Jordan’s humanitarian role in Gaza: A rebuttal to false claims of profit, commercialization

A news website has published a report claiming that Jordan has reaped significant profits from supervising the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip during the ongoing Israeli war on the Strip since October 7. This allegation is completely unfounded, lacks accuracy and professionalism, and relies on anonymous sources and claims unsupported by any real documents or evidence.

The Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization, mentioned in the report, is not a for-profit entity and does not operate on a commercial basis. Rather, it is a well-known national humanitarian organization for decades. It has contributed to delivering aid to disaster-stricken areas around the world and is known for its full commitment to humanitarian and international standards in its work. This organization, in coordination with international bodies, has played a pivotal role in delivering hundreds of convoys to the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the aggression. This role cannot be denied or underestimated, despite attempts by some media outlets to mislead or distort it.

The claim that Jordan imposes exorbitant fees on trucks entering Gaza, or on airdrops, is completely at odds with reality. The Jordanian government bears the full costs of sending aid by land and air to the Strip and has never asked any organization or donor to pay a fee for its aid deliveries. Rather, everything that is done is coordinated and integrated between the Jordanian side and these organizations, serving the common goal of supporting the afflicted Palestinian people.

The report deliberately overlooks actual Jordanian efforts, both in relief and political terms. Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, has not hesitated to take action in all international forums to halt the aggression and mobilize support for the delivery of aid to the people of Gaza and the West Bank alike. It was also one of the first countries to carry out airdrops inside Gaza, despite the risks and challenges. These operations have reached nearly 400 to date, an unprecedented number that reflects the seriousness of Jordan's commitment to the Palestinian cause.

If there is one country bearing the burden of genuine assistance to the Palestinian people at this critical juncture, it is Jordan. This is not in terms of the quantity of aid, nor in terms of its quality, nor in terms of the political and diplomatic efforts exerted by the Jordanian leadership to halt the aggression, protect civilians, and ensure the delivery of aid as efficiently and quickly as possible. These facts are deliberately omitted in the published report, in favor of a biased narrative aimed at distorting Jordan's image and role and raising doubts about its intentions, at a time when the Palestinian cause needs every real and sincere support.

What further confirms the report's bad faith is that it does not mention any names or official bodies that have stated what it claims. Instead, it uses vague phrases such as "informed sources" and "non-governmental organizations that spoke on condition of anonymity.” Worse still, these allegations were not made by any of the humanitarian or international bodies that directly deal with Jordan in delivering aid, indicating that the report is not based on any real evidence, but rather on premeditated distortion.

Publishing such an article at this sensitive time can only be considered a pathetic attempt to undermine Jordanian efforts, both official and popular, which have been and continue to be the most steadfast in standing with the Palestinian people in the face of aggression. The massive demonstrations that took place in various Jordanian cities in support of Gaza, the firm political stances, and the significant logistical role Jordan plays, all form a cohesive and interconnected scene, reflecting a genuine national and humanitarian commitment to Palestine.

Therefore, attempting to present this role as a form of financial exploitation or profit-making is nothing but a distortion of the facts and a deliberate distortion that can only be understood within the framework of malicious campaigns targeting all those genuinely seeking to stop the war and support the people of Gaza, especially Jordan, which has become the most important link between the Palestinian interior and the international community on the one hand, and between hope and reality on the other.

Hasan Dajah is professor of strategic studies at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University