U.S. President Joe Biden met with King of Jordan Abdullah at the White House and discussed the current situation in the Middle East and beyond.
Biden asserted that the US rejects the forced displacement of the Palestinian people who suffered unimaginable pain and loss.
“Too many of the over 27,000 Palestinians killed in this conflict have been innocent civilians and children, including thousands of children. And hundreds of thousands have no access to food, water, or other basic services,” he said.
“And we have also been clear from the start: We oppose any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” the American leader affirmed.
On his part, Jordan’s King said: “We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end.”
He said it was essential the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Near East, the main UN agency responsible for Gaza, continues to receive funding.
The two leaders also discussed “a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, which would bring an immediate and sustained period of calm into Gaza, for at least six weeks, which we could then take the time to build into something more enduring,” during the meeting.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, confirmed that there is no alternative to the UNRWA in the Palestinian territories.
Borrell also warned that any Israeli attack on Rafah would halt relief aid and exacerbate the humanitarian disaster.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has raised alarms about the mass displacement of farmers in the West Bank due to ongoing attacks by Israeli settlers, which have resulted in the displacement of nearly 2,000 Palestinians since 2022, with 43% of these displacements occurring since October 7, 2023.
