Jordan’s King Abdullah II said neither Egypt nor Jordan would accept refugees from Palestine and any attempt to force them to do so would be a “red line” for neighbouring countries.
The Jordanian head of state emphasised at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin that the emerging humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian Gaza Strip had to be resolved within the Palestinian territories and had not to be allowed to spread to the entire Middle East. King Abdullah II told journalists:
“That is a red line. I think that is the plan by certain of the usual suspects to try and create issues on the ground. There will be no refugees in Jordan and no refugees in Egypt.”
The Gaza Strip is under total siege by Israel, in response to the Hamas bombing on 7 October. Jordan expressed concern that the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt could set a precedent for a subsequent influx of refugees from the West Bank to that Middle Eastern state.
Egypt has temporarily suspended the only land corridor with the Gaza Strip, the Rafah crossing, depriving Palestinian civilians of their only opportunity to evacuate from constant shelling.
Israel has also informed Egypt that any attempts to provide humanitarian aid to Palestine will be bombed by the Israeli defence forces, even if they are humanitarian convoys carrying supplies. Gaza is preparing for more retaliatory Israeli airstrikes for Hamas atrocities that have killed more than 1,300 Israeli civilians, including women and children.
Last week, Israel ordered the evacuation of all residents of northern Gaza, leading to the mass displacement of some 600,000 people. The Israeli military is reportedly preparing for a ground invasion of the territory.
