Jordan and Egypt will not accept any Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, Jordan’s King Abdullah II told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, declaring it a “red line.”
“There will be no refugees in Jordan and no refugees in Egypt,” Abdullah said following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin, according to CNN.
“That is a red line, because I think that is a plan by certain of the usual suspects to try and create de facto issues on the ground,” added Jordan’s head of state.
The Israel Defense Forces has been calling on civilians in Gaza City and points north to evacuate “and move to the area south of Wadi Gaza” as it prepares to move into the coastal enclave with the goal of removing the Hamas terrorist organization from power.
Hamas terrorists killed at least 1,400 Israelis and wounded more than 4,100 in a massive offensive launched from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, which included the firing of thousands of rockets at Israel and the infiltration of the Jewish state by terrorist forces.
Ahead of an expected ground incursion by Israeli forces, the IDF warned Gaza residents not to approach the border with Israel, and not to return to Gaza City unless told to do so by the Israeli military.
However, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said last week that Hamas is preventing Gaza civilians from leaving so as “to use them as human shields.”
Earlier this week, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed that Hamas is “taking steps to try and stop” Gazans, as well as American citizens, from leaving the coastal enclave.
Meanwhile, Egyptian security sources have dismissed proposals to allow Gazans fleeing the conflict to enter that country, with one saying they would not allow safe corridors so as to protect “the right of Palestinians to hold on to their cause and their land.”
His Majesty King Abdullah II, in statements to the press with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: No, refugees in #Jordan, no refugees in Egypt. That is a red line#Germany #Palestine pic.twitter.com/uIhD4qxO5a
— RHC (@RHCJO) October 17, 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the Jewish state this week in a show of support. “On Wednesday, I’ll travel to Israel to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack,” Biden tweeted on Tuesday morning.
“I’ll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs, meet with leaders, and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” added the president.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Biden will stay in Israel for about five hours. In Amman, he will attend a four-way summit focused on “dangerous developments in Gaza, its regional impact, and ensuring provision of aid into the Strip,” Abdullah said.
In addition to Biden and Abdullah, Wednesday’s summit in Jordan will be attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, according to the Jordanian government.
