Yvette Cooper gazed out at the Jordanian hills facing Palestine with a deep sense of frustration. Nearby warehouses were packed with essential aid, only 40 miles from the West Bank border and the route to Gaza. However, Israeli restrictions have prevented the transfer of thousands of tons of food, tents, and critical supplies from these depots to help the people in Gaza.
The King Hussein/Allenby Bridge, a crucial border crossing into the West Bank from Jordan’s capital, Amman, has been closed to aid vehicles since September following the deaths of two Israeli soldiers near the crossing. Amid a pivotal moment in the peace process after years of conflict, Yvette Cooper traveled through the Middle East with the Foreign Secretary, witnessing the challenges firsthand.
The journey began in Bahrain, where she attended a security summit and engaged in discussions with key figures from the region. Subsequent visits to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia highlighted the dire situation in Gaza despite the opulence of the Gulf states. The focus remained on turning a fragile ceasefire into a lasting peace and addressing the obstacles hindering aid delivery to Gaza.
In Amman, Cooper expressed dismay as she observed 4,000 metric tons of food stockpiled in a World Food Programme warehouse south of the city. Essential items like wheat flour, canned goods, yeast, and sugar had been sitting there for up to nine months while the people in Gaza faced severe food shortages.
Reflecting on her trip, Cooper emphasized the urgency of reopening the aid route from Jordan to Gaza to alleviate the suffering of families in need. She highlighted the potential impact of providing immediate assistance, such as setting up a maternity field hospital and delivering essential supplies to Gaza.
Cooper underscored the importance of lifting restrictions and collaborating to expedite aid distribution, in line with the peace plan negotiated by Donald Trump. Urging for immediate action, she emphasized the need for swift measures alongside long-term reconstruction efforts to address the critical humanitarian situation in Gaza.