As the world looks the other way...

It is chivalrous of Jordan to provide the thousands of Syrians who fled the fighting in and around the southern Syrian province of Deraa with humanitarian aid, but there is risk that the international community, including the powers which are directly responsible for the mess, would count on Jordan to shoulder this responsibility alone on their behalf.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi recently visited UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the UN Headquarters in New York to discuss the plight of the Syrian refugees who were forced to leave their homes in the past week to escape the Russian and Syrian offensive. Jordan could not just look the other way when thousands of Syrian civilians advanced towards the Jordanian border seeking shelter and humanitarian aid.

While Jordan is carrying out, once again, this huge humanitarian responsibility all on its own on behalf of the international community, the rest of the world, including Russia and the US, who reneged on their solemn commitment to keep the south of Syria a de-escalation zone, are looking the other way.

From the looks of things, and contrary to earlier expectations, the fighting between the opposition forces and the Syrian army and its supporters is projected to continue unabated. There were indeed precipitous speculations that a ceasefire would soon be declared between all the fighting armies only to fizzle out when the main opposition refused the humiliating surrender terms offered to them by Russia. News reports claim that Russia wanted the opposition to lay down their arms and surrender!

Meanwhile, the number of Syrian civilians fleeing the war zone could swell to hundreds of thousands, with only Jordan extending to them humanitarian assistance. This is indeed disgraceful, and the countries responsible for the outbreak of hostilities in the south of Syria should be ashamed of themselves for opening this new wound in Syria.