Israel’s expansionist ambitions remain the greatest threat to the future and stability of West Asia, Jordan’s King Abdullah II has warned. 

Addressing parliament in Amman on Monday at the opening of its ordinary session, the Jordanian monarch said that lasting regional peace and security cannot be achieved without guaranteeing the Palestinian people’s right to their homeland.

He stressed that Palestinian self-determination remains central to any meaningful effort to achieve regional peace and stability.

“We reiterate, time and again, that there can be no security or stability in our region without upholding the Palestinian people’s right to their homeland,” Abdullah said.

In addition, the king strongly condemned the continuing humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Gaza Strip and the persistent Israeli attacks across the occupied West Bank.

He criticized the international community for failing to take effective action to stop Israel’s violations.

“Despite international calls for an end to Israel’s violations, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues, as do the relentless attacks in the West Bank and al-Quds, whilst Israel’s expansionist ambitions remain the greatest threat to the region’s future and hopes,” he said.

Jordan, which borders the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, signed a so-called peace treaty with Israel in 1994. Despite its repeated condemnation of Israeli policies and public support for Palestinian rights, the kingdom continues to maintain extensive diplomatic, economic, and security relations with the Tel Aviv regime.

This position, however, has become increasingly difficult to sustain amid mounting domestic pressure on the Jordanian leadership to adopt a tougher stance toward Israel.

The Palestinian cause holds profound political, historical, and social significance in Jordan, where a substantial proportion of the population is of Palestinian origin.

Jordan slams continued Israeli violations at al-Aqsa Mosque

Jordan has denounced as a “blatant violation of international law the continued incursions by Israeli extremist settlers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, its expanding settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank, and growing threats of forcibly displacing Palestinians have further intensified public anger and opposition to any prospects of normalization with Israel, placing additional pressure on the Jordanian government.

The remarks by the Jordanian king come as the Israeli raid in al-Khalil entered its 10th consecutive day on Sunday, with more than 3,300 Palestinians reportedly displaced or otherwise affected, particularly in the al-Jalda and Ain Deir Bahha areas.

Israeli forces have imposed closures on al-Khalil and nearby villages, taken over homes for use as military posts, and carried out demolitions and infrastructure damage that have disrupted residents’ daily lives.

The Israeli occupation army launched its offensive in al-Khalil on October 23 following an operation by two Palestinians that killed two Israeli soldiers and injured three others near a checkpoint. The army later killed the two Palestinians.