U.S. President Joe Biden will postpone his visit to Jordan and a planned meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and President Sisi of Egypt, the White House confirmed on Oct. 17.
The President was scheduled to travel to Jordan following a scheduled visit to Israel on Oct. 18.
"After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and President Sisi of Egypt," the White House stated in a statement.
According to a senior White House official, the decision to cancel the meeting was "mutual."
Earlier today, hundreds of people were been confirmed dead in a strike on a Gaza City hospital. Hamas blamed an Israeli air strike, while Israel claims the hospital was hit by a rocket misfired by a radical Palestinian militant group.
"Immediately upon hearing this news [of the strike], I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened," President Biden stated on X.
"The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy."
A Jordanian official reportedly told journalists from NBC News that all parties agreed to the cancellation. The official stated that the summit would not be able to achieve any goals under the current circumstances.
Daria Shulzhenko
(Updated: )
