AMMAN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday said humanitarian access to Gaza cannot wait for a ceasefire and cannot be subject to the political agendas of any party.
King Abdullah made the remarks at the opening of an emergency humanitarian conference held in Jordan, where he stressed that Gazans are facing death and devastation that has far surpassed any conflict in over twenty years.
The king said a famine looms large and trauma is ever-present, the effects of which will remain for generations.
Calling for intensified international efforts in this regard, the king said the international humanitarian response in Gaza has been severely lacking, with the delivery of aid facing obstacles at every level.
"Humanitarian access cannot wait for a ceasefire and cannot be subject to the political agendas of any party," he told the attendees at the conference including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"The people of Gaza are not looking to us for platitudes and speeches. They want action. And they need that now," he added.
The Jordanian king called for a robust mechanism for coordination that engages all parties on the ground, stressing that effective and comprehensive de-confliction is key to ensuring that aid agencies can perform their duties safely, sufficiently and sustainably.
The conference, co-organized by Jordan, Egypt, and the United Nations, aims at identifying the steps needed to ensure an active response in Gaza, as well as outlining operational and logistical needs, and committing to a unified humanitarian response. ■
