US, Saudi Arabia condemn attack by Israelis on Jordanian aid convoy bound for Gaza

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Israeli security forces guard aid trucks making their way to the Gaza Strip while people protest them, on Route 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, May 6, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Israeli security forces guard aid trucks making their way to the Gaza Strip while people protest them, on Route 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, May 6, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The US and Saudi Arabia have issued statements condemning the latest attack by Israeli extremists on a Jordanian aid convoy en route to Gaza.

In a call with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “strongly condemned” the attacks and “reiterated that the United States expects the government of Israel to take full and appropriate measures to prevent those attacks and hold those responsible accountable,” the State Department says in a readout from their call earlier today.

Israeli police have arrested several suspects but the government has yet to speak out publicly against the phenomenon led largely by right-wing, Orthodox extremists.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry issued its own condemnation, saying “that the repetition of these attacks is the result of the Israeli occupation forces’ failure to carry out their responsibilities under international humanitarian law.”

“This is considered a systematic collusion to prevent the arrival of necessary humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” the Saudi statement says.

Israel is obligated under international law to ensure that is is not blocking humanitarian aid from reaching those in need.

Riyadh “stresses the kingdom’s call for the international community to take all necessary measures towards holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its violations of international law and international humanitarian law.”

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