Meeting with Arab Leaders in Jordan Canceled After Attack on Gaza Hospital, How Will President Biden's Visit Go?

President Joe Biden, according to the presidential aircraft charts Air Force One. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - The hospital explosion in the Gaza region, Palestine, which killed hundreds of people, caused the meeting of the leaders of Arab countries with President Joe Biden to be canceled, while the United States leader was visiting the Middle East.

President Biden is scheduled to fly to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, showing US support following attacks on Israeli villages and military bases by the Gaza-based Hamas militant group.

After his meeting in Israel, President Biden plans to travel to Jordan to meet with a number of Arab leaders. However, the stop was canceled after attacks on hospitals in Gaza.

Palestine and Israel blamed each other for the explosion that occurred at Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital, in which hundreds of people were reportedly killed. In the first hours after the blast, a Gaza civil defense chief said 300 people had died, while a health ministry source put the figure at 500.

"I am angry and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the resulting loss of life. Immediately after hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed the national security team "I will continue to gather information about what really happened. The United States firmly supports the protection of civilian lives during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff, and other innocent people who were killed or injured in this tragedy," said President Biden, reported by Reuters, October 18.

President Biden left Washington on Tuesday to undertake a complex diplomatic mission, show support for allies, calm the region and support humanitarian efforts in Gaza.

Originally, after meeting PM Netanyahu in Tel Aviv today, he was expected to fly to Amman to meet Jordanian King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Failure to meet with President Abbas or other Palestinian officials, while meeting Israelis on their soil, could undermine President Biden's diplomatic message and draw criticism from home and abroad. On the other hand, the US relies heavily on Egypt to help with humanitarian efforts.

"This grim but horrific event makes diplomacy more difficult and increases the risk of escalation," said Richard Gowan, director of the UN's International Crisis Group.

"(President) Biden's visit is intended to underline that the US is able to control the situation. Tragic incidents like this show how difficult it is to control war," he continued.

Separately, a member of the US House of Representatives and the only US citizen of Palestinian descent in Congress criticized the efforts that President Biden has made so far to defuse the situation in the Middle East.

"This is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire and help defuse tensions. Your war-only and destruction-only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslim Americans like me," said Tlaib, who is also President Biden's party colleague.