Israel won’t achieve peace without Palestinian state: Jordan

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Jordan’s foreign minister said Tuesday the creation of a Palestinian state is the key to peace in the region.

“Without the establishment of a sovereign state for the Palestinians, Israel will not achieve peace," Ayman Safadi said at the Future of Palestine Conference in Ankara.

He said Israel only brings destruction to the region.

“Israel does not seek peace and stability for the countries of the region, as it destroyed Gaza and is expanding its aggression against Lebanon,” he added.

"Israel has lost the war both politically and morally," Safadi said.

The top diplomat stressed that no single aid truck has been allowed into Gaza since Sept. 30 amid its ongoing war on the enclave.

“Israel continues to bomb shelters, hospitals, and schools,” he said. “Israel is expanding its control over more occupied Palestinian territories by building more settlements.”

“What Israel is doing is a war crime,” Safadi said.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 42,300 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last year.

The conflict has spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, which have killed more than 1,542 people and injured over 4,555 others since Sept. 23.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching on Oct. 1 a ground invasion into southern Lebanon.