U.S. President Joe Biden met Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House on Monday, coming face-to-face with a longtime ally who has been vocal in calling for a Gaza ceasefire.
U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pose for a picture with Jordan's King Abdullah, Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein, at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2024. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
U.S. President Joe Biden met Jordan's King Abdullah at the White House on Monday, coming face-to-face with a longtime ally who has been vocal in calling for a Gaza ceasefire.
Biden greeted the king warmly on arrival at the White House. The two leaders proceeded inside the residence for their discussions. They were to make statements to the news media later.
The meeting came as Biden has become increasingly vocal in his demand that Israel not undertake a ground offensive in Gaza's southern city of Rafah without a plan to protect Palestinian civilians who are massed there.
Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, and the White House said he stressed that "a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there."
Before embarking on a tour of Western capitals, Abdullah participated in an airdrop of humanitarian aid to Gaza, a move that highlighted his kingdom's role in pushing Israel to stop restricting efforts to help fend off illness, hunger and starvation in the war-torn enclave.
The king, who has been vocal in calling for an end to Israel's campaign, is expected to urge Biden to support an immediate ceasefire.
Biden's team has been trying to negotiate a pause in the fighting in order to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas since the Palestinian militant group that governs Gaza launched an attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people.
Palestinian health officials estimate that more than 28,000 people in Gaza have been killed in Israel's offensive against Hamas fighters.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on Sunday that Biden's meeting with the king would focus on ending the war in Gaza.
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland
Dozens of Palestinians carried the body of Hamas' armed wing chief through the streets of Gaza City in a funeral procession on Wednesday, a day after Israel killed him as it moves to eliminate the militant group's top brass despite a ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday told a cabinet meeting that Iran very much wanted to make a deal, but that the U.S. was not satisfied with it yet.
An oil products tanker operated by Chinese shipping group COSCO was in the process of crossing through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, after two crude tankers sailed in the past day, although oil traffic overall was still limited, shipping data showed.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.