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Biden Renews Support for Jordan’s Long-Running Role as Custodian of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque

US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
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Biden Renews Support for Jordan’s Long-Running Role as Custodian of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque

US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)

US President Joe Biden renewed on Friday his country’s support for Jordan's crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy sites, particularly Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.

Biden met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Washington on Friday amid tensions in the Palestinian Territories where clashes erupted in recent weeks at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

The situation worsened this week with the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a dual Palestinian-American national, when she was covering Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank area of Jenin.

King Abdullah's visit to Washington is his second since Biden came to office. He was accompanied by his wife, Queen Rania, and his eldest son, Crown Prince Hussein.

In a statement following the meeting, the White House said Biden reaffirmed the close and enduring nature of the friendship between the United States and Jordan.

“Biden cited the need to preserve the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif and he also recognized the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” the White House statement said.

It added that both leaders consulted on recent events in the region and discussed urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric and reduce tensions in Israel and the West Bank.

The leaders then discussed the political and economic benefits of further regional integration in infrastructure, energy, water, and climate projects, with Jordan a critical hub for such cooperation and investment.

“Jordan is a critical ally and force for stability in the Middle East,” Biden stressed.

Before his meeting with Biden, King Abdullah II met with a number of officials from the US administration and several congressmen.

On Thursday, he sat down with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, where the King warned against the continuous cycle of violence in the Palestinian Territories, especially in light of unilateral Israeli measures, stressing that the repercussions would be damaging to regional security and stability.

For his part, Austin expressed his country’s concern over the latest escalation and violence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, commending the King’s "critical role" in de-escalating tensions, and noting that the US looks to work with Jordan towards security, stability and just peace for the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Biden is expected to visit the region late next month, where he will meet in Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.

The Biden administration had announced its support for a “sovereign and democratic” Palestinian state. Biden had previously announced plans to reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem.

Former President Donald Trump closed the Jerusalem consulate and placed its staff within the US Embassy to Israel that was moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018.

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Arab World

UN: At Least 15 Children Killed in Sudan Drone Strike

The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
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UN: At Least 15 Children Killed in Sudan Drone Strike

The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)

A drone strike on a displacement camp in Sudan killed at least 15 children earlier this week, the United Nations reported late on Wednesday.

"On Monday 16 February, at least 15 children were reportedly killed and 10 wounded after a drone strike on a displacement camp in Al Sunut, West Kordofan," the UN children's agency said in a statement.

Across the Kordofan region, currently the Sudan war's fiercest battlefield, "we are seeing the same disturbing patterns from Darfur -- children killed, injured, displaced and cut off from the services they need to survive," UNICEF's Executive Director Catherine Russell said.

Arab World

MSF Will Keep Operating in Gaza 'as Long as We Can'

(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
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MSF Will Keep Operating in Gaza 'as Long as We Can'

(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The head of Doctors Without Borders in the Palestinian territories told AFP the charity would continue working in Gaza for as long as possible, following an Israeli decision to end its activities there.

In early February, Israel announced it was terminating all the activities in Gaza by the medical charity, known by its French acronym MSF, after it failed to provide a list of its Palestinian staff.

MSF has slammed the move, which takes effect on March 1, as a "pretext" to obstruct aid.

"For the time being, we are still working in Gaza, and we plan to keep running our operations as long as we can," Filipe Ribeiro told AFP in Amman, but said operations were already facing challenges.

"Since the beginning of January, we are not anymore in the capacity to get international staff inside Gaza. The Israeli authorities actually denied any entry to Gaza, but also to the West Bank," he said.

Ribeiro added that MSF's ability to bring medical supplies into Gaza had also been impacted.

"They're not allowed for now, but we have some stocks in our pharmacies that will allow us to keep running operations for the time being," he said.

"We do have teams in Gaza that are still working, both national and international, and we have stocks."

In December, Israel announced it would prevent 37 aid organizations, including MSF, from working in Gaza from March 1 for failing to submit detailed information about their Palestinian employees, drawing widespread condemnation from NGOs and the United Nations.

It had alleged that two MSF employees had links with Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which the medical charity has repeatedly and vehemently denied.

MSF says it did not provide the names of its Palestinian staff because Israeli authorities offered no assurances regarding their safety.

Ribeiro warned of the massive impact the termination of MSF's operations would have for healthcare in war-shattered Gaza.

"MSF is one of the biggest actors when it comes to the health provision in Gaza and the West Bank, and if we are obliged to leave, then we will create a huge void in Gaza," he said.

The charity says it currently provides at least 20 percent of hospital beds in the territory and operates around 20 health centers.

In 2025 alone, it carried out more than 800,000 medical consultations, treated more than 100,000 trauma cases and assisted more than 10,000 infant deliveries.

Arab World

Egyptian-Turkish Military Talks Focus on Strengthening Partnership

The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
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Egyptian-Turkish Military Talks Focus on Strengthening Partnership

The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)

Senior Egyptian and Turkish air force commanders met in Cairo on Wednesday for talks focused on strengthening military partnership and expanding bilateral cooperation, in the latest sign of warming defense ties between the two countries.

The meeting brought together the Commander of the Egyptian Air Force, Lt. Gen. Amr Saqr, and his Turkish counterpart, Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadioglu, to review a range of issues of mutual interest amid growing cooperation between the two air forces.

Egypt’s military spokesperson said the talks reflect the Armed Forces’ commitment to deepening military collaboration with friendly and partner nations.

Earlier this month, Egypt and Türkiye signed a military cooperation agreement during talks in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sisi highlighted similar viewpoints on regional and international issues, while Erdogan noted that enhanced cooperation and forthcoming joint steps would help support regional peace.

Cairo and Ankara also signed an agreement last August on the joint production of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones. Production of unmanned ground vehicles has also begun under a partnership between the Turkish firm HAVELSAN and Egypt’s Kader Factory.

During the talks, Saqr underscored the importance of coordinating efforts to advance shared interests and expressed hope for closer ties that would benefit both air forces.

Kadioglu, for his part, stressed the depth of bilateral partnership and the strong foundations of cooperation between the two countries’ air forces.

According to the military spokesperson, Kadioglu also toured several Egyptian Air Force units to review the latest training and armament systems introduced in recent years.

Military cooperation between Egypt and Türkiye has gained momentum since 2023, following the restoration of full diplomatic relations and reciprocal presidential visits that reflected positively on the defense sector.

In September last year, the joint naval exercise “Sea of Friendship 2025” was held in Turkish territorial waters, aimed at enhancing joint capabilities and exchanging expertise against a range of threats.