Jordan s King Abdullah II addresses a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not in image) after a meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on October 17, 2023. AFP
The Jordanian king told reporters on Tuesday that “this is a red line ... no refugees to Jordan and also no refugees to Egypt.”
“This is a situation that has to be handled within Gaza and the West Bank,” he said. “And you don’t have to carry this out on the shoulders of others.”
Abdullah also said that everything needs to be done to prevent a further escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
“The whole region is on the brink,” Abdullah said. “This new cycle of violence is leading us towards the abyss,” the Jordanian Monarch added.
"All our efforts are needed to make sure we don't get there," he said.
Scholz, who will travel to Israel later on Tuesday stressed that Israel has every right to defend itself and can count on Germany’s support. also warned against an escalation.
However, he said, "We have a common goal to prevent a conflagration in the region," urging Hezbollah and Iran to refrain from intervening in this conflict.
Gaza-based Hamas resistance fighters broke through Israel's heavily fortified border on October 7, attacking military bases and killing more than 1,400 people.
Israel has responded with devastating air strikes on Gaza, killing more than 2,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
Israel is deploying tens of thousands of troops to the border in preparation for a full-scale ground offensive and has told some 1.1 million Gazans -- nearly half the population of 2.4 million -- to leave the north of the densely populated Palestinian territory, in anticipation of the operation.
Thousands have gathered at Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, the only one not controlled by Israel, in an effort to flee.
But the crossing remain closed exacerbated by at least four Israeli border strikes and Tel Aviv's reluctance to permit humanitarian aid entry for Palestinians.
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