An Israeli military statement was quoted by AFP as saying that the driver „exited the truck and opened fire at Israeli security forces operating at the bridge.“
The driver was shot dead by forces, the military added.
Jordanian Ministry of Interior said that the incident is under investigation.
The King Hussein Bridge crossing is the only international gateway for Palestinians from the West Bank that does not require entering Israel, which has occupied the territory since 1967.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, a gunman came in a truck from the Jordanian side. He disembarked and began firing at Israeli security forces, killing three civilians. He was neutralized by security forces stationed at the crossing.
Two of the victims were named, Yuri Birnbaum (65) and Yohanan Shchori (61).
His Majesty reaffirmed that Jordan will not allow for a regional war to unfold on its land, nor accept any actions that threaten its stability, the statement said.
The King also noted the importance of creating a political horizon to achieve just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution.
A State Department spokesperson told MEE that Washington recognises „Israel’s very real security needs, which includes countering terrorist activity in the West Bank“.
„At the same time, we continue to insist that Israeli authorities take measures to protect all civilians from harm,“ the spokesperson said.
(24.08.2024)
Brown landed in Jordan on Friday, where he told reporters he would visit Egypt as well as Israel to meet with senior military officials in each country.
The militaries of the United States, Britain, France and others stepped in to help Israel defend against the fusillade of more than 300 Iranian drones and missiles, nearly all of which were intercepted. A similar number of aerial weapons are fired at Ukraine on a weekly basis, its officials say, with many of the drones in those attacks designed by Iran and now produced by Russia.
Israel parierte den iranischen Grossangriff aus der Luft – und zwar mithilfe der USA, Grossbritanniens, Frankreichs, Jordaniens und möglicherweise Saudi-Arabiens. Genau solche Hilfe fordert nun der ukrainische Präsident Wolodimir Selenski für sein Land gegen die russischen Luftangriffe. Das ist legitim. Doch passieren wird es nicht.
(14.04.2024)
The United States, Britain, Jordan and France all helped to intercept the massive barrage of drones Iran fired at Israel overnight Saturday, according to officials.
Biden forderte, dass Israel zu einem Waffenstillstand aufrufe, um den vollständigen Zugang zu Nahrungsmitteln und Medikamenten im Gazastreifen zu ermöglichen.
Derweil treibt Israel sein Vorhaben für eine Bodenoffensive in der Stadt Rafah im Süden Gazas offenbar voran.
“What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks total access to all food and medicine going into the country. I’ve spoken with everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians. They’re prepared to move in. They’re prepared to move this food in. And I think there’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now,” Biden said in the interview.
The comments came in the lead up to ..
Yesterday marked the fourth consecutive day that thousands of protesters have come out on to the streets of the Jordanian capital to surround the Israeli embassy, demanding its closure. Young demonstrators tried to breach the security cordon established around the complex by Jordanian security forces, resulting in the arrest of approximately 200 protesters.
“Here from this crossing, we see the heartbreak and heartlessness of it all,” he said, pointing to a long line of blocked relief trucks on one side of the gates and the “long shadow of starvation on the other”.
“That is more than tragic; moral outrage,” he said, adding that “any further onslaught will make everything worse” for Palestinian civilians, hostages and all people of the region.
All this demonstrates that it’s more than time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for “an ironclad commitment by Israel for total, unfettered access for humanitarian goods throughout Gaza”, he said, emphasizing that in the Ramadan spirit of compassion, it’s time for the immediate release of all hostages.
He also urged all UN Member States to support the “lifesaving work led by the backbone of all Gaza relief operations, UNRWA”, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees.
Pledging to continue working with Egypt to streamline the flow of aid, he had a message for Palestinians in Gaza: “you are not alone.”
Appearing on CNN for another interview with Christiane Amanpour, the monarch said that „Israel experienced October 7, and the Palestinians have experienced in 156 times.“
Speaking from the King Abdullah II Air Base, where the Royal Jordanian Air Force has been preparing airdrops of humanitarian aid in Gaza, the Queen said this year the Muslim world is welcoming the holy month of Ramadan with „heavy hearts.“
(05.03.2024)
Three Hadash-Ta’al lawmakers met Monday, March 4, with Jordan’s King Abdullah amid concerns that the Muslim holy month of Ramadan could amplify tensions in occupied East Jerusalem stemming from the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip. MK Ayman Odeh, the head of the parliamentary Hadash-Ta’al alliance, MKs Ahmad Tibi and Youssef Atawneh traveled to Amman and asked the Jordanian monarch to pressure Israel to ensure freedom of worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan and for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
(14.02.2024)
“The key is the hostage deal,” said one U.S. official among several American and Arab diplomats who discussed the subject on the condition of anonymity to avoid derailing the plan before it is completed.
We must make sure the horrors of the past few months since October 7th are never repeated nor accepted by any human being.
We must together, along with Arab partners and the international community, step up efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and immediately start working to create a political horizon that leads to a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution — an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital but living side by side with Israel in peace and security. This is the only solution that will guarantee peace and security for the Palestinians and the Israelis, as well as the entire region.
“As I have previously stressed, we must make sure the horrors of the past few months since October 7, are never repeated, nor accepted by any human being.”
“We must together, along with Arab partners and the international community, step up efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and immediately start working to create a political horizon that leads to a just and comprehensive peace” on the pre-1967 lines, he says.
(03.01.2024)
Responding to an inquiry from the Jordanian News Agency (Petra), an official of the Armed Forces dismissed the allegations as unfounded, emphasizing the Jordanian army‘s respect for Iraq‘s sovereignty and highlighting the enduring fraternal ties between the Kingdom and other Arab states.
The Armed Forces‘ General Command also advised the public to ignore rumors circulating on social media and to seek information from official channels, reinforcing its commitment to transparency and accurate dissemination of information.
(03.01.2024)
The Royal Jordanian Air Force did not take part in air strikes carried out by US forces in Iraq last night, an official of the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces said.
(03.01.2024)
The source, as reported by the official Jordanian news agency Petra, stated that „there is no truth to the reports circulated this morning regarding the participation of Jordanian aircraft in the operations carried out by US aircraft in Iraq.“
„the Jordanian Armed Forces – Arab Army respects the sovereignty of brotherly Iraq,“ the source affirmed „the depth of fraternal relations that unite Jordan with all Arab countries.“
(29.01.2024)
(28.01.2024)
The official spokesperson for the Jordanian government Muhannad Mubaideen told Ammon News Agency that al-Tanf base that was attacked on Sunday is not in Jordan.
„Terrorist militias carried out the attack that targeted the al-Tanf… and the base is outside our borders,“ Mubaideen told Jordan TV.
An attack that killed three American servicemen was not on Jordanian soil but in Syria, a spokesperson for Jordan‘s government said.
Muhannad al Mubaidin told Jordanian public broadcaster al Mamlaka television that the attack had targeted the US al-Tanf base in Syria.
Three US troops were killed and others wounded after an unmanned aerial drone attack on US forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, President Joe Biden said on Sunday.
„While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,“ Biden said in a statement.
All Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have issued many statements condemning Israel‘s assault on Gaza, but they did not take any further action. Saudi Arabia and the Arab League waited for more than a month of onslaught in Gaza to hold a summit in Riyadh to discuss the issue.
The summit decided to break the siege and blockade, but Arab countries never turned this resolution into action. Instead, Egypt obeyed Israeli commands and refused to give access to move injured civilians for treatment outside of Gaza unless Israel approved their names.
But something else is happening that is just as important: Palestine is being officially defended by the Global South. South Africa has taken the lead by launching the case for genocide at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.
Palestine, at the same time, is reemerging as a global cause, just as was the case in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. The composition of South Africa’s team of lawyers says it all: multi-ethnic, male, female, Irish, British, South African. There was no Palestinian officially with them in the group. And yet, a day after the hearing ended, there were massive demonstrations in 45 countries – but not in Egypt, Saudi Arabia or even Algeria.
Secretary Antony J. Blinken will travel to Istanbul, Türkiye; Crete, Greece; Amman, Jordan; Doha, Qatar; Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates; Al ‘Ula, Saudi Arabia; Tel Aviv, Israel; the West Bank; and Cairo, Egypt from January 4-11, 2024.
Ayman Safadi on Thursday said that Amman will be preparing the necessary legal documents in consultation with legal experts to support South Africa’s file, and will also coordinate with Arab and Islamic countries on the matter.
Newly released diplomatic cables reveal Israel desperate to get countries to publicly reject the case
The supplies dropped by France and Jordan were equipped with systems that remotely guided them to a Jordanian field hospital operating in the territory, the French presidency says.
Thursday’s mission “allows us to show that such operations are possible,” the Elysee adds, without saying whether it would be repeated.
Tues, Dermer & Sullivan spoke on ‘day after’ plans including governance & security w/ a political horizon for palestinians & continuing Israel’s normalization
Why?
“Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering, and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating,” Harris said at a press conference in Dubai. “It is truly heartbreaking.”
Brett McGurk, Senior Middle East Advisor to President Biden, is reportedly set to travel to the Israeli entity and countries in the Middle East to discuss the war on Gaza and efforts to secure the release of captives held by the Resistance, Axios reported.
This trip is part of the Biden administration‘s unwavering support for the Israeli occupation. McGurk will coordinate with NATO and European allies in Brussels before visiting „Israel“, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said last week that a transfer of Palestinians from Gaza would likely be followed by a similar “expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank to Jordan.” Jordan’s foreign minister later said such a move would be considered a declaration of “war.”
Commentators on Arab media outlets have warned that Israel may be planning to de-populate the Gaza Strip of Palestinians and even re-occupy it.
Black September (Arabic: أيلول الأسود Aylūl al-ʾAswad), also known as the Jordanian Civil War,[9] was an armed conflict between Jordan, led by King Hussein, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by chairman Yasser Arafat. The main phase of the fighting took place between 16 and 27 September 1970, though certain aspects of the conflict continued until 17 July 1971.
After the 1967 Six-Day War, Palestinian fedayeen guerrillas relocated to Jordan and stepped up their attacks on Israel and the occupied territories. They were headquartered at the Jordanian border town of Karameh, which Israel targeted during a battle in 1968, leading to a surge of Arab support for the fedayeen. The PLO‘s strength grew, and by early 1970, groups within the PLO began calling for the overthrow of Jordan‘s Hashemite monarchy, leading to violent clashes in June 1970.
Such efforts by Israel „is a red line for Jordan, as we will confront it with all our capabilities because it is a violation of international law,“ Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said during an emergency parliamentary session on Gaza.
He added that displacing people from one occupied territory to another would be a war crime, in reference to Palestinians in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and thus „a declaration of war“ by Amman, which established ties with Israel in 1994.
Any attempt to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip or the West Bank is a red line for Jordan. This was announced by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Bisher Khasawneh, Al Mamlaka TV reported.
„The Jordanian government will consider the expulsion of Palestinians from their territories as a declaration of war against them. All options for responding to the escalation of Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip are on the table,“ he emphasized.
Nach dem Sechstagekrieg 1967 verschlechterte sich das Verhältnis zwischen den Mitgliederorganisationen der Palästinensischen Befreiungsorganisation und dem jordanischen Königshaus deutlich. Die jordanische Niederlage im Krieg und der Verlust des Westjordanlandes führten zu einem Gesichtsverlust des Staates unter vielen Palästinensern. Die jordanische Regierung sah die mit ihr nicht abgesprochenen Angriffe auf israelisches Territorium als Verletzung ihrer Souveränität. So führte die Schlacht von Karame zu einem Zerwürfnis zwischen beiden Seiten. Die palästinensische Seite hatte rund 100.000 bewaffnete Kämpfer in Jordanien, und ihre Führungsschicht sah in der mehrheitlich palästinensischstämmigen Bevölkerung des Königreichs eine potentielle Machtbasis, den Staat zu kontrollieren. So verdrängten palästinensische Milizen jordanische Sicherheitskräfte aus den Flüchtlingslagern und mehreren Städten.
Jordanien hat eine „rote Linie“ im Gaza-Krieg gezogen. Versuche, Palästinenser aus dem Gazastreifen oder dem Westjordanland zu vertreiben, bzw. Bedingungen, das vorzubereiten, werde das Königreich als „Kriegserklärung“ betrachten, sagte der jordanische Ministerpräsident Bischer al-Chasawneh laut der staatlichen Nachrichtenagentur Petra gestern.
„These statements constitute a violation of international law, as well as incitement to commit grave violations of International Humanitarian Law, such as war crimes, and raise grave concerns of an intent to commit genocide,“ the UAE said. Jordan released a similar statement describing Eliyahu‘s comments as a „call for genocide and a hate crime that cannot be ignored,“ while the Qatari Foreign Ministry said that it „strongly condemns the threat made by an Israeli minister to strike Gaza with a nuclear bomb and considers it a serious incitement to a war crime.“
(October 31, 2023)
Chile, Colombia and Jordan announced Wednesday that they are recalling their respective ambassadors to Israel for consultations over Israel‘s bombardment of the Gaza Strip. These decisions come one day after the Bolivian government announced it was severing diplomatic ties with Israel, making it the first country to take such a step since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,400 Israelis.
Egyptian president Field Marshall Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced that “[w]hat is happening now in Gaza is an attempt to force civilian residents to take refuge and migrate to Egypt, which should not be accepted.” King Abdullah II of Jordan (which borders the West Bank, but not Gaza) was even more succinct: “No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt,” he declared.
The planned meeting between US President Joe Biden, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Sissi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was prematurely extinguished in the wake of a tragic incident that has ignited ire throughout the region.
Mustafa Barghouti, the leader of the Palestinian National Initiative Party (PNI), has said that the attack on al-Ahli Arab hospital should make Arab countries rethink normalisations with Israel, which have been brokered by the US.
“I think it is absolutely shameful for any Arab government now to have an Israeli ambassador in their country,” said Barghouti, who co-founded the PNI as an alternative to the dominant Fatah and Hamas Palestinian political parties. “All the acts of normalization between Arab governments and Israel must be eliminated and canceled. This is the least they can do.”
“But also they should tell the United States that enough is enough,” he added.