Latest news with #Jordanian
Roya News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Roya News
King to media figures: Jordan will always be Gaza's biggest supporter
His Majesty King Abdullah II on Wednesday affirmed that Jordan has been, and will remain, the greatest support for Gaza's people, who are suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe unlike anything witnessed in recent history. During a meeting with media figures at Al Husseiniya Palace, His Majesty said Jordan will continue to provide everything it can out of its sense of moral, humanitarian, and Arab duty, highlighting the Kingdom's diplomatic efforts, including recent meetings with the leaders of Germany and Canada, and ongoing coordination with Arab leaders and international partners to press for an end to the war on Gaza and step up the humanitarian response. 'The suffering of our brethren in Gaza strikes at the very sense of our humanity, not just because it is happening at our doorstep, but also because this country was built on compassion, on standing with those who suffer,' the King said. His Majesty also added, 'No matter how much we do, it can never measure up to the scale of the horror Palestinians in Gaza endure every single day—not when entire families are being erased and children are being starved.' 'But that doesn't mean that we are not doing everything in our power. We are. And we will continue to do so, relentlessly and without hesitation. Not because we have to, and certainly not because we are looking to take credit, but because we are not a nation that looks away or turns its back on neighbours in need,' the King continued. His Majesty said he is aware that there isn't a single Jordanian who is not angry and horrified by what is happening in Gaza, 'and I have no doubt that every Jordanian wants to help stop the suffering in any and every way he or she can.' Everyone is distraught, the King added, but people express their grief differently. 'We must respect all perspectives and individual choices, without judgements, accusations, personal attacks, or public shaming. We must always choose respect, unity and empathy,' His Majesty said. The King also called for a balance between grief and solidarity with Gaza, and continuing to live life as normal, as this is an indispensable national duty. 'Stopping normal life and damaging the national economy does not serve the interests of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. They would be the first to say they want a strong ally in Jordan,' His Majesty stressed. His Majesty noted the importance of citizens continuing to be productive in order to stimulate the economy and work for a better future, adding that moving forward with their lives does not mean forgetting the pain of what is happening in Gaza. The King said Gaza needs a strong Jordan, reaffirming that the Kingdom will not deviate from its firm Arab values, and will continue to modernise and develop, and support its Arab brethren.
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Belgium says will take part in Gaza aid-drop plan - War on Gaza
Belgium will participate in a multi-country operation coordinated by Jordan to airdrop aid to Gaza, the government announced on Wednesday, as UN agencies warn that the Palestinian territory is slipping into famine. A Belgian plane carrying medical supplies and food worth some 600,000 euros ($690,000) will fly "soon" to Jordan, and will remain on stand-by to conduct air drops in coordination with Amman, the defence and foreign ministries said in a statement. Belgium joins a string of Western nations, including France, Spain and Britain, looking to send aid into Gaza by air as fears mount of mass starvation in the territory. "These airdrops are a first step, but they can in no way be a cover for the urgent need to facilitate access by land," Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevot said. "I will continue to plead with the Israeli authorities to allow these deliveries to enter Gaza by road as quickly as possible." The World Food Programme, UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organisation warned Tuesday that time was running out and that Gaza was "on the brink of a full-scale famine". Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, amid rising fears of a wave of starvation. Then on Sunday, faced with mounting international criticism, Israel began a series of "tactical pauses" while allowing aid trucks to pass through two border crossings into Gaza, and Jordanian and Emirati planes to conduct airdrops. Deliveries have been ramped up, but the experts advising the UN said this effort would not prove enough unless aid agencies were granted "immediate, unimpeded" humanitarian access. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
'If Egypt is free, Gaza will be free,' says activist who locked Cairo embassy
An Egyptian activist who chained shut the gates of Egypt's embassy in The Hague has told Middle East Eye that he did so in protest against Cairo's 'complicity' in Israel's genocide in Gaza. Last week, Anas Habib filmed himself attaching a bicycle lock around the gates of the embassy in the Netherlands, as a symbolic gesture in solidarity with Palestinians besieged by Israel and Egypt in Gaza. He went on to do the same act at the Jordanian embassy in response to the kingdom's response to Israel's war. The action went viral on Arabic social media, prompting similar demonstrations in other countries, including Turkey and the UK, where activists also chained shut the gates of Egyptian embassies. 'I know for 100 percent sure that the Egyptian regime is complicit in the genocide,' Habib told MEE's live show on Tuesday. 'This is just not an accusation; it's a fact.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters He said that in the first two months of Israel's war, in late 2023, before Israeli forces had occupied the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Cairo had the ability to allow aid and food into the enclave but refused to do so. 'After it got occupied by the [Israeli military], now they are saying: 'No, it's closed',' said Habib. He added that the late former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's role in ending a previous Israeli war on Gaza in 2012 showed what the country was capable of achieving. 'It's something that we can do. Egypt is capable of stopping this genocide, stopping this war very easily, but he does not want that to happen,' Habib added, referring to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. At the age of 15, Habib was detained by Egyptian authorities for two years as a political prisoner. He said that if he were to return there now, he would be arrested or killed. Around 60,000 political prisoners are currently being held in Egyptian jails. As further evidence of Egyptian complicity, Habib questioned why Egyptians were being arrested for showing solidarity with Palestinians. 'Why do you arrest the people trying to send money to Gaza?' he asked. 'Why, if anyone tries to hold [the] Palestinian flag in Egypt, will [they] be vanished?' 'If you really love Palestine so much, why are you doing this to your people?' 'Hurts me so much as an Egyptian' The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), the largest humanitarian provider in Gaza, has had 6,000 trucks loaded with food and medical supplies waiting in Egypt and Jordan for four and a half months. Israel has yet to allow them entry. Hundreds of international activists attempting to march to the Gaza Strip through Egypt have been violently attacked, detained and deported since the beginning of the conflict. They were among 4,000 activists from 80 countries who sought to break Israel's total siege. Habib said he holds Jordan and Egypt accountable for Israeli crimes in Gaza. 'If it was not for Sisi, if it was not for the king of Jordan… this genocide wouldn't last for two years,' he said. 'I'm Egyptian. It hurts me so much to see that my country is doing this to Palestine.' He said that freedom within Egypt from autocratic rule would ensure that 'Gaza will never face this type of genocide'. 'If it was not for Sisi, if it was not for the king of Jordan… this genocide wouldn't last for two years' - Anas Habib, activist 'If Egyptian people are free, Gaza also will be free,' Habib said. 'That's why [Israel and the US] want someone like Sisi in power.' Nearly 150 Palestinian children and adults in Gaza have died from starvation since Israel's onslaught on Gaza began in October 2023. The blockade on the Palestinian enclave has fluctuated in intensity. However, since 2 March, Israel has prevented all food and aid from reaching starving Palestinians. Last week, more than 100 international human rights and humanitarian organisations called for an end to the siege, citing widespread starvation affecting their staff. Unrwa communications director Juliette Touma also told MEE last week that several of the organisation's staff fainted on duty due to malnutrition. More than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel's war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now classify as genocide.
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- Business
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Lebanese Karim Atiyeh added to US billionaires of Arab descent list
At just 35 years old, Lebanese Karim Atiyeh, co-founder of Ramp, has become the sixth Arab billionaire to amass his wealth in the United States, now estimated at $1.3 billion according to the latest Forbes Magazine ranking. He is also the youngest billionaire on this joins Jordanian Ramzi Musallam (estimated fortune: $9.2 billion), Egyptian Haim Saban ($3.1 billion), Moroccan Marc Lasry ($1.9 billion), Lebanese Noubar Afeyan ($1.2 billion) and Iraqi David Hindawi ($1 billion).On this same occasion, Atiyeh also joined the list of 125 immigrant billionaires who made their fortunes in the United States, compiled by Forbes, ranking 107th. Read more Peter Rahal's protein bar business now valued at $725 million Unsurprisingly, Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, tops this ranking with an estimated fortune of...
Jordan News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Jordan News
35 Aid Trucks Cross from Jordan into Northern Gaza for Direct Distribution - Jordan News
A total of 35 aid trucks loaded with food supplies entered the besieged Gaza Strip as part of Jordan's ongoing humanitarian efforts, according to Hussein Al-Shibli, Secretary-General of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization. اضافة اعلان Al-Shibli told Al-Mamlaka TV on Wednesday that 35 out of 65 trucks successfully crossed into Gaza and had their contents distributed directly in the northern part of the strip. He noted that coordination efforts are ongoing to secure the entry of the remaining trucks, which were delayed by the Israeli occupation. He added that 255 aid trucks have entered Gaza in recent days, forming part of a continuous series of convoys organized in coordination with both local and international partners. Al-Shibli emphasized that Jordan's relief efforts for Gaza have not ceased since the outbreak of the war, stating that the total number of Jordanian convoys that have reached the strip has now reached 182, carrying over 8,022 trucks loaded with food and medical aid. He explained that the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, in cooperation with the Jordan Armed Forces, has delivered assistance via air drops, land convoys, and field hospitals deployed to support the medical sector in Gaza. Al-Shibli affirmed that the Jordanian humanitarian corridor is the internationally recognized route for delivering aid to Gaza, in accordance with a UN recommendation, highlighting that Jordan was the first to break the siege and deliver humanitarian aid to the strip. He stressed that this role reflects Jordan's steadfast commitment—both leadership and people—to stand by the people of Gaza and alleviate their suffering amidst the catastrophic conditions in the territory.
