As the tragic events in Syria’s Sweida province escalate, where members of the Druze community are enduring brutal assaults by extremist militias led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, neighboring countries face a profound moral and political test. Jordan’s stance, in particular, raises pressing questions and justified outrage, reflecting both a history of loyalty left unrewarded and a present-day position that lacks even the most basic sense of humanitarian duty.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian war, Sweida province has served as a bulwark for Jordan’s northern border. As ISIS advanced across the Syrian desert and into the south, Sweida stood as a shield, protecting the kingdom from the onslaught of extremists. Its people sacrificed to defend land and honor, asking for nothing in return and never compromising their national principles.
Even King Abdullah II has acknowledged, on multiple occasions, that Sweida prevented the spread of terrorism into Jordanian territory and that the Druze Mountain’s people were a model of courage and discipline. Yet this historical recognition has not translated into meaningful humanitarian action today.
While Jordan opens a crossing through Israel to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, it flatly refuses to open even a single humanitarian passage to Sweida, which is suffering under a suffocating siege and catastrophic conditions. This contradiction exposes unmistakable double standards and poses a fundamental question: Are the blood and suffering of innocents to be measured by geography and political affiliation?
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The people of Sweida are not asking for military intervention or political involvement, only for a humanitarian corridor to bring in food and medicine, a right guaranteed by international conventions and basic moral values. Yet Jordan has remained coldly silent, sealing its borders as if the mountain’s suffering were of no concern.
The late King Hussein bin Talal was renowned for his noble Arab and humanitarian spirit and, on many occasions, stood with oppressed peoples, refusing to compromise on dignity. Were he alive today, he would not have allowed the blood of Sweida’s people to be shed without taking a stand of honor.
Munir DahirIsrael, which facilitates the passage of aid through its territory, should act to pressure Jordan to open a humanitarian crossing to Sweida, linking the two humanitarian channels. This is not a matter of political courtesy but a moral imperative in the face of a worsening humanitarian tragedy.
Humanity admits no selectivity, and history will not forgive those who had the ability to help yet chose inaction. Cold neutrality in a time of bloodshed is not a noble stance; it is a betrayal of shared memory, a moral failure and a stain on honor.