Jordan’s king calls Israel's expansionist ambitions ‘biggest threat’ to region’s future

Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Monday that Israel’s expansionist ambitions pose the greatest threat to the region’s future, stressing that regional security and stability cannot be achieved without Palestinians securing their rights to their land. “Israeli expansionist ambitions remain the greatest threat to the region’s future and its hopes,” Abdullah said in a speech to parliament. He pointed to the continuing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, despite international calls to halt Israeli violations.

He stressed that there could be no security or stability in the region without recognizing the Palestinian people’s rights to their land. “Those who believe tyranny grants legitimacy are mistaken, and those who believe time erases the truth are mistaken,” the king said. He reaffirmed Jordan’s commitment to its principles, Arab identity and defending Arab causes, pledging to maintain that position as his father had before him and his son would after him.

The monarch also stressed that achieving a unified Arab position would remain a priority for Jordan. Israel has waged a genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 74,000 Palestinians and injuring over 175,000 others, most of them women and children. Israeli military operations and attacks by illegal occupiers have also intensified in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.