Displacing Palestinians from West Bank is 'red line', declaration of war: Jordan FM

Any Israeli attempt to displace Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would be considered an act of war by Jordan, the kingdom’s foreign minister has said.

Such efforts by Israel "is a red line for Jordan, as we will confront it with all our capabilities because it is a violation of international law," Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said during an emergency parliamentary session on Gaza.

He added that displacing people from one occupied territory to another would be a war crime, in reference to Palestinians in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and thus "a declaration of war" by Amman, which established ties with Israel in 1994.

It follows a spate of attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers since 7 October, with villages emptied due to the assaults.

In Gaza, there have been reports that Israel intends to force the 2.3 million population out of the Palestinian enclave and into the Sinai, mirroring events during the Nakba when around 750,000 Palestinians were displaced.

Jordan last week recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv in protest at the continued Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip that have so far killed more than 10,000 people.

Amman also airdropped medical aid on Gaza on Monday, circumventing Israeli restrictions at the Rafah border crossing.

"Jordanian diplomacy has never been so active, and for a good reason, too. What happens in Gaza could very well be repeated in the West Bank, forcing millions to seek refuge in Jordan"

Why Jordan is hardening its stance on Israel's war on Gaza: https://t.co/KEd6CikaAy

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 5, 2023

With more than half of Gaza's population displaced by the month of Israel's brutal air and ground operations, some neighbouring Arab-majority countries have raised the alarm on and rejected reported Israeli plans to expel Palestinians from territory they seize.

Jordan, which shares a border with the West Bank, absorbed the bulk of Palestinians who fled or were driven out of their homes when Israel was created in 1948.

"We are facing the most difficult [situation], and we are heading to something worse if the war continues," Al-Safadi said, as he warned that the expansion of the war on Gaza into a regional conflict was a possibility.

Jordan’s top diplomat said his country is working to put an end to Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, adding that Jordan’s stance "has not and will not change."

"There is no justification for this war, and what happened is a war crime according to international law, according to international humanitarian law, and according to the Geneva Convention and its successive protocols," the Arab World Press news agency quoted him as saying.

Israel began its latest and unprecedented bombardment of the Palestinian enclave after Hamas launched a surprise attack on 7 October that killed over 1,400 Israelis, following months of deadly raids in the occupied West Bank and a 15-year blockade on Gaza. More than 24,000 people have been wounded by the relentless bombardment of Gaza.

Hamas also captured more than 200 people and is holding them hostage in Gaza. Some of these hostages have died in Israeli airstrikes, while some others have been released.

In the West Bank, Israeli forces and settlers have stepped up their attacks, killing over 150 Palestinians and arresting more than 1,000 others since 7 October.