King Abdullah II of Jordan informed a meeting Tuesday with German Chancellor OIaf Scholz in Berlin neither Jordan nor Egypt would be willing to accept any refugees fleeing the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorists used the West Bank as a base to attack Israel.
The Jordanian king said the humanitarian situation must be dealt with inside Gaza and the West Bank and not be pushed into neighboring countries.
He told reporters “this is a red line … no refugees to Jordan and also no refugees to Egypt.”
“This is a situation that has to be handled within Gaza and the West Bank,” he said, AP reports “And you don’t have to carry this out on the shoulders of others.”
The mother of Mia Shem, near photographs of people kidnapped by Hamas, at a news conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. Dozens of Israelis, some with dual nationality, were snatched from small towns, army bases and a music festival, and taken back to the Gaza Strip by Hamas after the cross-border attack. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty)
Abdullah also said everything needs to be done to prevent a further escalation of the conflict, speaking ahead of the departure of Scholz for Israel.
“The whole region is on the brink,” Abdullah said. “This new cycle of violence is leading us towards the abyss.”
Jordan has previously refused to accept Gazan refugees through a strict non-admittance policy.
The head of Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court told Human Rights Watch in May 2013 any influx of Palestinians would alter Jordan’s demographic balance and potentially lead to instability.
Cairo is also wary of political fallout and security risks posed by Gazans trying to enter the country.
Scholz, who is traveling to Israel later on Tuesday, stressed the country has every right to defend itself and can count on Germany’s support against the Hamas terrorists.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also announced Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday as the country recovers from the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks that claimed an estimated 1,200 Israeli lives, most of which were civilians.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.
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