King Abdullah II of Jordan met with President Joseph Biden at the White House today, in what may have been an attempt to engage Biden in a serious demand to end the Israeli massacre of Palestinians, beginning with the initial step of a ceasefire.
At a press briefing after the meeting, at which no questions were taken, Biden and Abdullah spoke in polite diplomatic language, but the difference between them regarding intent was very apparent.
Biden stated, “The King and I discussed … the war between and the terrorist organization Hamas. Four months ago, Hamas attacked Israel … the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.” After talking about the hostages, Biden stated, “The United States shares the goal of seeing Hamas defeated. After Oct. 7, Hamas retreated back into Gaza where its leaders live in underground tunnels stretching for hundreds of miles under civilian infrastructure, including schools, playgrounds, and neighborhoods.”
Biden remarked that in “The past four months, as the war has raged, the Palestinian people have also suffered unimaginable pain and loss. … And hundreds of thousands have no access to food, water and basic services,” and acknowledged at least 27,000 Palestinian deaths. He spoke of conferring with world leaders about a hostage deal. As for Rafah, the President said he spoke with the King that, “the major military operation should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than 1 million people sheltering there,” without explaining what a “credible plan” would consist of, and why the Israeli invasion of Rafah should go forward at all.
King Abdullah got to the point, “Unfortunately, one of the most devastating wars continues to unfold as we speak. Nearly 100,000 people have been killed, injured or are missing. The majority are women and children. We could not afford an Israeli attack on Rafah, the situation is already unbearable. We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now. The war must end.”
