Lebanon ceasefire, step to ending Gaza war, says Jordan

Jordan welcomed a ceasefire that entered into force Wednesday between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, calling it a critical step towards ending the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

A foreign ministry statement said the ceasefire was “an important step that must be followed by an international effort to end the aggression against the Gaza Strip and Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank”.

The ministry’s spokesman, Sufyan Qudah, reaffirmed “the kingdom’s support for its brotherly Lebanon, its security, stability, sovereignty and the protection of its citizens”.

The statement also stressed “the need for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701”, which served as the basis for the ceasefire that took effect on Wednesday.

The resolution ended the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, requiring only the Lebanese state’s armed forces and UN peacekeepers to be present in Lebanon’s south.

Jordan also expressed support for “strengthening Lebanon’s national institutions, reconstruction, and providing the necessary economic aid to the country”.

The ceasefire ended two months of full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges of fire.

Jordan, where nearly half the population is of Palestinian origin, became the second Arab state after Egypt to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, formally ending the state of war between the neighbours.

AFP