Blinken to meet Arab leaders at Jordan summit on Gaza
This aid conference has been titled “A Call for Action”, with the organisers saying the purpose is to standardise procedures, identify needs and seek commitment for a collective response to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Seventy-five states along with international organisations taking part are trying to coordinate their response to the needs of Gaza.
The main obstacle to improving the humanitarian situation is the absence of a ceasefire, which is on everyone’s minds.
When Blinken gets here this afternoon, it’s going to be a very rare opportunity for him to meet Middle Eastern leaders all in the same place. You’ve got the Egyptian president, Qatar’s leader, the Palestinian president and the Jordanian king, all here.
Blinken will be able to find time with all of them. He wants them to put pressure on Hamas.
‘Palestinians need their dignity back’
This is what Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt’s president, starts off with:
“The Palestinian people in Gaza who are surrounded by killing, famine and starvation and are living in the siege are looking at us and want us to present to them a new hope for a better future. They need their dignity back and they need the right to live in peace and they need to restore the trust in the international law and the justice of the international system right now.”
“Israel must be responsible for what’s going on in Gaza. Israel is destroying Gaza, the infrastructure in Gaza as well destroying the health system in Gaza.
“Gaza is not a place now for humans to live in. Egypt has, so many times and repeatedly, warned of the consequences of Israeli military operations in Rafah. These Israeli operations have ended the flow of humanitarian aid coming to Gaza.”
Speed and scale of carnage in Gaza beyond any imagination: Guterres
UN chief Antonio Guterres is next up at the Jordan summit.
He says “the speed and scale of carnage and killing in Gaza is beyond anything in my years as secretary-general”. Guterres adds that at least 1.7 million people – 75 percent of Gaza’s population – have been displaced many times over by Israeli military attacks.
“Nowhere is safe, conditions are deplorable, public health situation is beyond crisis level. Gaza’s hospitals lie in ruins, medical supplies and fuel are scarce or non-existent,” he said. “More than one million Palestinians in Gaza do not have enough drinking water and face desperate levels of hunger. Over 50,000 children require treatment for acute malnutrition.”
Guterres adds that “the only way forward is through a political solution that opens a path to sustained peace based on two states – Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security … with Jerusalem as capital of both states”.
“Let us keep working to keep that a reality as we work to answer today’s call to action for Palestinians in Gaza in such a profound and immediate need,” he said.
Describing conditions in Gaza as “deplorable”, UN chief Guterres has called for all parties to reach an agreement on the latest ceasefire plan. “I welcome the peace initiative recently outlined by President Biden and urge all parties to seize this opportunity and come to an agreement,” Guterres said.
Guterres has also called on parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law. “This includes facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid both into and inside Gaza as they have committed. All available routes into Gaza must be operational and the land routes are absolutely crucial,” he said.
He called for safe routes for humanitarian aid delivery and for the protection of UNRWA workers who “need unimpeded access”. “Civilians must be allowed to seek safety and civilians and the infrastructure they rely on must never be militarised or targeted,” he said.
Events since October 7 ‘stain on humanity’
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths is now speaking at the summit. He starts off by saying that “what we’ve witnessed since October 7 last year is a stain on humanity”. He called for opening of all crossings and the flow of aid and medical personnel to be allowed into Gaza.
Palestine’s President Abbas speaks at Jordan summit
He started off by highlighting the hardships of Palestinians in Gaza, saying they desperately need medical aid and food – hampered by Israel’s restrictions on border crossings – and that children need to go back to school.
“The UN Security Council and other international partners have a great role to play in applying more pressure on Israel to open the crossings,” said Abbas, who also echoed calls for an immediate, lasting ceasefire, saying it is time to “stop the suffering of the Palestinian people”.
