Biden's Shocking Snub: Middle East Allies' Outrage over Gaza Hospital Blast Revealed!

President Joe Biden and his diplomats received a chilly reception from some of the United States' closest Arab allies during their efforts to curb the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict and prevent it from spreading throughout the Middle East.

Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority have opted to cancel the scheduled meeting with Biden just under 24 hours before the planned four-way summit in Amman, the capital of Jordan, on Wednesday. The decision to cancel comes in the wake of a devastating explosion at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of numerous Palestinians. Palestinian officials point fingers at Israel for the hospital blast, while Israeli officials claim it was caused by a misfired rocket belonging to Islamic Jihad.

Jordans Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi expressed to Al Jazeera in the early hours of Wednesday that the summit would not be able to bring an end to the ongoing war, which is the ultimate objective. Describing the hospital explosion as a war crime, Safadi stated, "So, we concluded not to proceed with it."

Biden arrived in Tel Aviv on Wednesday and had a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the Israeli war cabinet. The president assured Israel of ongoing support and conveyed to Netanyahu that the hospital explosion "seems to have been carried out by another party, not by your team." On Wednesday, the National Security Council stated that the government's current belief is that Israel is not accountable for the blast.

CNN is unable to independently confirm the cause of the explosion or the number of casualties.

Arab leaders are showing signs of concern over the strong backing that Washington is giving to Israel in the ongoing conflict, prompting them to try and create some distance from the Biden administration as anger among the Arab population continues to grow against Israel. The attack on Israel by Hamas rulers in Gaza on October 7 resulted in the deaths of at least 1,400 people in the country, while Gaza has seen a death toll of at least 3,478 since then.

Following reports of the hospital explosion on Tuesday, anti-Israel demonstrations have erupted in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, and in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing on Monday.

Fatima Shbair/AP

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Arab leaders are expected to be cautious about potential protests in their own countries escalating, as they witness relentless media coverage of the Gaza war with the continuous flow of images showing Palestinian casualties on almost all Arabic news channels. Jordan, in particular, faces the risk of protests due to a significant portion of its population identifying with Palestinian heritage. Egypt, on the other hand, announced three days of mourning for the victims of the Gaza hospital on Wednesday.

According to Abdul Khaleq Abdulla, a commentator from the United Arab Emirates familiar with official thinking, Biden's strong emotional connection to Israel is unprecedented among previous US presidents. Arab states are greatly surprised and dismayed by his apparent reluctance to criticize Israel or intervene to end the violence. Abdulla stated that the current sentiment towards Biden is that he is complicit in the harm inflicted upon Palestinians, leading Arab states to distance themselves from him and disregard any meetings with him.

Egypt and Jordan, two neighboring countries of Israel and the Palestinian territories, have strongly opposed a US initiative to create a secure passage in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula for Palestinians seeking refuge from Gaza, which shares a border with Egypt.

Displacement is a red line

King Abdullah of Jordan issued a stern warning on Tuesday, emphasizing that the transfer of Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt is a non-negotiable boundary. He made it clear that both Jordan and Egypt would refuse to accept refugees from Gaza. The King dismissed any proposal suggesting that these two nations offer shelter to fleeing Gazans, asserting that such a plan is orchestrated by familiar actors with intentions to complicate matters on the ground. This implies that there may be obstacles in allowing the refugees to return to their homes.

The United States' suggestion has incited strong anger in the Arab world. Media outlets in the region have claimed that the proposal aligns with Israel's agenda to depopulate the Gaza Strip of Palestinians and potentially reoccupy it, thus leaving the Palestinians homeless once again with no hope of returning. It is worth mentioning that Israel governed Gaza from 1967 to 2005 and facilitated Jewish settlements during that period.

Smoke rises from Israeli raids on October 13, 2023 in Gaza City, Gaza.

Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images

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Egyptian newspapers have strongly criticized the notion of Palestinians being forced out of their homes, describing it as a repetition of the 1948 Nakba, a tragic event when around 700,000 Palestinians were displaced or driven away from their homes during the Arab-Israeli conflict that led to the establishment of Israel. The majority of Gazans are already descendants of refugees who originated from areas that are now part of Israel.

During a news conference held alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi vehemently opposed the idea of relocating Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula, expressing his belief that it is the responsibility of Israel, not Egypt, to provide shelter and support for the refugees.

Sisi proposed relocating Palestinians to the Negev desert in Israel if there is a plan for expulsion, until Israel completes its operation to eliminate resistance groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Furthermore, he cautioned that having Gazans in the Sinai might transform the peninsula into a hub for anti-Israel militants, potentially triggering Israeli strikes against Egypt.

According to Timothy Kaldas, deputy director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy in Washington, DC, Arab leaders are reluctant to be perceived as contributing to the displacement of Gaza. Kaldas stated that Sisi is actively making efforts to create a gap between himself and his Western allies regarding this matter, in order to protect himself from potential public backlash and resentment.

Two Palestinian women look at the massive destruction following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City's al-Rimal district, on October 10.

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Sisi's remarks followed a statement from Egypt's Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, who stated in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour that Egypt, like Europe and the US, is also concerned about the potential consequences of a large number of refugees seeking asylum.

Shoukry questioned why Egypt should be expected to accommodate an additional one or two million individuals, highlighting that the country already provides support to nine million refugees. He expressed confusion about the motivations behind the transfer of Palestinians, suggesting that it could be a deliberate action.

Kaldas stated that Western governments, who have established friendly relationships with Arab autocrats, have often viewed their capacity to ignore public opinion as an advantage. However, Kaldas acknowledged that this may not hold true, particularly at present.

According to him, even autocratic regimes consist of populations who possess opinions, emotions, and limits. Kaldas emphasized that this aspect has undoubtedly enraged nearly everyone in Egypt.

CNN reporters Akanksha Sharma, Hamdi Alkhshali, DJ Judd, Eyad Kourdi, Tim Lister, Chloe Liu, Ben Wedeman, Celine Alkhaldi, and Abeer Salman have all contributed to this report. Gain a deeper understanding of the significant events and developments in the Middle East and their impact on your world. Subscribe to CNN's Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter today.