Jordan's king tells UN Israel's 'expansionist appetite' is a regional threat

Jordan's King Abdullah II told the United Nations on Tuesday that Israel's "expansionist appetite" poses a threat to the Middle East, pointing to its actions in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and southern Syria. "This Israeli government's expansionist appetite is now a regional threat," he said in remarks to the General Assembly in New York, adding: "step by calculated step, Israel is testing how far it can go". He said that, while Israel's actions have caused some international response, “resolutions end where they began: on paper,” calling this a wilful “choice” with the result being a “state without restraint”. “This sense of impunity has reached terrifying levels,” he continued, warning that “no one in this assembly should assume [Israel's] ambitions stop at Palestine.” Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, on 22 September 2026 (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP)