Amman: Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi Tuesday condemned the Israeli offensive in Jenin in the occupied West Bank that killed seven Palestinians and wounded nine so far.

During a press conference with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, Safadi said, “We condemn this aggression and demand that it stop immediately, and we call on the international community to take a clear position to stop all these operations that only lead to more killing of innocent Palestinians and further escalation.”

He said the occupied West Bank “is suffering from illegal Israeli measures that increase the suffering of the Palestinian people there.”

Safadi added, “We affirm our clear political position that states that the aggression against Gaza must stop, that war crimes against the Palestinian people must stop.”

He added, “The use of starvation as a weapon is a war crime that must end. The killing of innocents is a war crime that must stop and the international community must move immediately and effectively to protect the P
alestinian people from an aggression that, in its barbarism and aggression, exceeds everything that is legally, humanely and morally acceptable.”

Billstrom said, “Our discussion today focused on the deteriorating situation in Gaza, the West Bank, and the region,” lauding the Kingdom’s role and humanitarian and political work to end the war in embattled Gaza.

He added, “Jordan is greatly affected by this crisis on the humanitarian level, and Sweden and the European Union are committed to working to bring peace, a ceasefire, an exchange of prisoners, reaching two-state solution negotiations and supporting the Palestinian Authority.”

Safadi said, “Jordan and Sweden agree on the need for there to be full compliance with international law and international humanitarian law, which requires the full and immediate entry of humanitarian aid into all of the Gaza Strip.”

He said, “The Minister and I discussed the efforts made to reach an immediate ceasefire, ensure adequate entry of aid into all parts of the Gaza St
rip and address the humanitarian situation in its entirety, including the entry of food and other issues related to health infrastructure, water, services, fuel and so on.”

“We also talked about the economic siege facing the West Bank, where the Israeli government is not abiding by its legal obligations to pay the Palestinian National Authority’s financial dues, which reflects very negatively on the authority’s ability to manage people’s affairs,” he added.

Safadi added, “The priorities are clear for us. We agree on the longer political vision that is peace is achieved through the two-state solution according to the international law and international legitimacy resolutions.”

He said, “Jordan and Sweden are partners, and we have strong partnership and friendship relations that have been demonstrated in continuous cooperation on various aspects, whether on the bilateral side or even in our joint efforts to achieve security and stability in the region.”

Safadi praised Jordan’s partnership with Sweden over t
he past years in supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

He said, “Together, we organised more than one conference that contributed to mobilising political and financial support for UNRWA, and Sweden continues to support the agency, especially in this circumstance.”

Safadi appreciated Sweden’s support for a ceasefire, respect for international law and international humanitarian law and support for the region’s right to live in security and peace by achieving and implementing the two-state solution.

He said, “Today we signed a memorandum of understanding for political consultations between the two countries. This will allow us to think strategically every year about the prospects for cooperation and agree on practical, applicable steps that will take our relations to better levels of cooperation and coordination.”

Billstrom said, “Jordan and Sweden are friends and allies, and our relationship has deepened in recent years. The Swedish embassy in Amman is the lar
gest Swedish embassy in the region. Today, we signed a memorandum of understanding regarding political consultations between the two countries. This is another embodiment of our strong relationship.”

He added, “The human suffering in Gaza must stop, there must be a permanent and immediate ceasefire, and Israel must adhere to international and humanitarian laws and allow the entry of humanitarian aid.”

He said, “Since October, we have increased the volume of humanitarian aid by about pound 45 million. We increased that even more last week with an additional pound 10 million, which will go to local programmes, UNICEF and UNFPA.”

Source: Jordan News Agency