Jordan’s king says ‘bloodshed’ is price being paid for failure to achieve peace between Israel, Palestine

AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – King Abdullah II of Jordan has said that the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip is the price being paid for the failure to achieve peace between Palestine and Israel.

In his speech at the Cairo Peace Summit, King Abdullah II said that the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel “did not begin two weeks ago, and will not stop if we continue down this blood-stained path.”

“The bloodshed we are witnessing today is the price of failure to achieve tangible progress towards a political horizon that achieves peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” he said.

He said that Israeli leaders must realize that military solutions will not work.

“Anywhere else, the world would have condemned the targeting of civilian infrastructure, and the deliberate deprivation of the population of food, water, electricity, and basic needs, and certainly the perpetrator would have been held accountable immediately,” he stated, adding that “this was the case recently in another conflict, but not in Gaza.”

“Two weeks have passed since Israel imposed a complete siege on the Gaza Strip,” the Jordanian monarch said, adding: “International silence from most countries continues.”

At least 31 countries and 3 international organizations have confirmed their participation in the Cairo Peace Summit, according to the private Cairo News Channel.

The war on Gaza, under Israeli bombardment and blockade since October 7, has led to the unfolding of a dire humanitarian crisis, with no electricity, water, food, fuel and medical supplies.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” to ease the “epic human suffering.”

At least 4,385 Palestinians, including 1,756 children and 1,000 women have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.