US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves upon his arrival at the airport in the Jordanian capital Amman on April 30, 2024. AFP
Blinken, on his latest tour of the region since the Israeli war on Gaza erupted in October, observed Jordan's efforts to bring in food and supplies and praised the "extraordinary work" led by the United Nations.
"This is a critical moment in making sure that everything that needs to be done is being done," Blinken said as he met in Amman with the UN humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag.
Blinken met separately with King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi both on aid and on diplomacy for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of captives held in Gaza.
In talks with the king, Blinken -- who will head later in the day to Israel -- said "that Hamas should accept the proposal on the table", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Jordan's foreign ministry said Safadi had raised "the necessity of starting to implement a comprehensive plan to end the occupation and achieve just and comprehensive peace within the framework of the two-state solution".
Jordan, which has diplomatic relations with Israel and also has a large Palestinian population, is especially sensitive to tensions in the Palestinian territories.
Earlier in April, Jordan shot down Iranian drones fired at Israel in response to a deadly Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria.
Jordan, while working with the United States, has insisted it does not want to be caught in the middle of the conflict.
'Not enough'
President Joe Biden's administration, despite criticism abroad and rising fury on US university campuses, has supported Israel in its months-long war on Gaza but also urged its ally to do more to protect civilians.
"President Biden has insisted that Israel take specific, concrete, measurable steps to better address humanitarian suffering, civilian harm and the safety of aid workers in Gaza," Blinken told Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Riyadh on Monday.
"We have seen measurable progress in the last few weeks, including the opening of new crossings, an increased volume of aid delivery to Gaza and within Gaza, and the building of the US maritime corridor, which will open in the coming weeks," Blinken said.
"But it is not enough. We still need to get more aid in and around Gaza," he said.
Biden warned Israel that future support was at stake after an April 1 Israeli strike killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen, the charity founded by celebrity Spanish-American chef Jose Andres.
The United States said that Israel has since taken steps to avoid such deaths in the future, including coordinating more directly with aid groups working in Gaza.
But the situation remains dire in besieged Gaza, where about 85 percent of the population has been displaced by Israel's war and 50 percent at "imminent risk of famine," with people in north Gaza already living under "famine-like conditions."
The Biden administration is addressing the crisis by building a temporary pier to bring in aid, despite repeated warnings from the UN and international aid groups that there is no alternative to Israel opening all land crossings into Gaza.
Israel's war on Gaza, now nearing its seventh month, has killed at least 34,488 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online
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