Jordan king urges full Gaza truce in talks with US prez

The United States has angered some of its allies in the Middle East by refusing to call for a full ceasefire

- 

JorII appealed for a full ceasefire to end the Gaza war after talks with Joe Biden on Monday, striking a discordant note with the US president who is seeking a shorter six-week pause to give Israel time to defeat Hamas.

Speaking at the White House, the two leaders both warned however against any indiscriminate Israeli ground incursion into Gaza's southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are trapped.

"We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah. It is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe," said the Jordanian king, taking the lectern after Biden had spoken first.

"We cannot stand by and let this continue. We need a lasting ceasefire now - this war must end," added Abdullah, who has repeatedly pushed for a full truce to end the conflict that started when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

The United States has angered some Middle East allies by consistently refusing to call for a full ceasefire, with Washington saying that it backs Israel's drive to defeat Hamas, and calling for shorter pauses with hostage deals instead.