Safadi commends strong Jordan-Egypt relations, stresses heightened coordination since outbreak of war on Gaza

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Saturday commended the Jordanian-Egyptian relations, highlighting the significant level of coordination and consultation between the two nations in multiple fields and during times of crises.

 During a discussion with Khaled Al Eisawi, Middle East News Agency (MENA) bureau chief, in Amman, Safadi highlighted the historical alignment of positions and mutual perspectives on several Arab and international issues between Cairo and Amman.

Affirming continuous and unwavering nature of consultation, coordination and communication between Egypt and Jordan, he highlighted the heightened level of coordination since the outbreak of recent developments in Gaza, stressing that joint efforts commenced from the very beginning of the war on the Strip to halt attacks on civilians in Gaza.

Cairo and Amman have a crucial role in ending the war and restoring dialogue for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the 4, June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, he said.

Emphasising the continuous communication with all relevant parties, including international partners to stop the war, Safadi highlighted Israel's persistence in pursuing the destruction of Gaza and its disregard for calls for reason and wisdom.

Safadi stressed Jordan's firm rejection of any attempt to displace the Palestinians or resolve the Palestinian cause at the expense of Jordan or Egypt. 

Highlighting the common stance of the two countries, Safadi quoted His Majesty King Abdullah's statement on X (formerly Twitter): "We stand alongside Egypt in one trench. The stance expressed today [Thursday] by my brother, President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, affirming Egypt's rejection of displacing Palestinians from their land as a red line, embodies our shared position and will be etched in history within Egypt's Arab stances."

He also drew attention to the close cooperation and coordination between Jordan and Egypt in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which was facilitated through El Arish airport, to be transferred to Gaza via Rafah crossing.

Commenting on the ceasefire brokered by Egypt and Qatar in coordination with the US, which was violated by Israel, Safadi said that Egypt, along with its Qatari counterparts, had made significant efforts to secure this humanitarian truce. 

He praised Egypt's pivotal role in achieving this humanitarian pause and the ongoing consultations to extend it, with the aim of ending the escalating Israeli war on the Strip and establishing a lasting ceasefire.

Condemning Israel's aggressive resumption of hostilities, Safadi called on the international community to shoulder its responsibility and intervene to prevent Israel from committing further crimes against civilians.

On the Royal efforts, Safadi said that since the outbreak of the war, King Abdullah has made several foreign and European visits to warn about the repercussions of the conflict.

These visits and meetings had an important role in clarifying the reality of the Israeli war on Gaza and its dangers, which lead to a partial shift in the stances of countries that had previously supported misleading Israeli narrative, he said, adding that “looking at international positions, the voices are now growing louder, and there is a noticeable shift towards calls for a permanent ceasefire and a return to negotiations”.

Safadi stressed the importance of the international community to focus on the attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, indicating that Israelis’ attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank have not received the same level of international attention as to those in Gaza.

He said that 2023 is the bloodiest year for the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank in over a decade, warning of the consequences on global peace and security if such aggression persists.

"Israel cannot be above international law," he said, highlighting Israel's targeting of any side that disagrees with its policies or calls for an end to the war. 

"Israel has failed to comply with previous United Nations Security Council resolutions, and if it continues to disregard them in the future, the international community will have to face this significant challenge to its credibility," he added, warning against the continuation of violence in the region and stressing its global and international implications.

Safadi highlighted the growing global conviction that the only way to end the violence in the region is through the establishment of a Palestinian state that embraces the two-state solution, and called for seizing the current international momentum to address the situation in the occupied Palestinian Territories by implementing the two-state solution, including the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state that can live in security and peace alongside Israel. 

He also reiterated Jordan's commitment to its unalienable principles regarding the Palestinian cause, stressing the preservation of the rights of the Palestinians to establish their independent state. 

Jordan would not deviate from these principles, regardless of the sacrifices, he said.

Safadi noted that despite repeated Israeli violations, the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem will remain under the Hashemite Custodianship due to their vital importance. 

Talking about Jordan's foreign policy, Safadi said that Jordan has always carried the banner of peace.

He also highlighted the historical principles of Jordan's foreign policy, which are guided by respect for and non-interference in the internal affairs of any state, coupled with the prevention of any state from interfering in Jordan's internal affairs.

Safadi also commended the tripartite economic cooperation between Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, as well as the quadrilateral economic partnership between Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.