Jordan's King: Regional Security Cannot Be Achieved without a Palestinian State

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomes King Abdullah II of Jordan ahead of a meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank, on March 28, 2022. (AFP)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomes King Abdullah II of Jordan ahead of a meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank, on March 28, 2022. (AFP)
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Jordan's King: Regional Security Cannot Be Achieved without a Palestinian State

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomes King Abdullah II of Jordan ahead of a meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank, on March 28, 2022. (AFP)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomes King Abdullah II of Jordan ahead of a meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank, on March 28, 2022. (AFP)

Jordan's King Abdullah II assured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Amman will always support Palestine, despite all challenges.

Meeting Abbas in Ramallah, King Abdullah asserted that security and stability could not be achieved in the region without just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state according to the June 4, 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

King Abdullah's visit to Ramallah is his first in five years amid rising tensions. He met Abbas after the latter met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who led a ministerial meeting in Israel that included his Egyptian, Emirati, Bahraini, Moroccan, and Israeli counterparts.

The King called for ending all unilateral Israeli measures, especially in Jerusalem, which undermines the prospects of achieving comprehensive and lasting peace, stressing that the goal is to have a Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security.

The monarch noted that Jordan would continue all efforts to preserve Jerusalem's historical and legal status quo and safeguard its Islamic and Christian holy sites under the Hashemite Custodianship.

During the talks, the monarch emphasized the importance of giving the Palestinian cause the required international momentum to avoid being eclipsed by other recent crises.

Abbas welcomed King Abdullah, who was accompanied by Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, saying: "We want to keep constant communication, whether through visits or contacts between us."

Abbas stressed that Jordan and Palestine share common interests, concerns, and hopes, underlining the importance of such visits.

He emphasized that "we never forget that the Jordanian position on the Palestinian issue is a Palestinian position, and we know that your Majesty's instructions that everything related to Palestine is not revised, but implemented immediately."

The meeting addressed recent developments in the Palestinian Territories and the need to maintain calm and stability, especially during the holy fasting month of Ramadan that begins in early April. They also stressed the importance of respecting the rights of Muslims to worship at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem without provocation or interference.

They discussed the importance of working with all sides to avoid any escalation that could undermine the prospects of achieving peace.

Talks also covered joint regional projects and means to allow Palestinian participation, especially in projects related to food security and mitigating the repercussions of the Ukraine crisis on the region.



Israeli Strike Wounds a Hospital Chief in Besieged Northern Gaza, Health Officials Say

A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Israeli Strike Wounds a Hospital Chief in Besieged Northern Gaza, Health Officials Say

A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

An Israeli strike has wounded the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the northernmost part of Gaza, local and international health officials said.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya was in his office when it was hit by an Israeli quadcopter drone on Sunday, according to the humanitarian organization MedGlobal.

The doctor was wounded by shrapnel in his thigh and back, causing serious bleeding that requires surgical care, the aid group said. Abu Safiya is the lead physician in Gaza for MedGlobal, which has worked in Gaza since 2018.

Dr. Munir al-Boursh, director general of Gaza's Health Ministry, posted a video to social media on Monday showing Abu Safiya limping and leaning on a crutch while speaking to patients inside the hospital.

The Israeli military said it was unaware of a strike on the grounds of Kamal Adwan Hospital and said it does its utmost to avoid harming civilians.

During the past month, Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit several times, was put under siege and was raided by Israeli troops, who are waging a heavy offensive in the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp and towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. The Israeli military says it detained Hamas fighters hiding in the hospital, a claim its staff denies.

Abu Safiya said Israeli strikes on the hospital last week wounded nine medical staff and damaged the generator and oxygen systems. He said the hospital was treating 85 wounded, 14 children in the pediatric ward and four newborns in the neonatal unit.

Israel also denied knowledge of conducting any strikes on in the area of the hospital at that time.