Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi Sunday said the number of victims from the Israeli war on Gaza is increasing “day by day, and what we are seeing is not only the killing of innocent people and the destruction of their livelihoods, but a systematic effort to empty Gaza of its people.”

Safadi said: “We have seen the amount of destruction in the northern Gaza Strip, which is an indication of an Israeli policy that seems determined to expel the residents of Gaza from it as part of a systematic policy defended by members of the Israeli government, such as Ben Gvir, Smotrich, and others who say publicly and frankly that they want to wipe out the Palestinians from the face of the earth.”

In the Doha Forum, which opened Sunday morning and was entitled “What Now for the Middle East,” Safadi said, “As this war continues, it reveals more and more a goal for Israel that goes beyond its declared goal of ‘getting rid of Hamas’ to create a new reality on the ground, a reality that will destroy the future with more hatred an
d more conflict in this part of the world.

He said, “Our efforts have not stopped trying to explain the danger inherent in the continuation of this aggression, and we have not seen the world come yet to do what must be done to end this war, which falls within the legal definition of genocide.

“We were very disappointed that the Security Council resolution, which simply called for a humanitarian ceasefire, was vetoed by the United States of America.”

Safadi said, “We had a very frank conversation with the US Secretary of State, and the Arab and Islamic delegation was clear. Our priorities were set to stop the aggression, allow adequate humanitarian supplies to all parts of Gaza and ensure the protection of civilians.”

He reiterated that the conflict was not born on October 7. “There is a historical context that must be addressed if the residents of the region-Israelis and Palestinians-want to live in peace.”

Safadi added, “Some of the positions taken by the United States against displacement and control o
f any part of Gaza and allowing adequate supplies to enter are important positions. Nonetheless, we have a major disagreement about the necessity of stopping these atrocities committed by Israel.”

Safadi said, “The reality is that everyone is asking Israel to act according to international law, including the United States of America, which has asked Israel to abide by international law. Simply put, Israel is defying everyone-its allies, international law, and the United Nations.

He added, “If you go around the region and talk to the young generation that wakes up to these atrocities every day, you see that Israel has created an amount of hatred that will haunt this region and that will define future generations. It harms its people as much as it affects everyone in the region.”

He cast doubt on Israel’s ability to declare a victory in Gaza. “This is a war Israel cannot win. Israel has already suffered a strategic defeat, and this is what we must remember. I think it is incomprehensible that the world allow
s Israel to continue killing innocent people.”

Responding to a question about Arab efforts to influence Washington to pressure Israel, Safadi said, “Just stop this war, stop this madness, stop this aggression that is dragging the region into the abyss of conflict… we are facing a conflict with a danger of expansion.”

Safadi said, “How can we talk about the structure in the Gaza Strip after the war when no one knows what the Gaza Strip will look like after the end of the Israeli attack? This is the most prominent point.

What is happening at present is that the Israeli government is defying the entire international community.”

He added, “Israel’s ability to go beyond the Palestinian people and their rights to achieve the peace that suits it. We have always been an opponent of this approach, and we have always said that the central issue in this region is Palestine.”

He added, “I think the conversation should be about why there is a conflict in the region. We have an occupation that deprives the Palestini
an people of their rights, strips the Palestinians of their humanity, and refuses to show any signs of ending the occupation.

“Unless the occupation ends, there will be no peace in the region.”

He said, “Let us look at the facts and figures. The number of settlements in the West Bank has increased by more than 400 per cent since the Oslo Accords, and the area of confiscated land is a stranglehold on the Palestinian economy.

“The West Bank is a captive of the Israeli market, and the per capita share of the Palestinian GDP is less than 3,000 dollars.” The Israeli GDP per capita exceeds $50 thousand. There was a systematic Israeli policy to undermine the feasibility of the two-state solution.”

On the sidelines of the forum, Safadi met with Algeria’s Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, on the Israeli war on Gaza and discussed the need to stop the Israeli “war crimes and violations” in the besieged enclave.

Safadi met with the CEO of the International Crisis Group, Comfort Ero, and Australian Assistant Foreign Min
ister Tim Watts in two separate meetings that discussed the efforts made to stop the war on Gaza.

Safadi stressed the “need” for Israel to abide by the rules of international law and international humanitarian law. He called for delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Source: Jordan News Agency