Safadi condemns Israeli aggression on Gaza, criticises Security Council inaction

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Monday that the Israeli aggression on Gaza has surpassed all humanitarian, legal and ethical boundaries, rendering any argument on the Security Council not taking a binding decision to stop it invalid.

Safadi, in a phone call received from French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, whose country presides over the Security Council for this month, emphasised that the danger of war escalation increases with each day that Israel continues killing and causing destruction in Gaza.

He stressed that the international community's failure to fulfill its legal and ethical responsibilities and take a firm stance to impose an end to the aggression reflects double standards and a dangerous selectivity in the application of international law, causing significant harm to the reputation and interests of many Western countries.

Safadi and Colonna underlined the need to immediately provide sufficient humanitarian, food and medical aid to the entire Gaza Strip, continuing cooperation in aid delivery efforts, including through airdrops.

Both ministers reaffirmed their countries' rejection of the displacement of Palestinians within and outside their homeland, emphasising the right of displaced individuals in Gaza to return to their areas in northern Gaza immediately, according to a ministry’s statement. 

Safadi highlighted that the brutal aggression on Gaza will not achieve security for Israel, as both ministers agreed that the two-state solution is the only way to achieve peace and security for everyone in the region.

Safadi warned that Israel's illegal actions and aggression against Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem push towards an escalation of the situation, emphasising the international community's need to take a strong and effective stance to stop it.

He noted that it is unacceptable for the international community to allow the Israeli prime minister and the extremist ministers in his government to drag the region into a regional war to directly involve the West, prolonging the political life of his government and subjecting the region to more conflict and destruction.

The two ministers confirmed ongoing consultations on ways to end the crisis in Gaza, building on the outcomes of the summit between His Majesty King Abdullah and French President Emmanuel Macron in Aqaba on December 21, 2023.

The ministry’s statement indicated that Jordan and France strengthened their partnership in providing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through the Royal Medical Services and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, with France offering in-kind and medical assistance to support the work of Jordanian field hospitals in the sector.