President Biden Welcomes King Abdullah and Queen Rania to the White House

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Today, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed Jordan's King Abdullah II, Queen Rania, and Crown Prince Hussein to the White House.

The visit was intended to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Yet, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the visit is also intended for Biden and Abdullah to discuss "the ongoing situation in Gaza and efforts to produce an enduring end to the crisis." Abdullah is the first Arab leader to visit the White House since the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.

King Abdullah urged Biden and the U.S. to support an immediate ceasefire, though the Biden administration's policy thus far has been to reject a general call for ceasefire.

"We want to see the war end as soon as possible," John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman, said, per the New York Times. "And we believe one of the first steps that's critical to doing that is a humanitarian pause, an extended pause longer than what we saw back in November of a week, that would allow us to get all the hostages out, get more aid and assistance in, and then hopefully lead to discussions that can get us closer to an end to the conflict."

After their meeting, President Biden and King Abdullah delivered joint remarks, emphasizing their (at times, divergent) perspectives on the Israel-Gaza war. "Every innocent life [lost] in Gaza is a tragedy," the president said, "just as every innocent life lost in Israel is a tragedy."

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