Israeli displacement of West Bank Palestinians into Jordan will be 'act of war': Safadi

Jordan’s foreign minister has warned that any Israeli attempts to displace West Bank Palestinians into the country would be interpreted as "a declaration of war" at press conference on Thursday.

Ayman Safadi accussed Israel of "waging another war" in reference to Israel's recent escalation in the occupied West Bank, where raids have been ongoing since 28 August, and hit out at "extremist ministers" spewing "hatred against Palestinians" in the territory.

The Jordanian FM made the remarks at a press conference with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in Amman, as part of the German diplomat’s wider tour of the region.

At least 36 Palestinians have been killed in the incursions, described as the most violent in over two decades and since the Second Intifada. The raids have taken place in Jenin, Tubas, Tulkarem and other locations.

"[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government are pushing towards an explosion of the situation in the entire region," he said.

"Israeli actions on the ground have killed all opportunities for achieving a just peace," he added.

Safadi went on to say that "stopping the aggression on Gaza and the escalation in the West Bank" is "the first step to prevent the situation in the region from worsening."

In his speech, the Jordanian diplomat said his country "will not accept" any approach isolating the war-hit Gaza Strip from the West Bank, stressing the need to "adopt a comprehensive initiative which includes both political and security dimensions", in a bid to avoid any further crisis in the region.

He also criticised Netanyahu’s refusal to remove Israeli troops from the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt, which the Israeli premier has insisted on maintaining control over, despite Hamas’ request for withdrawal during ceasefire negotiations and Egypt seeing it as a violation of its own peace treaty with Israel.

However, he added that escalations will continue if Netanyahu "does not face the consequences of what he is doing to destroy the present and future of the region".

"Peace, security, and stability will not be achieved without a comprehensive view that aims to address the conflict from its roots to end the occupation and reach the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," he said.

During the conference, Safadi called on Berlin to impose sanctions on Israel in light of its continued atrocities in the Gaza Strip, where at least 40,878 Palestinians have been killed since 7 October. At least 691 have been killed in the West Bank during the same period.

Throughout the war on Gaza, Germany has maintained a pro-Israeli stance, stressing the country’s "right to defend itself". Baerbock, however, said on Thursday that "there is a need for permanent peace in the region and a two-state solution".

"We have made it clear that the words and actions of some Israeli ministers are irresponsible and increase the explosive situation, and we expect the Israeli side to stop provocations," she said.