Ambassador of Jordan to India, Mohamed El Kayed, speaks to Divya A about India’s abstention at UNGA on the resolution for immediate ceasefire brought in by Jordan, the future of the Israel-Hamas war and possible solutions, and why Arab countries won’t take in people displaced by the war.
The Israel-Hamas war is already in the fourth week, do you see any sign of a ceasefire any time soon?
I hope so. I hope that we witness a ceasefire in order to save the lives of the children and others dying in Gaza because of the Israeli bombardment.
Jordan has submitted a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), calling for an immediate ceasefire. The war has been on for over three weeks now and over 8,000 people have been killed so far. The war must stop in order to let humanitarian aid reach Gaza.
The Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza was hit by Israeli air strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Israel claimed a Hamas commander was killed in Tuesday’s strike. Reuter
India abstained from voting for the resolution that Jordan brought in the UNGA because it did not mention Hamas. What is your comment on that?
This is a sovereign decision by India and we respect that. We understand very well that each country takes a position according to their interests. That’s India’s decision and we don’t interfere in that. On the other hand, we think, India has an important role to play concerning humanitarian aid and the historic Indian position regarding the problems Palestinians face for long. So, India had abstained from the voting to stay in the middle, to have a role in the future on both sides. I reiterate that this is an Indian decision and we respect the way India took their stand.
India is also perceived to be a friend of both Israel and Palestine. Do you think India has a bigger role to play?
I think India can — as an emerging power in the world now and after the initiatives it took like the G20 and Voice of Global South dialogue and all those things. India is getting involved in international issues very actively and they can play some positive role in ending the war and saving people’s lives.
When we talk about saving people’s lives, there is also this hostage crisis that Israel has been talking about.
I think Jordan was very clear on this. We call for the release of all hostages, regardless of which side (they come from) and even the resolution submitted to the UN that was adopted by the General Assembly called for the release of all hostages regardless of what’s happening. Innocent people ought to be freed.
There’s a lot of collateral damage on both sides. What do you think is the way forward for the world to press both sides to prevent civilian killings?
Actually, you should know that the problem is not new. We’re talking about over 50-60 years of the Palestinian problems, so we are not new to the situation. There was some military action between Gaza and Israel in the past as well — 2014 and 2018.
His Majesty (King Abdullah II of Jordan), in his speech in Cairo, was very clear about this – that there is human suffering, and that should end. People are getting killed – including children, women and the elderly. Her Majesty (Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan) also stressed on the need to end the hostility and to save people’s lives.
We in Jordan are very supportive of the two-state solution for the Palestinian problem. And we always say that solving the Palestinian problem is of utmost interest to Jordan, as the lives of Jordanians and Palestinians are intertwined. So, we call for a ceasefire in order to save lives.
Israel is saying that this is going to be a decisive war…
The word war is simplifying the matter; it’s a genocide. So, war is not the right term to use, and Israel has always treated the Palestinians in a harsh way. You should ask Israelis when they’re going to stop. Mostly, the whole world is asking for the war to stop. It’s the responsibility of Israelis: they are invading Gaza, putting their tanks and artillery in Gaza, killing whoever is showing up.
You mentioned Queen Rania’s interview with CNN in which she also put the responsibility on Western countries for aggravating the war
It’s not putting responsibility. Her Majesty was saying that Palestinian women and mothers are suffering as well. Why is this different look for the problems faced by Palestinians? We should have international standards regarding this, whether it’s a Palestinian, a Ukrainian, or a Jordanian. No double-standards should be applied here.
This offensive is also going to create a lot of displacement and refugee crisis. So, what do you think of those who get displaced?
Israel wishes to displace and transfer people. We are completely opposed to that and we will not accept that. And, I think, all Arab countries are united on this, no more transfer or displacement by the Israeli forces; that’s a red line for all Arab countries.
Do you think the UN has been ineffective so far in stopping this conflict?
I think the UN was very clear; the Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) was very clear in his speech. But would the Israelis allow the UN to work in Gaza? Would they allow the UN agency to do their job in Gaza or not? What I have been saying is that nobody can do his job in Gaza because of the Israeli invasion.
