Queen Rania Praises Trump Pressure on Israel, Condemns International Failure to End Conflict
AMMAN, JORDAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II has firmly rejected the prospect of international forces carrying out a “peace enforcing” mission in the Gaza Strip as part of the stabilization plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, according to an interview with the BBC.
The King made a critical distinction regarding the mandate of any future security presence, stating that countries would reject any mission described as “peace enforcing.” The US plan calls for Arab and other states to send personnel to “train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza,” a role the King said Jordan and Egypt would be prepared to undertake.
However, the idea of foreign troops maintaining order was deemed unacceptable. “What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it’s peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that,” King Abdullah said.
He clarified the acceptable role: “Peacekeeping is that you’re sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time. If we’re running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that’s not a situation that any country would like to get involved in.”
King Abdullah also expressed reservations about sending Jordanian troops due to the country’s proximity and political sensitivity, noting that half of Jordan’s subjects claim Palestinian descent and 2.3 million Palestinian refugees reside in the Kingdom. The international community reportedly fears that peacekeepers could be drawn into renewed hostilities between Israeli forces and Hamas.
“If we don’t solve this problem, if we don’t find a future for Israelis and Palestinians and a relationship between the Arab and Muslim world and Israel, we’re doomed,” the King warned.
In a separate BBC interview, Queen Rania of Jordan offered sharp criticism of the international community’s failure to end the two-year war sooner.
“That nightmare, it’s the nightmare of any parent, but that nightmare has been the daily reality for Palestinians for the last two years,” the Queen, who is of Palestinian heritage, said, referring to the suffering of children in Gaza.
She did, however, commend the Trump administration for applying effective pressure on Israel. “To his credit, Trump was the first president in a long time to actually apply pressure on Israel… President Trump actually got [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to actually agree to a ceasefire. And I hope that he continues to be engaged in this process,” she stated.
Looking forward, Queen Rania expressed a belief that Palestinians and Israelis can coexist but only with international assistance, stating that the current atmosphere of “animosity, too much anger and grief and hatred and cynicism” prevents them from forging peace on their own.
“I truly believe that Palestinians and Israelis can exist side by side… with the push of the international community, that is the only way,” she concluded.
