Skip to main content
Interview

Israel already suffering 'strategic defeat' with global outcry over Gaza, Jordan’s FM says

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged the United States to wield its influence with Israel to stem the bloodshed in Gaza after two months of devastating war.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi gives a joint press conference with his German counterpart following talks at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin on March 10, 2021.
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi gives a joint press conference with his German counterpart following talks at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin on March 10, 2021. — KAY NIETFELD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Any discussion of Gaza’s future must include an “irreversible plan” for Palestinian statehood, Jordan’s foreign minister told Al-Monitor as he and regional counterparts met in Washington hoping to forge consensus with the United States on ending Israel’s destructive war in the Hamas-ruled territory.

“There can be no Gaza-alone approach,” Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who also serves as Jordan's deputy prime minister, said in a wide-ranging interview. "The answer to the problem has to look at the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and Gaza as one entity.” 

During a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, Safadi and the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority reiterated their calls for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. The high-profile delegation is representing the Arab League and the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation. 

The United States supports temporary “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting to secure the release of the more than 130 remaining hostages and allow for much-needed aid to reach Gaza, where Israel has been battling Hamas since the militant group's surprise attack that killed some 1,200 people. On Friday, the United States used its veto on the UN Security Council to block a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, which the Biden administration says would allow Hamas to regroup.

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

Access 1 free article per month when you sign up. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in

Related Topics