Israeli actions to lead further tensions in region, says Jordanian king

AMMAN, Jordan

Jordan's King Abdullah II conveyed to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the repeated Israeli actions and provocations against the Palestinian people have led to the current escalations.

In a telephone call, he told Guterres that Israeli actions will push the region towards further tension.

According to a statement issued by the Jordanian Royal Council, Abdullah II reiterated that there is no alternative to a political solution that would lead to the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution and guarantee the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and a viable Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

King drew attention to the dire consequences of the violations committed by Israel in Jerusalem, especially against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the attempts to unlawfully displace the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from their homes, the statement added.

Abdullah II warned against interfering with the legal and historical status quo in Jerusalem, noting that Jordan will continue to exert all efforts to protect the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

He also stressed the need for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and move effectively to stop the Israeli attacks, prevent their recurrence, stop the aggression on Gaza, and work for the advancements of the peace process.

The death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip has risen to 212, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Monday.

The grim figure includes 61 children, 35 women, and 16 elderly people, the ministry said in a statement, while 1,400 people have been injured during the offensive.

The Israeli military has staged airstrikes across the Gaza Strip since May 10, leaving behind a massive trail of destruction across the seaside territory.

Ten Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

The recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to Gaza as a result of Israeli assaults on worshippers in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

• Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara