Jordanian King Abdullah says that his people are reaching "boiling point" as they struggle to cope with hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have streamed over the border over the course of the last five years.
"Sooner or later, I think, the dam is going to burst," he told the BBC in an interview, going on to argue that Jordan would need much more assistance if outside powers expected them to keep taking in and hosting refugees.
Speaking ahead of a planned donation conference for Syria in London King Abdullah appealed for more aid and said in light of Europe's struggle to cope with the influx of migrants and refugees streaming through Turkey in recent months they are beginning to appreciate the strain Jordan is under.
"They realize that if they don't help Jordan, it's going to be more difficult for them to deal with the refugee crisis," he stated.
Jordan has recently been criticized for not letting in another 16,000 Syrians trapped near the border. The king says they worry about Islamic State (ISIS) infiltration among them since they have fled from areas the group controlled. He also lambasted outsiders criticizing Amman for not allowing in an additional 16,000 right away.
"If you want to take the moral high ground on this issue," he said, "we'll get them all to an airbase and we're more than happy to relocate them to your country, if what you're saying is there's only 16,000."
Jordan is presently hosting 635,000 Syrian refugees who make up almost 20% of the Jordanian population. While Amman has been receptive to hosting refugees for decades, particularly Iraqis and Palestinians, this crisis is much bigger and harder for them to deal with.
"For the first time," Abdullah said, "we can't do it anymore."
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