Jordan: king warns of increase in extremist rhetoric among Israeli officials

King Abdullah II of Jordan has warned of an escalation in “extremist” rhetoric by Israeli officials, reiterating the need for international pressure to stop the Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip, the Royal Court has said.

According to the official statement, the warning came during a phone call with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, during which King Abdullah pointed out, “The necessity of an immediate ceasefire, protecting civilians and ensuring the sustainable delivery of aid to Gaza.”

The king has also reiterated his country’s categorical rejection of any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause and displace Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank. He expressed concern over the violence perpetrated by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, and highlighted the potential catastrophic consequences if the conflict were to spread in the region.

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Moreover, King Abdullah stressed the inseparability of Gaza and the West Bank, emphasising their status as part of a unified Palestinian state. He underlined that military and security measures alone will not lead to peace, and advocated for the establishment of a political horizon based on the two-state solution.

The Israeli National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have recently voiced their support for the “voluntary” displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. Smotrich told Hebrew Channel 14 on 8 January that, “There are two million Nazis living in Gaza [who are a] time bomb to annihilate Israel.”

Israel has mounted a relentless military offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the cross-border attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement in October. The apartheid state has killed at least 24,100 Palestinian civilians and wounded almost 61,000 others. Two million Palestinians have been displaced within Gaza, most of them more than once, and face what has been described by external agencies as a humanitarian catastrophe.

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