Jordan's King Abdullah and Blinken discuss looming crisis of refugees from Gaza

The US Secretary of State also met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman

Jordan's King Abdullah and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman, on October 13, 2023. Jordanian Royal Palace

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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman on Friday who warned him that the Gaza war is likely to ignite a new Palestinian refugee crisis.

The king cautioned against "any attempt to expel Palestinians from any of the Palestinian lands or cause them to flee”, Jordan's official news agency Petra reported.

The king “affirmed that the crisis should not be moved to neighbouring countries and compound the refugee issue".

He called for the “opening [of] urgent humanitarian corridors”, as well as "protecting civilians, de-escalating, and ending the war on Gaza", Petra reported.

Mr Blinken, who arrived in Amman from Israel, said that he understood "as a Jew, as a husband and a father" the enormity of the Hamas attack.

After meeting King Abdullah, Mr Blinken met Mahmoud Abbas at the Palestinian president's residence in Amman.

Mr Abbas "affirmed ... the total refusal to uproot our people in Gaza", the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Such a scenario would be akin to a second Palestinian "catastrophe", Mr Abbas said.

The Palestinians consider the 1948 creation of Israel and the upheaval it caused as their national Nakba, or catastrophe.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman on Friday. AFP

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US was talking with allies in the Middle East "to prevent the conflict from widening".

He said Mr Blinken told Mr Abbas that "Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to dignity, freedom, justice and self-determination".

Late on Friday Mr Blinken will travel to Qatar, the Arab country that is the most well connected to Hamas after Iran.

Hamas, which is supported by Iran, took scores of hostages in its attack on Israel at the weekend, including American citizens.

Jordan has the longest borders with Israel.

A large proportion of the kingdom's population are of Palestinian origin, descendants of the refugees who fled Israel's creation in 1948 and its expansion in the 1967 Middle East war.

The latest war in Gaza poses a challenge to authorities in Amman, which seeks to maintain a strong alliance with the US and keep a 1994 peace treaty with Israel, while placating pro-Palestinian sentiment in the kingdom.

At UN headquarters in New York City, Rachel Zeitchik, right, and Jay Zeitchik attend an event for families of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas. AFP

Palestinians flee from northern Gaza towards the south after the Israeli army demanded the population of more than a million people leave before a ground invasion. AP

Demonstrators at a rally in support of Palestine face a counter-demonstration in support of Israel near Times Square in New York. EPA

Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning. AP

An injured man is rescued from the rubble of a building following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip. AP

Mourners take cover as sirens sound during the funeral of Tom Godo, killed during the attack by Hamas militants on the Kibbutz Kisuffim last week, in Kibbutz Naan near Tel Aviv. AFP

A Palestinian man flashes the victory sign as he and others leave northern Gaza before an expected Israeli ground offensive. AFP

Palestinians head south with their belongings after being ordered by Israel to leave northern Gaza on Friday. AFP

Israel ordered more than a million Palestinians to head south within 24 hours. Reuters

The UN criticised the directive, saying forcing such a large number of people to flee en masse would be catastrophic. Reuters

Gazans have to travel about 15km if they live in the northernmost part of the strip to reach the area south of the Wadi Gaza. Reuters

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Palestinians with their belongings flee to safer areas in Gaza City. AFP

An Armoured Personnel Carrier drives near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip. Reuters

Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather for mass Friday prayer during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

A Palestinian woman waits to cross into Jerusalem's Old City through Damascus Gate next to Israeli soldiers. AFP

Israeli army infantry fighting vehicles deploy along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. AFP

Israeli soldiers detain a man while on patrol near Kibbutz Beeri, near the Gaza Strip. AFP

Students hold in a rally in support of Palestine at Columbia University in New York. Getty Images

Family and friends mourn Valentin Ghnassia, 23, who was killed in a battle with Palestinian militants at Kibbutz Beeri near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. Getty Images

A ball of fire erupts in Gaza city after an Israeli air strike. AFP

Palestinians inspect the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli air strike at Al Shati refugee camp. AP

A fireball erupts from an Israeli air strike in Gaza city. AFP

People waiting for news of victims outside the morgue at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. AFP

A girl mourns the death of members of the Samour family, who were killed in Israeli strikes on their house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Israelis arrive to sign up at a weapons distribution point for people allowed to carry arms, at the Ayyelet HaShahar Kibbutz in northern Israel, near the Lebanese border. AFP

Mourners outside the morgue at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City as battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continue for a sixth consecutive day. AFP

Men dig graves to bury members of the Samour family, who were killed in Israeli strikes on their house in Khan Younis. Reuters

Palestinian children who fled their homes during Israeli strikes, play at a United Nations-run school in Gaza City. Reuters

Israeli soldiers near a self-propelled howitzer near the border with Gaza in southern Israel. AFP

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, left, welcomes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken upon arrival at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. AFP

Palestinian children in a makeshift shelter at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Reuters

Boxes of humanitarian aid and supplies from Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation destined for Gaza, in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

Palestinians outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on the sixth day of fighting between Israel and Hamas. AFP

A pro-Israel vigil in Montevideo, Uruguay. EPA