Jordan cancels summit with Biden, Sisi and Abbas in Amman

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced the cancellation of the meeting with US President Joe Biden, the leaders of Egypt, and Palestine, which was schedule to take place in Amman on Wednesday to discuss Gaza.

Jordan cancels summit with Biden: Safadi said that the summit would take place when the parties could agree to put an end to the “war and the massacres against Palestinians” and blamed Israel for bringing the area to “the brink of an abyss.”

Scheduled for a quick visit to Israel, Biden will then travel to Jordan, where, according to Jordanian officials, he will meet with both Mahmoud Abbas and Abdel Fattah al Sisi, the presidents of Egypt and Palestine.

Jordan’s King Abdullah was set to host a four-way conference that aimed to discuss the imperative need for providing aid to Gaza to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and de-escalate the confrontation with Israel.

Abdullah attributed a bombing at a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, which killed over 500 Palestinians, to Israel. He termed it a “shame on humanity” and demanded that Israel immediately halt its offensive against Gaza. Palestinian and Israeli officials each laid blame for the killings on the other.

Protests and Clashes Near Israeli Embassy in Jordan Amidst Rising Tensions

The king issued a warning that Israel’s response to a devastating cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7 that left more than 1,000 Israelis dead or injured went beyond the country’s legal obligation to defend itself by targeting Palestinian people as a whole.

The uprising against Israel also stoked a significant rally on Tuesday near the Israeli embassy in Amman, where police dispersed thousands of demonstrators with tear gas while they chanted anti-Israel slogans and demanded that the government shut down the embassy and revoke the peace treaty with Israel.

The inhabitants of Jordan generally despise Jordan’s peace agreement with Israel, perceiving normalization as a surrender of their Palestinian brothers’ rights.

Anti-Israel protests have always been a focal point of unrest in the Palestinian territory, with protesters regularly congregating outside the Israeli embassy.

A number of young people had earlier tried to breach the tightly guarded compound, but security personnel dispersed them with tear gas. A number of demonstrators were detaine.