Jordan condemns Israeli 'ethnic cleansing, genocide' in Gaza, calls for international action

AMMAN — Jordan on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Gaza. 

Addressing the council, Jordan's permanent representative to the United Nations Mahmoud Hmoud condemned Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza, saying: “Even as the council convenes, Israeli occupation forces continue their barbaric war,” which undermines the very principles upon which the UN was founded.

Hmoud reviewed the devastating toll of the year-long war, which he said has claimed more than 43,000 Palestinian lives, predominantly women and children, and left tens of thousands wounded, displaced, orphaned, or trapped under the rubble throughout the Strip. 

He denounced these operations as "ethnic cleansing and genocide," stressing that Israel is targeting residential areas, enforcing blockades on food and medicine, and imposing mass displacement through collective punishment.

Hmoud called on the Security Council to take immediate and decisive action to enforce a ceasefire in accordance with Chapter 7 of the UN Charter to protect the Palestinian people,  warning that the absence of accountability encourages further violations of international law and exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

He voiced concern regarding the recent decision by the Israeli Knesset to restrict UNRWA's operations in the occupied Palestinian territories, characterising it as a direct challenge to the international consensus on the rights of Palestinian refugees, including their right to return and compensation.

Hmoud also warned that dissolving UNRWA without a unified international response would destabilise refugee communities and undermine the credibility of multilateral diplomacy, reiterating the Kingdom's commitment to UNRWA's mission and the importance of preserving its mandate.

Addressing the situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem, Hmoud highlighted the deteriorating conditions, citing recent unilateral Israeli actions involving land confiscations, settlement expansion, and settler violence against Palestinians. 

The diplomat called on the international community to counter these actions, which threaten the prospects for the two-state solution and regional stability.

Hmoud voiced concern over the incursions by extremist Israeli settlers into the Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, reiterating Jordan's commitment to preserving the historical and legal status quo of the site under the Hashemite Custodianship. 

He warned that Israel's attempts to dissolve the Palestinian cause would ultimately enhance the Palestinian resolve for dignity, sovereignty, and the right to live in an independent homeland, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Hmoud also reaffirmed Jordan's support for Lebanon's sovereignty and the need to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, emphasising the importance of de-escalating regional tensions.