Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned on Tuesday that what he described as Israel’s “expansionist ambitions” under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had become a regional threat. He pointed in particular to repeated Israeli incursions and geographical expansion in Syria, alongside Israel’s seizure in recent months of additional areas of land in the country’s south.
King Abdullah warns of regional expansion
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, King Abdullah said that “the expansionist ambitions of this Israeli government have become a regional threat”, warning of “repeated incursions and expanding geographical expansion” inside Syrian territory. The Jordanian monarch placed these moves within a broader context involving the repercussions of Israeli policies on the region’s security and stability.
King Abdullah addressed the decades-long continuation of the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying it had resulted from the international community choosing to contain the conflict rather than act to confront and resolve it. He stressed that developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank could not be viewed or handled as separate events.
Gaza and the West Bank part of one Israeli strategy
He said that what was happening in Gaza could no longer be regarded as “temporary military measures or the consequences of war”. By contrast, he said the West Bank was undergoing a profound transformation reflected in escalating settler violence, land seizures, settlement expansion and the displacement of Palestinians. He stressed that Israeli policies in Gaza and the West Bank represented “two faces of the same Israeli strategy”.
The Jordanian monarch said the international community had tools it could use to act, including imposing sanctions, freezing assets, bans and diplomatic isolation. But he criticised the implementation of international positions, saying decisions concerning Israel remained “ink on paper”, referring to the gap between decisions taken and action on the ground.
Jordan links border security to national security
On the kingdom’s security, King Abdullah stressed that any threat to Jordan’s northern borders or water security constituted a threat to national security. He said: “Jordan will not look away; we will protect our security, our water and the interests of our people,” affirming that Amman would continue to address challenges that directly affect its interests and security.
He added that Jordan would continue to combat terrorism and drug-trafficking operations, while strengthening its defence capabilities. The kingdom would also continue building economic, trade and technological ties with countries in the region, as part of an approach combining national security protection with expanded regional cooperation.
The Jordanian monarch reaffirmed his country’s commitment to achieving a just peace, supporting the resilience of the Palestinian people and backing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Jordan would also continue to uphold its responsibility under the Hashemite custodianship and preserve the existing historical and legal status of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He stressed that the kingdom’s commitment to diplomacy did not take precedence over its commitment to humanitarian values and should not be interpreted or misjudged as weakness.
