2023-10-25 09:41:48
King of Jordan Abdullah II during the International Peace Summit, in Cairo, October 21, 2023. KHALED DESOUKI / AFP
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Jordan has increased calls for a ceasefire and respect for international humanitarian law. The message from King Abdullah II, in the express tour of several European capitals that he undertook after the start of Israeli bombings on the Palestinian enclave in response to the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, or during the recent summit of Cairo, remains the same: the total siege imposed on Gaza and its shelling are “a war crime”. And the forced displacement of Palestinians is a rejected scenario.
“Jordan’s foreign policy is based on respect for international laws for a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the current conflict, these terms of reference have been shattered. This feeds the concern of the kingdom »said a former senior Jordanian official, on condition of anonymity.
Considered a leading ally by the United States and the European Union, bound by a “cold peace » In Israel, Jordan is a diplomatic hub: the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, sought, in vain, an official condemnation of Hamas during his Middle Eastern tour. French President Emmanuel Macron landed there on Tuesday evening, October 24, weighed down by his proposed coalition against Hamas which promises to exaggerate popular Arab resentment against France. The Palestinian Islamist movement is widely perceived in the Middle East as the actor who shattered a status quo considered deadly for the Palestinians.
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But in the war in Gaza, the Hashemite kingdom does not have the means to exert influence. “Its room for maneuver is limitedunderlines researcher at the French Institute of the Middle East Jalal Al-Husseini, based in Amman. Jordan does not have the status of Qatar », which hosts Hamas executives and participates in negotiations for the release of Israeli and binational hostages held by the movement since October 7. It also does not have the levers of Egypt, whose military intelligence had taken up residence in the Palestinian enclave for several years.
« The Palestinian Authority has no weight »
Its traditional partner, the Palestinian Authority (PA), is moribund. “Jordan notes that the Palestinian Authority has no influence in what is happening in Gaza, and that it has failed miserably at the popular level. The king had repeatedly warned against this danger, calling Mahmoud Abbas [président de l’AP] to renew his surroundingsreports Mohamed Halaiqah, former minister. However, Jordan does not want a collapse of the PA in the West Bank, which would leave a vacuum favorable to Hamas. »
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