“This Israeli Government killed more children than any other war in recent memory”King Abdullah II of Jordan

ABDULLAH II IBN AL HUSSEIN, King of Jordan, noting that “it often feels that there was not a moment when our world was not in turmoil”, said that he cannot recall a time of greater peril than now.  He said that, for nearly a year, the sky-blue flag flying over UN shelters and schools in Gaza has been powerless to protect innocent civilians from Israeli military bombardment.  “The UN is under attack — literally and figuratively,” he stressed, observing that UN aid trucks “sit motionless just miles away from starving Palestinians”. In addition, the rulings of the International Court of Justice are defied and its opinions disregarded.  Noting that “some nations are above international law”, global justice “does bend to the will of power” and human rights are selective, he added:  “Undermining our international institutions and global frameworks is one of the gravest threats to our global security today.”

Turning to the attacks on Israel on 7 October, he observed that, while they have been globally condemned, the unprecedented scale of terror unleashed on Gaza since that day is beyond any justification.  “This Israeli Government has killed more children, more journalists, more aid workers and more medical personnel than any other war in recent memory,” he stressed.  Furthermore, pointing to Israel’s violence in the West Bank that left 700 Palestinians dead and over 4,000 forcefully displaced, he observed:  “How can this war not be perceived as deliberately targeting the Palestinians?”  Recalling that he grew up a soldier in a region familiar with conflict, he said that in the absence of global accountability repeated horror is normalized. Calling for a protection mechanism for the Palestinians across the occupied territories, he emphasized that no country in the region benefits from escalation.

He recalled that, for years, the Arab world has extended its hand to Israel through the Arab Peace Initiative, noting that consecutive Israeli Governments, “emboldened by years of impunity”, rejected peace and chose confrontation.  For decades, Israel has projected itself as a thriving Western-styled democracy in the Middle East, but the brutality of the war on Gaza “has forced the world to look closer”.  “Now, many see Israel through the eyes of its victims,” he added.  Noting that the modern, advanced Israel “admired from afar” and the Israel that “Palestinians have experienced first-hand” cannot coexist, he said:  “Israel will eventually be entirely one or the other.” Also observing that, for years, the world has accepted the status quo of the ongoing military occupation of Palestine, he said that the current status quo is untenable.

“The world is watching, and history will judge us by the courage we show,” he stressed, adding that the people will judge whether the United Nations will surrender to inaction or will fight to uphold its principles.  He added:  “This war must end.  Hostages and detainees must return home.”  Urging States to join Jordan in enforcing a relief effort “Gaza Humanitarian Gateway”, he underscored that humanitarian aid should never be a tool of war.  Acknowledging that, a year into the war, the world has failed politically, he cited the words of his father — King Hussein — from 64 years ago, at the fifteenth session of the General Assembly:  “I pray that this community of nations may have the courage to decide wisely and fearlessly and act with the urgent resolve that this crisis and our conscience demand.”  He further added:  “My father was a man who fought for peace to the very end.  And, like him, I refuse to leave my children, or your children, a future we have given up on.”