Jordan's foreign minister says Israel is responsible for the mass displacement of Palestinians

Ayman Safadi, Jordan's foreign minister, on the closing day of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024. The 60th Munich Security Conference runs through Feb. 18, at a time Russias invasion of Ukraine is soon to reach a third year. Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the Munich Security Conference Sunday that Israel is responsible for displacing millions of people in Gaza, and that Jordan “should not be responsible for cleaning Israel’s mess” by allowing people into its borders.

“What we see in Gaza is a devastating war, mass murder, destruction of the livelihood of 2 million people, pushing people to the abyss, destroying hospitals, killing journalists, medics, humanitarian workers. We have got to frame things in the right context,” Safadi said, when asked if Jordan would accept displaced Palestinians.

He also emphasized that Palestinians, including those in the occupied West Bank have rights that are embedded in international and humanitarian law.

Some context: Israel has said it plans to expand military operations into Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city on the border with Egypt, which has also spoken out against such an operation. There is growing concern that the roughly 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering there will have nowhere to go.

On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel must enter Rafah to completely destroy Hamas, and claimed there is “a lot of space” north of the city for people to flee. Palestinians who spoke to CNN this weekend said nowhere is safe from Israeli bombardment, including the city of Deir al-Balah, where some have attempted to take refuge after leaving Rafah.

The Israel Defense Forces has repeatedly said it observes international law, that it does not target civilians and that Hamas uses people as human shields in Gaza.