Thousands rally in Amman for Gaza ceasefire

Jordanian demonstrators take part in a protest in Amman on Friday in support of Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (Reuters)
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Updated 04 November 2023
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Thousands rally in Amman for Gaza ceasefire

  • Protesters chant slogans in support of Palestinian resistance and against Arab ‘normalization’ with Israel

AMMAN: Some 5,000 Jordanians protested Friday in the capital Amman, calling on King Abdullah II to press for a ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, AFP correspondents said.

Speaking at the demonstration, lawmaker Yanal Fraihat said protesters wanted the king “to stop the aggression against Gaza” by using Jordan’s peace agreement with Israel as leverage.
The rally came a day ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who was to discuss the ongoing Gaza war with his Jordanian counterpart.
Israel launched an intense military campaign against Hamas after it staged a surprise Oct. 7 assault.

BACKGROUND

Ahead of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s visit on Saturday, the office of Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the pair would discuss ‘the catastrophic conditions in Gaza’ and how to end Israel’s military action there.

Waving Jordanian and Palestinian flags, protesters denounced as “shameful” the kingdom’s 1994 peace agreement with Israel, calling it an act of “surrender” that the king should nullify.
The rally outside a mosque near the Israeli Embassy in Amman took place amid a heavy presence of Jordanian security forces, the correspondents said.
Another rally with some 1,500 protesters took place outside a prominent mosque in central Amman, where demonstrators chanted slogans in support of the Palestinian “resistance” and against Arab “normalization” with Israel.
Other protests took place in several cities in Jordan’s north including Irbid and Zarqa.
Ahead of Blinken’s visit on Saturday, the office of Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the pair would discuss “the catastrophic conditions in Gaza” and how to end Israel’s military action there.
In 1994, Jordan became the second Arab state to make peace with Israel after Egypt in 1979.
Its population includes more than 2 million Palestinian refugees.
On Wednesday, Jordan said it would “immediately” recall its ambassador to Israel to protest the war in Gaza.
In response, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said Israel “regrets the decision of the Jordanian government to recall its ambassador.”
The last time Jordan recalled its ambassador  to Israel was in 2019.
Since the war began, Jordan has seen several large protests in support of Gaza, with demonstrators demanding that it annul the peace treaty with Israel and close the Israeli Embassy.

 


Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction

Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares. (AP)
Updated 02 January 2026
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Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction

  • Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza. 
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. 
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.