German chancellor warns Hezbollah, Iran not to intervene in ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Timo Kirez

GENEVA (AA) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday warned the Hezbollah resistance group in Lebanon and Iran not to intervene in the ongoing deadly armed conflict between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel.

"The Palestinians are not Hamas, and Hamas has no right to speak for them," Scholz said at a joint press conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Berlin following their meeting in Berlin, which was live-streamed by several broadcasters.

On Saturday, Jordan's King began a European tour that included a stop in France to rally international support for an end to Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.

The meeting at the Berlin Chancellery was originally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but it was moved up due to Scholz's upcoming trip to Israel.

"We are continuing our humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population," the German chancellor said, warning "Hezbollah and Iran not to intervene in the conflict."

It was a matter of "preventing a conflagration in the region," he emphasized, praising Jordan's years of mediation to keep tensions in the region from escalating.

"For many years, Jordan has served as a stabilizing and mediating force. In recent years, they've done a lot, visibly and invisibly, to successfully contain such escalations time and again," he said, praising Amman for hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian and Palestinian refugees.

Scholz proposed that the status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem be maintained.

King Abdullah II, for his part, has warned that the Gaza war's dangers are real and will have "dire consequences for all."

“We must all stand by the victims of violence regardless of their nationality, identity, and religion,” he said.

He emphasized that humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza immediately, adding, "The entire region is on the verge of collapse, pushed by this new cycle of death and destruction."

King Abdullah II condemned the "murder of civilians on both sides." At the same time, he stressed that it is unacceptable that many people in Gaza lacked access to food, water, electricity, and other basic services.

The Jordanian king urged the restoration of a political process leading to a two-state solution.

"This is the only way for a secure future for Palestinians and Israelis and for everyone in the region," he asserted.

He also warned against attempting to push Palestinian refugees into Egypt or Jordan, saying the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank must be resolved.

"This is a red line because I believe this is the plan of some of the usual suspects who are attempting to create de facto problems on the ground,” Jordan's king said, adding “no to refugees in Jordan and in Egypt."

Eleven days into the conflict with Palestinian group Hamas, Israel's bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip has continued, with over one million people displaced – almost half of Gaza's total population, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The fighting began when Hamas on Oct. 7 initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.

At least 2,848 Palestinians, including 750 children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, while the death toll from such Israeli attacks in the West Bank has reached 60.

More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the armed conflict.