Jordan’s King Abdullah promises to confront ‘terrorists’ after Karak attack

King tells parliament attackers ‘are not of us’ and warns that Israeli expansionism is greatest threat to the region.

Jordan's King Abdullah II asked lawmakers to stand for a minute of silence for the victims of the attack on a church in Karak last month [File: EPA]

Jordan’s King Abdullah II says the kingdom would not be shaken by a deadly attack on a church in the southern city of Karak last month.

Opening a new session of parliament in the capital, Amman, on Monday, Abdullah said “the treacherous hand of terrorism” had reached out “to test the resilience of our state and the resolve of our people”.

list 1 of 3 Syria-Jordan border reopens amid probe into deadly air strikes

list 2 of 3 Victims of Jordan’s air strikes in Syria

list 3 of 3 Damascus, Amman contradict each other on attack that killed civilians

“They are not of us,” he said of the attackers. “There is no place for them among us, not today and not tomorrow.”

The attack about two weeks ago killed nine people and wounded dozens. The king asked lawmakers to stand for a minute of silence for the victims, whose relatives attended the session.

Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Jarrar, reporting from Amman, said Abdullah made clear that Jordan would confront “terrorism and extremism” by relying first on national unity and public awareness, backed by the army and security services, which would strike “with an iron fist”.

Abdullah also addressed regional tensions, warning that Israeli expansionism is the greatest threat to the Middle East.

“Israeli expansionist ambitions are the greatest threat to the future of the region and its security,” he said, adding: “The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues, and successive assaults persist in the West Bank and Jerusalem.”

The king also pledged to protect Jordan’s scarce water supplies, Jarrar said.

“We will not allow the thirst of Jordanians to be held hostage by any party,” he said. Jarrar said this reflected concerns that Israeli projects threaten the kingdom’s water security.

Jordan, a close United States ally, signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, and millions of its citizens are of Palestinian origin.

Jarrar said the king’s third message was directed at lawmakers as he stressed that the nation is the source of authority and debate in parliament is healthy as long as it serves the national interest.

“Your differences of opinion are a strength so long as Jordan’s interest is the goal,” Abdullah said, urging the government to improve living conditions.

He also warned officials against abusing their positions. “The law knows no name, no position and no influence,” he said.

金告诉议会，袭击者“不是我们自己人”，并警告说，以色列的扩张主义是该地区面临的最大威胁。

约旦国王阿卜杜拉二世要求议员们为上个月卡拉克教堂袭击事件的遇难者默哀一分钟。[图片：EPA]

约旦国王阿卜杜拉二世表示，上个月南部城市卡拉克一座教堂发生的致命袭击不会动摇约旦王国的稳定。

周一，阿卜杜拉在首都安曼召开新一届议会时表示，“恐怖主义的奸诈之手”已经伸出，“考验我们国家的韧性和我们人民的决心”。

叙利亚-约旦边境在致命空袭事件调查期间重新开放（共3条，第1条）

列出约旦空袭叙利亚的三名受害者中的第二名

列表 3/3：大马士革和安曼在造成平民伤亡的袭击事件上互相矛盾。

“他们不是我们的人，”他谈到袭击者时说。“我们中间没有他们的容身之地，今天没有，明天也没有。”

大约两周前的袭击造成九人死亡，数十人受伤。国王要求议员们为遇难者默哀一分钟，遇难者家属也出席了会议。

半岛电视台记者艾哈迈德·贾拉尔从安曼报道说，阿卜杜拉明确表示，约旦将首先依靠国家团结和公众意识来对抗“恐怖主义和极端主义”，并辅以军队和安全部门，后者将“以铁腕手段”打击恐怖主义和极端主义。

阿卜杜拉还谈到了地区紧张局势，警告说以色列的扩张主义是中东面临的最大威胁。

“以色列的扩张野心是对该地区未来及其安全的最大威胁，”他说道，并补充道：“加沙的人道主义灾难仍在继续，西岸和耶路撒冷也持续遭受袭击。”

贾拉尔说，国王还承诺保护约旦稀缺的水资源。

“我们绝不允许任何一方以约旦人民的用水需求为筹码，”他说道。贾拉尔表示，这反映出人们对以色列项目威胁约旦王国水资源安全的担忧。

约旦是美国的亲密盟友，于 1994 年与以色列签署了和平条约，其数百万公民是巴勒斯坦裔。

贾拉尔表示，国王的第三条信息是针对立法者的，他强调国家是权威的来源，只要符合国家利益，议会辩论就是健康的。

阿卜杜拉说：“只要约旦的利益是目标，你们的意见分歧就是一种优势。”他敦促政府改善人民的生活条件。

他还警告官员们不要滥用职权。“法律面前人人平等，不分姓名、职位和影响力，”他说。