Spain’s King Felipe VI calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and brands the deadly conflict ‘unacceptable’

SPAIN’S King Felipe VI has called for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict during a visit to Jordan.

The monarch criticised those who chose war over peace, saying ‘changing the lives of millions of innocent civilians, ending lives while redrawing borders and displacing populations: it is unacceptable’.

Felipe on Sunday met with the Jordanian King, Abdullah II, at the Al Husseiniya palace, accompanied by Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares.

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During talks, Felipe VI said that he arrived in Jordan on Saturday with ‘a heavy heart’ in at a difficult time for the Middle East, and expressed his solidarity and support for the crucial role played by Jordan.

Spain and Jordan, the monarch insisted, are united by a shared desire for peace in the conviction that ‘the only possible way out of this endless cycle of violence is through two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and stability’.

He acknowledge Jordan’s humanitarian leadership and its ‘immense generosity towards the innocent victims of the region’s conflicts’.

Felipe VI also referred to the cordial relationship that unites the royal houses of the two countries and highlighted the ‘immense effort’ that Jordan is making to build ‘a better future’.

Sunday’s meeting with Abdullah took place after the king’s visit early in the morning to the UNRWA refugee camp in Baqa, on the outskirts of Amman, where he saw the work first hand of the UN agency.

He also met with representatives of the Spanish community and highlighted Jordan’s ‘tireless work’ to bring aid to those in need- supported by Spain- as well as the compassion with which it has opened its doors “to those fleeing the scourge of war’.