In a rare interview Sunday night with Saudi TV channel Al Arabiya, Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah attacked Israel over the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Hussein said that the Jordanians are working to turn the positions of more countries against Israel, and defined it as a real "diplomatic and political battle."
The prince noted that the Jordanians viewed the Palestinian issue as a national interest and would continue to advocate for them. He said that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has gone on for the last 25 years, but has become more public since October 7.
“The Israeli government is escalating the situation in the West Bank as well and trying to drag the region into a regional war,” he said. “We are dealing with a government controlled by an extremist agenda with ministers publicly inciting genocide against Palestinians.”
The crown prince also criticized the world's reaction to the Gaza war. “It is inconceivable that the entire world cannot stop this ongoing tragedy. We are all shocked by the international community’s inability to stop this massacre,” he said. “People in our region have lost trust in the international community and its credibility, and they are right.”
“To date, 35,000 people have been killed, 70% of whom are women and children. What number will move the world to act?” he asked.
He added that, since the start of the Gaza war, Jordan has been in a "diplomatic and political battle," and that it has worked to "change the position of many countries against Israel," despite any political or economic cost to the kingdom.
Hussein also said that his country is looking forward to improving its relations with Iran. Jordan, he said, "seeks amicable relations with Iran, based on the principle of good neighborly relations and non-intervention in the affairs of other countries." He added that there is a Jordanian-Iranian dialogue on all issues.
He also discussed his admiration for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and said of Jordan's relationship with Saudi Arabia, “We have a historic relationship and a shared future, and this is not just a slogan.”
"We will increase cooperation with Saudi Arabia and work for a better future for our people. Continued cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Jordan is in the interest of the region," he said.
In a November interview with CNN, Queen Rania of Jordan attacked Israel and the backlash she received at the time from U.S. President Joe Biden. She said "Israel does not represent all Jews around the world. Israel is a country, and is solely responsible for its crimes."
A month earlier, about two and a half weeks after the October 7 massacre, the queen was interviewed by CNN and cast doubt on the atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists in the attack on the Gaza border communities.
"The U.S. president said he had evidence, that he had seen evidence that children's heads had been decapitated, only to retract it later because the IDF said there was no proof of this. This is confirmation bias," claimed the queen, who is of Palestinian origin.