Jordan says Israel accountable for Gaza bloodshed

AMMAN — Minister of State for Media Affairs and Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani on Friday condemned Israeli escalations against the Gaza Strip that resulted in the death of 16 Palestinian peaceful protestors and wounding hundreds, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

Momani held Israel as an occupying power accountable for what happened in Gaza: for its violations and hostility against peaceful demonstrations of defenceless Palestinians, marching for the cause of refugee return to their homeland, exercising a legal, political and human right guaranteed by international laws.

Momani called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities in pressuring Israel to abide by its obligations as the occupying power and to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the majority of the population depends daily on UNRWA’s aid.

The minister stressed that the lack of a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, one which guarantees the rights to freedom and a statehood for Palestinians, will create an environment of despair that breeds extremism and leads to more violence that ultimately serves the extremists’ agendas. 

He called for intensifying efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the two-state solution, which, he said, is the only formula that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

Momani also called on resolving the refugee issue on the basis of UN Resolution 194 and the Arab Peace Initiative.