The King of Jordan, Abdullah II made a strong case for a full ceasefire to end the Gaza war after talks with Joe Biden early Tuesday morning, striking a discordant note with the US president who is seeking a shorter six-week pause to give Israel time to defeat Hamas.
Speaking at the White House, the two leaders did, however, issue dire warnings against any random Israeli ground invasion into Rafah, the southern metropolis of Gaza that is home to more than a million stranded Palestinians.
“We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe,” said the Jordanian monarch, taking the lectern after Biden had spoken first.
“We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now — this war must end,” added Abdullah, who has repeatedly pushed for a full truce to end the conflict that started when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
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Africa Today News, New York reports that the United States has angered some Middle East allies by consistently refusing to call for a full ceasefire, with Washington saying that it backs Israel’s drive to defeat Hamas, and calling for shorter pauses with hostage deals instead.
But Biden, who is seeking reelection in November, has started to take a harder line with Israel on civilian casualties, saying last week that Israel’s offensive was “over the top.”
“The United States is working on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, which would bring in mediate and sustained period of calm to Gaza for at least six weeks,” Biden said, adding that key elements were in place but “gaps” remained.
The warring parties could then “take the time to build something more enduring.”
Biden also said civilians sheltering in Rafah, on the Egyptian border, “need to be protected” as Israel considers a ground incursion.
It was Biden and Abdullah’s first face-to-face meeting since the October 7 attack, with the US president hailing his fellow head of state as a key player in a turbulent middle East.