Inside Al Husseiniya Palaceduring the lunch that Felipe VI had this morning with Abdullah II of Jordan Before embarking on his return trip to Madrid, the king did not want to engage in evaluations of the conflict in the Middle East and limited himself to praising the bilateral relations that have existed for so many years between the Spain and Jordan.
Gestures in diplomacy are everything. If yesterday he supported the Spanish community residing in Jordan, Don Felipe this morning visited a refugee neighborhood in Amman and after meeting King Abdullah to remind us that the friendship that unites them is reciprocal: “Our friendship comes and goes in our families and our nations. . It inspires us and makes us look to the future as we remember the 25th anniversary of your accession to the throne. I’m also ten years old and we have a lot in common.
“These have been complicated times for this region and rest assured that our affection is with you, also from the government and towards the Jordanians,” said the King, who supported the role that Jordan plays in the Middle East to promote stability. .in the region.
Don Felipe thanked Jordan for its work, through a union based on the borders of the Mediterranean, which encouraged the King of Jordan and the two delegations to “continue feeding.”
Felipe VI visits Baqa’a camp
“We can only admire Jordan’s commitment to confronting such a critical and lasting situation,” said the king, who traveled early in the morning from central Amman to the Baqa’a neighborhood, located about thirty minutes to the west. of the city. They live there 130,000 Palestinians.
This neighborhood began in 1967 as a colony of Palestinians fleeing the conflict in Gaza and arriving in Jordan as refugees. Although in Amman this area is called the Baqa’a field, the reality is that today it is just one neighborhood among others in the Jordanian capital and has been integrated into society for almost 4 million inhabitants there are in Amman, a total of 2.6 are Palestinians.
King Philippe with King Abdullah II of Jordan, during the meeting they had this Sunday in Amman
In this area of the city, King Philip visited a Palestinian girls’ school in UNRWAthe United Nations agency that works with Palestinian refugees and to which Spain contributed last year 18.8 million euros. Before entering the school grounds, a sign hung on the wall announces that “weapons are not allowed without permission”. In the morning they study at school 1,280 and in the afternoon 1,240. To have between 6 and 15 years old and, when they have completed their studies in this school, they will join the public school to complete their training and be able to access university or study a profession which will allow them to earn their living in the future.
Among these students is Butswho is 14 years old and is about to finish her school training, from where she keeps “unforgettable memories and “the chance” to know that she wants to continue her training to be able to study medicine and become a cardiologist. Your companion Shahd12 year old, also wants to go to college, but he still doesn’t know what he wants to do when he grows up.
Although they were born in Amman, Shahd and Maiss are refugees because this status is inherited. They belong to the third generation of two families whose grandparents were the first to flee the violence in Gaza to aspire to a life far from the conflict. Maiss’s family is originally from Rafah, but at home they do not talk about the conflict in the Gaza Strip or the escalation of tensions that Palestinians have experienced there for a year following the Hamas attack on Israel and the offensive by the Netanyahu government. in response to these attacks. Nor the events of this week, when Israel invaded Lebanon and Iran responded by attacking Israel. “My parents don’t talk to me about the war. “I only know what I see on TV,” Maiss said. However, they cannot hide their suffering from their daughter: “I see them very sad”.
