“The major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan to ensure the safety and support of more than 1 million people sheltering there,” Biden said, referring to Israel’s stated plans to invade the city. “Many people there have been displaced — displaced multiple times, fleeing the violence to the north. And now they’re packed into Rafah, exposed and vulnerable. They need to be protected.”
Abdullah was more direct. “We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to create another humanitarian catastrophe,” the king said. Referring to the war more broadly, he added, ““We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end.”
Biden himself has not publicly called for a ceasefire, saying Israel must be allowed to defend itself by rooting out and destroying Hamas’s base of operations in Gaza. But his willingness to stand alongside an Arab leader who did issue such a call was notable.
The joint comments came after Biden met privately with Abdullah at the White House, the first face-to-face meeting the president has held with an Arab leader since the Israel-Gaza war began more than four months ago. The meeting came as U.S. officials have expressed deep concern about Israel’s plans to target Rafah, which borders Egypt and where about 1.3 million Palestinians are living in decrepit conditions after fleeing there under Israeli orders.
Biden reiterated Monday that he and his top aides are working urgently to negotiate a six-week pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in exchange for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, saying that could lay the groundwork for a permanent end to the war.
At a time when Biden has faced increasing criticism from Arab-American and Muslim voters angry over his staunch support for Israel and what they describe as a lack of empathy for Palestinians affected by the war, Biden found in Abdullah a welcome ally. He took the opportunity to highlight the suffering of the Palestinians, saying they are facing “unimaginable pain” and adding, “It’s heartbreaking. Every innocent life [lost] in Gaza is a tragedy, just as every innocent life lost in Israel is a tragedy as well.”
Jordan, whose population is composed of ethnic Palestinians, will be key to any long-term U.S. diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East. Biden has said the war in Gaza must be followed by planning for a Palestinian state, a notion forcefully rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The U.S. believes that will require reforming the Palestinian Authority, which governs part of the West Bank, and Jordan is likely to be central to any such effort.
In recent days, Biden has shown more willingness to take aim at the Israeli military operation in Gaza, but for months Arab leaders in the U.S. and the Middle East have felt his public comments allowed for little criticism of the hard-hitting military campaign.
Abdullah, whose wife, Queen Rania, is Palestinian, is one of few people who can speak to Biden in detail about the suffering in Gaza, said Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has worked on Middle East issues in multiple U.S. administrations.
More than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and raids, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In addition, more than 80 percent of the territory’s residents have been displaced, and an Israeli siege has put hundreds of thousands of residents at risk of famine and disease. Israeli officials have resisted repeated U.S. calls to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Abdullah’s visit to Washington comes at a precarious time in the war, when Biden is closer than ever to a breach with Netanyahu over the high civilian toll, disagreements on humanitarian aid, and Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state. More immediately, U.S. officials are highly concerned about Netanyahu’s announcement of an upcoming Israeli operation in Rafah.
Abdullah’s visit to Washington is part of his tour of the United States, Canada, France and Germany, part of his effort to mobilize international support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the protection of civilians and for more humanitarian aid.
