King Abdullah: 'No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt'

Jordan, Egypt won’t take Palestinian refugees, king says

Abdullah said the situation must be handled inside Gaza and the West Bank
So far, one million Palestinians have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip
Jordan's king says the entire region is at risk of "falling into the abyss"

Updated: Oct 17, 2023 / 11:29 AM CDT

Jordan’s King Abdullah II speaks during a meeting with tribal leader in Al-Qasta, south of Amman, Jordan, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. King Abdullah II denied Monday any impropriety in his purchase of luxury homes abroad, an effort to contain a budding scandal over reports of lavish spending at a time when he has sought international aid to pull his impoverished country out of recession and help it cope with soaring unemployment. (Yousef Allan/The Royal Hashemite Court via AP)

(NewsNation) — Jordan and Egypt will not accept Palestinian refugees fleeing Gaza amid the war between Israel and Hamas, Jordanian King Abdullah II said Tuesday.

“That is a red line, because I think that is the plan by certain of the usual suspects to try and create de facto issues on the ground. No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt,” Abdullah said at a news conference following a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Instead, Abdullah insisted that the humanitarian situation be dealt with “inside Gaza and the West Bank” and warned against “pushing the Palestinian challenge” onto “other people’s shoulders.”

So far, about one million Palestinians have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). But as food, water and medical supplies start to run out, many are finding there’s nowhere to go.

As of Tuesday morning, gates at the Rafah crossing — Gaza’s only connection to Egypt — were still closed.

Jordan borders Israel and the occupied West Bank, but not Gaza.

The latest conflict began on Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking nearly 200 hostages. The Israeli military has since responded with airstrikes.

Abdullah fears the latest fighting could completely destabilize the Middle East.

“The whole region is at the brink of falling into the abyss that this new cycle of death and destruction is pushing us towards,” he said. “The threat of this war expanding is real.”