President Joe Biden was slated to meet with regional leaders in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, but the government of that country announced Tuesday that it had cancelled the meeting altogether.
Slated to participate were Biden, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi. A Palestinian official stated earlier on Tuesday that Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas canceled his planned participation to protest an alleged Israeli strike on a Gazan hospital.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced the summit's cancellation on Tuesday, the Times of Israel reported. The decision came after a riot broke out at the Israeli embassy in Amman, with video footage showing pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the complex. Footage also showed smoke and police sirens, though it was unclear whether anyone had attempted to break into the facility. What role the riot may have played in the decision to cancel the summit remains unclear.
That development came amid outcry over the destruction of the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday. The explosion resulted in at least 500 dead, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. Hamas, which governs the area, has blamed the Israelis, though the Israel Defense Forces deny any part in the hospital's destruction.
