Jordanian king: ‘Nobody’ will enforce Gaza ceasefire militarily

King Abdullah II says no foreign power is willing to enforce the Gaza ceasefire by force.

By World Israel News Staff

In an interview with the BBC, Jordan’s King Abdullah II stressed that Jordan and other regional powers supporting the Trump-brokered ceasefire in Gaza would not send troops to disarm or fight Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The monarch said he was speaking on behalf of all international powers that may be asked to carry out a peacekeeping mission in Gaza, insisting that no countries view ensuring the stability of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas through military means as part of their obligations.

“Peacekeeping is that you’re sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time,” Abdullah told the BBC. “If we’re running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that’s not a situation that any country would like to get involved in.”

He added that “enforcing” the ceasefire is something that “nobody will want to touch.”

Abdullah emphasized that no Jordanian soldiers would be deployed on the ground in Gaza, noting that due to Jordan’s large Palestinian population, his country was “too close politically” to send troops into the embattled enclave.

The royal was evasive when asked by the BBC interviewer whether he trusts Hamas, responding that he doesn’t “know them, but those that are working extremely close to [Hamas] – Qatar and Egypt – feel very, very optimistic that they will abide by” the terms of the ceasefire.

Abdullah’s wife, Queen Rania, who is Palestinian, praised President Donald Trump for what she said was his success in pressuring Israel into agreeing to a ceasefire with Hamas.

“To his credit, Trump was the first president in a long time to actually apply pressure on Israel. Beforehand, when they crossed lines, the U.S. president would just maybe just say a few words of rebuke or they just get a slap on the wrist,” Rania told the BBC.

“President Trump actually got [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to actually agree to a ceasefire. And I hope that he continues to be engaged in this process.”