WASHINGTON: Jordan’s King Abdullah II Monday met US President Joe Biden at the White House for talks on resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict, as fears grow of an offensive in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
Amman is a key player in the region and the king is also visiting Canada, Germany and France, amid mounting international efforts for a deal to pause fighting in Gaza and free hostages there.
“They will discuss efforts to produce an enduring end to the crisis,” a senior official of Biden administration told reporters Sunday, ahead of the meeting.
A deal “requires as a precondition the return of hostages held by Hamas, and then of course, looking ahead at durable long-term peace requires a formula for two states with Israel’s security guaranteed.”
The visit comes as weeks of talks with the United States and regional powers have so far failed to produce a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Hamas and Israel.
It also comes as Biden takes a tougher stance on Israel, particularly after PM Benjamin Netanyahu promised to send ground troops to the crowded Rafah area to complete his goal of eliminating Hamas.
Biden told Netanyahu on Sunday that the Rafah advance should not take place without a “credible” plan to ensure the “safety” of the roughly one million people sheltering there, the White House said.
On Thursday, Biden also said Israel’s response in the Gaza Strip was “over the top,” in his sharpest comments yet after months of largely uncritical support for Israel.
Monday’s meeting will be the first between Biden and Abdullah since October 7, when a Hamas attack on Israel sparked the conflict.
Biden was due to travel to Jordan for talks with Abdullah when he visited Israel less than two weeks after the first attack, but the meeting was canceled after an explosion at a hospital in Gaza sparked anger across the Arab world.
Biden later supported Israel’s claim that the strike was caused by a malfunctioning Palestinian rocket.
A statement from the royal palace in Amman said Washington would be Abdullah’s first stop on a tour of the United States, France, Canada and Germany to discuss the situation in Gaza.
