Jordan's King Abdullah II urges Europe to step up Middle East peace efforts

At Mediterranean summit, monarch says only 'solution to Palestinian issue' can stabilise region

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Jordan's King Abdullah II urged European leaders on Friday to step up Middle East peace efforts, as he told them that only a “solution to the Palestinian issue” could stabilise the region.

Addressing a summit of nine Mediterranean leaders in Cyprus including France's President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, King Abdullah called on them to mount an “immediate and effective response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”, Jordan's royal court said.

It said he stressed “the importance of stopping the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon, as well as stepping up efforts to reach comprehensive regional calm”. There could be “no peace nor stability in the region without a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, on the basis of the two-state solution”, King Abdullah said.

He spoke as leaders of the nine EU member states in the Mediterranean called for an immediate ceasefire after a sharp escalation in the conflict.

King Abdullah joined Mediterranean and southern EU leaders for talks on the Middle East. AFP

“Amid the backdrop of the conflict in Gaza in the broader region, we express our deep concern at the escalation of a military confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah,” the EU leaders said in a statement.

“We seek an immediate ceasefire throughout the Blue Line and the timely dispatch of humanitarian aid to Lebanon.”

France, Italy and Spain, in a separate joint statement expressed “outrage” after several peacekeepers were hit at the UN Interim Force in Lebanon's main base in Naqoura.

“These attacks constitute serious violation of the obligations of Israel under UNSCR [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 1701 and under humanitarian international law,” the statement said.

“We recall that all peacekeepers must be protected and reiterate our praise for the continued and indispensable commitment of Unifil troops/personnel in this very challenging context,” it added, and called for “an immediate ceasefire”.

Italy said it supported a Jordanian plan for a “humanitarian gateway” to Gaza, aimed at easing aid bottlenecks into the strip, at the meeting in coastal Paphos between Cyprus, France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia.

The nine Mediterranean leaders held Middle East-focused talks as the aftershocks of the conflict reach the shores of Europe. Cyprus has become a refuge for Lebanese people fleeing the fighting after Israel expanded its ground war with Hezbollah.

“Only a few miles away from Cyprus, we have a war. We have a difficult situation,” the island's President Nikos Christodoulides said as he opened the summit. In the Middle East, “our levers are limited, but it's about creating more convergence at a European level”, an official in Mr Macron's camp said.

Syria focus

King Abdullah also held four-way talks with Italy, Cyprus and the EU on the situation regarding Syrian refugees living in Lebanon – an issue that Ms Meloni's office said had “become even more pressing” in light of the most recent fighting.

Cyprus said the leaders “discussed ways to support the voluntary returns of Syrians to Syria” under a resettlement plan. King Abdullah said Jordan was already “undertaking its humanitarian role” as he called on other countries to “shoulder responsibilities”.

Ms Meloni's camp said the aim was for Syrian refugees to voluntarily return to their homeland “in a safe and sustainable way, in collaboration with the main humanitarian organisations operating in the region”. Germany is exploring ways to deport rejected asylum seekers to Syria for the first time since 2012.

European leaders praised Jordan's role during the conflict. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the kingdom an “important friend”. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis offered “appreciation for Jordan’s role in the stability of the wider region”.

The EU will continue its Middle East diplomacy at a first summit with the GCC in Brussels next week.