most of the population of 2.3 million has been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.

At least 11 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, medics said.

One of Gaza's few still partially functioning hospitals, on its northern edge, an area under intense Israeli military pressure for nearly three months, sought urgent help after being hit by Israeli fire.

"We are facing a continuous daily threat," said Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital. "The bombing continues from all directions, affecting the building, the departments, and the staff."

The Israeli military did not immediately comment. On Sunday it said it was supplying fuel and food to the hospital and helping evacuate some patients and staff to safer areas.

Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to permanently depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone, which Israel denies.

Israel says its operation around the three communities on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip - Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia - is targeting Hamas militants.

On Monday, the United Nations' aid chief, Tom Fletcher, said Israeli forces had hampered efforts to deliver much needed aid in northern Gaza.

"North Gaza has been under a near-total siege for more than two months, raising the spectre of famine," he said. "South Gaza is extremely overcrowded, creating horrific living conditions and even greater humanitarian needs as winter sets in."