Jordan King Condemns ‘Violence in All Forms’, in Israel Talks

A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Jordan's King Abdullah II and Israeli President Isaac Herzog talking during a meeting in the capital Amman. (Jordanian Royal Palace/AFP)
A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Jordan's King Abdullah II and Israeli President Isaac Herzog talking during a meeting in the capital Amman. (Jordanian Royal Palace/AFP)
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Jordan King Condemns ‘Violence in All Forms’, in Israel Talks

A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Jordan's King Abdullah II and Israeli President Isaac Herzog talking during a meeting in the capital Amman. (Jordanian Royal Palace/AFP)
A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Jordan's King Abdullah II and Israeli President Isaac Herzog talking during a meeting in the capital Amman. (Jordanian Royal Palace/AFP)

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Wednesday condemned "violence in all its forms" in a meeting with visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, following a spate of deadly attacks in the Jewish state.

A total of 11 people have been killed in three attacks in the space of a week in Israel, the latest of them on Tuesday.

Abdullah expressed "Jordan's condemnation of violence in all its forms, and the resulting loss of more innocent" lives, a palace statement said.

He pointed to "the regrettable attacks that have targeted civilians from both sides, including yesterday's attack", warning it was "the Israelis and Palestinians who pay the price".

"This conflict has lasted a long time, and the resulting violence continues to cause much pain and offers a fertile ground for extremism," he said.

Four civilians and a policeman were killed on Tuesday when a Palestinian assailant opened fire at passers-by in the town of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv.

Ahead of Ramadan, the Israeli president said that "we have to move towards allowing the performance of religious rites peacefully", adding that "this is what we are discussing with Jordan", according to the palace.

"Having Muslim leaders meet Jewish and Israeli leaders is an alternative to the abyss of hatred and bloodshed," Herzog said, quoted by his office.

Herzog's visit comes one day after Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz was in Amman, where he also met the king, in a bid to seek calm ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, starting in April.

Tensions flared last year during Ramadan between Israeli forces and Palestinians visiting Al-Aqsa mosque in annexed east Jerusalem, leading to 11 days of conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement which rules Gaza.

Jordan, which established ties with Israel in 1994, has traditionally played the role of mediator between Israel and the Palestinians.

The kingdom also serves as custodian of the holy places in east Jerusalem, which Israel seized in 1967 and later annexed in a move not recognized by most of the international community.

In his meeting with Gantz, Abdullah called on Israel to "lift all obstacles that could prevent (Muslims) from performing prayers" at Al-Aqsa and "prevent any provocations that could lead to escalation".



Israeli Forces Have Completed Encirclement of Gaza’s Rafah, Military Says

 Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
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Israeli Forces Have Completed Encirclement of Gaza’s Rafah, Military Says

 Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians flee from east to west of Gaza City after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders in the area, Friday April 11, 2025. (AP)

Israeli forces have completed the encirclement of Gaza's Rafah, the military said on Saturday, part of an announced plan to seize more areas of the enclave, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population.

The military has issued repeated evacuation warnings to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across Rafah since it resumed operations in Gaza on March 18, forcing them into a diminishing space limited by the sea.

Israel said on April 2 that troops had begun seizing an area it called the Morag Axis, a reference to a former Israeli settlement once located between the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have since fled Rafah, a 60 square km area that borders Egypt to the south.

"Over the past 24 hours, the 36th Division's troops completed the establishment of the Morag route, separating Rafah and Khan Younis," the military said on Saturday.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza was launched after Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the offensive, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave. Most of the population has been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.

Israel restarted the offensive in March after effectively abandoning a ceasefire in place since January. The campaign will continue, it says, until the remaining 59 hostages are freed and Hamas is stamped out of Gaza.

Hamas says it will free hostages only as part of a deal that will end the war and has rejected demands to lay down its arms. A Hamas delegation was expected in Cairo over the weekend to discuss new truce proposals, according to a source in the group.