Fergal KeaneSpecial correspondent
Countries would reject being asked to “enforce” peace in Gaza if deployed under the Trump ceasefire plan, King Abdullah of Jordan has told the BBC.
Under US President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, Arab states and international partners are to commit stabilisation forces that “will train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza, and will consult with Jordan and Egypt who have extensive experience in this field.” Hamas is to disarm and give up political control of the territory.
“What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it’s peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that,” said King Abdullah.
In an exclusive interview for BBC Panorama, he said that Jordan and Egypt were willing to train Palestinian security forces.
“Peacekeeping is that you’re sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time. If we’re running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that’s not a situation that any country would like to get involved in.”
The King’s comments reflect concern from the US and other nations about being dragged into a continuing conflict between Hamas and Israel, or Hamas and other Palestinian groups.
King Abdullah said he would not send Jordanian forces into Gaza because his country was “too close politically” to the situation. More than half of Jordan’s population is of Palestinian descent, and over decades, the country has taken in 2.3 million Palestinian refugees fleeing earlier wars with Israel – the largest number in the region.
Asked if he trusted Hamas to keep its promise to give up any political role in Gaza, he replied: “I don’t know them, but those that are working extremely close to them – Qatar and Egypt – feel very, very optimistic that they will abide by that.
“If we don’t solve this problem, if we don’t find a future for Israelis and Palestinians and a relationship between the Arab and Muslim world and Israel, we’re doomed.”
The main mediation efforts during the war have been carried out by Qatar and Egypt working with the United States.
The Jordanians have been part of an international effort trying to deliver aid to Gaza and evacuating sick and wounded children. The King has flown over the territory on three missions parachuting aid supplies.
“Looking over the back ramp was just shocking,” he said. “The devastation of that part of Gaza was just a shock to me.
“I’ve seen it myself, and how we, as the international community, are allowing this to happen is mind-boggling.”
The King asked for President Trump’s support to evacuate 2,000 seriously ill Palestinian children from Gaza. In a White House meeting with the Jordanian monarch in February, Mr Trump called it a “beautiful gesture”.
Since then, 253 children have been evacuated to Jordan. In all, more than 5,000 have been medically evacuated, most to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. More than 15,000 Gazans are still awaiting evacuation, including about 3,000 children, according to the World Health Organization.
To get children and their guardians out of the territory they must undergo a comprehensive security check by Israel and host countries. The World Health Organization has described the process as “excruciatingly slow”. The Israeli military group which oversees aid for Gaza – Cogat – insists it places “great importance” on facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza, including the evacuation of patients with “complex medical conditions”. It stresses the necessity of security checks on individuals travelling through Israeli territory.
In her interview for Panorama, Jordan’s Queen Rania criticised the international community for, as she put it, failing to stop the war for two years.
“You know what it’s like to be a parent over the last two years? To watch your children suffering, starving, shaking in terror, and to be powerless to do anything about it, and to know that the whole world is watching and not to do anything about it. That nightmare, it’s the nightmare of any parent, but that nightmare has been the daily reality for Palestinians for the last two years.”
The Queen, who is of Palestinian descent, praised President Trump for his efforts to bring about the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. She said he had used America’s diplomatic, military and financial support as leverage on Israel.
“To his credit, Trump was the first president in a long time to actually apply pressure on Israel. Beforehand, when they crossed lines, the US president would just maybe just say a few words of rebuke or they just get a slap on the wrist. President Trump actually got [Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu to actually agree to a ceasefire. And I hope that he continues to be engaged in this process.”
Israel repeatedly accused Hamas of prolonging the war with its refusal to release Israeli hostages, and said the organisation – proscribed as a terror group by the UK, US and EU – used civilians as human shields in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory, more than 68,000 people have been killed since Israel invaded Gaza.
Israel’s invasion followed the 7 October attack by Hamas in which more than 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, were killed and 251 taken hostage into Gaza. Since then, arrest warrants for alleged war crimes have been issued by the International Criminal Court against Mr Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the military commander of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, although Hamas later confirmed he had been killed in an air strike.
The signing of the Trump ceasefire agreement also saw the release of 20 living Israeli hostages from Gaza with continuing efforts to recover the remains of the dead. Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners who had been convicted of crimes including murder and deadly attacks against Israelis, and about 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel without charge.
When I asked Queen Rania if she believed a lasting peace was possible, she said hope for this was not naive, but a form of defiance.
“I truly believe that Palestinians and Israelis can exist side by side,” she said. “In the current atmosphere, there’s too much animosity, too much anger and grief and hatred and cynicism between the two peoples to actually forge a peace on their own. I’m not being naive here. But I think with the push of the international community, that is the only way.
“So many times during the past two years, hope had felt elusive. Choosing hope was not easy… it’s hard, it’s heavy. But it’s the only path that doesn’t deny Palestinians or betray their struggle or our humanity.”
With additional reporting by Alice Doyard, Suha Kawar, David McIlveen and Liam Connell.