Jordan's King Abdullah II Accuses Israel of Undermining Palestinian Statehood at UN

King Abdullah II of Jordan delivered a strong critique of Israeli policy at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, accusing the Israeli government of actively working to prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. He asserted that Israel's actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Syria pose a significant threat to regional stability.

Addressing the situation in Gaza, King Abdullah II criticized Israel for prolonging the conflict and hindering U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to achieve peace. He claimed Israel continuously alters its demands, persists with attacks, and refuses to withdraw, leading to Palestinians being confined to a small fraction of their territory. The King also condemned the escalating violence by settlers, land seizures, settlement expansion, and forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank, stating that what was once a gradual process has now significantly accelerated.

"The reality on the ground is being reshaped: Gaza by destruction, the West Bank by de facto annexation," King Abdullah II declared, emphasizing that the ultimate goal in both cases is to make a viable Palestinian state impossible. He attributed the current conflict partly to decades of international community focus on managing rather than resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

Furthermore, the Jordanian monarch denounced Israel's military presence and activities in southern Syria, warning that its "expansionist appetite" now constitutes a regional threat and that Syria serves as a warning the international community is ignoring. King Abdullah II concluded by stating that Jordan would respond to any direct threats to its national security, including those targeting its northern border or water security, noting that a water agreement with Israel had expired at the end of 2025 without renewal.