The United States' veto in the UN Security Council of a ceasefire resolution after more than two months of war in Gaza reverberated this Sunday in Doha with condemnation from the Arab world and in Jerusalem with a rebuke. Telephone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to those who supported her, such as the presidents of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and France, Emmanuel Macron. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli tanks are already crossing the main street of the southern town of Khan Younis, and heavy fighting is taking place at two points in the north, where the new Palestinian deaths cannot be counted (about 18,000, 300 in the last 24 hours) due to the Difficulty allowing ambulances to reach the bodies.
Last Friday's veto – which triggered the call for a global strike this Monday – puts in a bind Arab countries that are also allies of the United States and recognize the State of Israel: Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and the United Arab Emirates Bahrain. None have severed ties with the Jewish state and they generally keep their ambassadors in Tel Aviv, despite pressure from some of their population, which in the case of Jordan led to massive demonstrations. This Sunday, in an interview with Al Araby television, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi avoided answering a question about what prevented his country from making this decision, alluding to the “political role” it plays and on the importance it attaches to this Palestinian cause. In another conversation about relations with the United States, Safadi suggested that he “sincerely” communicates the disagreements to Washington, but at the end of the day it is “the leading power in the world and has the capacity” to allow the war to continue.
More information
Of the five capitals, however, Amman is the one that has sharpened the discourse towards Israel the most, both for internal reasons – it is estimated that half of the population is of Palestinian origin – and for strategic reasons, fearing a new forced expulsion from the West Bank . , like in 1948 and 1967. First it was Queen Rania, of Palestinian origin, when she criticized the West's “complicity” in the deaths in Gaza. Then her husband Abdullah called the Israeli bombings “cruel.”
This Sunday, at a forum in Doha, Safadi accused Israel of appearing to have made a “systematic effort to rid Gaza of its population” and of having goals that “go beyond” the stated goal of ending Hamas. “We have not seen the world come to the point where it should come: to unequivocally demand an end to a war that, at this point, falls within the legal definition of genocide.” […] “Israel has created a lot of hatred that will plague this region and shape future generations. Therefore, it harms its own people as well as everyone else in the region,” he said. Israel called the allegations “false” and “outrageous.”
In the same panel discussion, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohamed Shtaye attacked Washington for giving Israel the “green light” to “destruct” the Gaza Strip and stressed that Hamas is “an integral part of Palestinian politics.” Mosaic,” therefore its complete elimination – as Israel intends – is both unrealizable and “unacceptable.” “The problem now is that we have no partner in Israel and the United States is in an election mood,” he said, referring to the 2024 presidential election.
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without restrictions.
Subscribe to
There, Joe Biden's administration just skipped congressional review and sold about 14,000 tank shells to Israel. This Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that it is “fundamental” that Israel prevents the deaths of Palestinian civilians, although he has made it clear that it is trying to do so: “The intent is there, but the results are not always achieved,” manifesto . ”
Some Israeli soldiers are operating in the Shajaiya neighborhood of Gaza City this Sunday. YOSSI ZELIGER (Portal)
Blinken also did not want to set a deadline for the war, saying “it is up to Israel” to decide how long it will last. In recent days, journalistic leaks have reported that Washington is pressuring not to go beyond January in its current form, giving way to a phase of lower intensity focused on more localized operations against the predictable counterinsurgency. Israeli sources cited by national public television say there will be more months of intense bombing, which will not be followed by a formal ceasefire. According to Channel 13, Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden by phone that the army needed three to four weeks in the city of Khan Yunis alone.
Thankful to Biden
In his speech at the start of the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, Netanyahu thanked Biden both for his “correct and fair stance” in voting in the Security Council and for the military assistance he had provided him. There are tens of thousands of bombs and artillery shells with which it bombs at a rate unprecedented since World War II. On the contrary, it has undermined support for the ceasefire (13 out of 15 countries). “In the last two days I have spoken to the Chancellor [alemán, Olaf] Scholz, with French President Macron and other heads of state and government. I told them that it is impossible to support the elimination of Hamas on the one hand and put pressure on us to end the war on the other. I believe that justice and unity are on our side in this fight.”
One of those called was Putin. Netanyahu left the Council of Ministers for a 50-minute meeting, his first in almost two months. According to a statement from his office, he expressed his “dissatisfaction” with the position of Moscow, which, while showing solidarity with Gaza, continues to allow Israel to bomb Iran-linked targets in Syria – whose airspace it in practice controls. The Kremlin statement, published by state agency TASS, said Putin expressed his willingness to help “ease the suffering of the civilian population and de-escalate the conflict.”
The Israeli prime minister expressed optimism about the progress of the invasion and reported the surrender of “dozens of Hamas terrorists in the last few days.” “The war continues, but for Hamas it is the beginning of the end,” he noted. Israeli forces say they have killed about 7,000 militants, about a quarter of estimates. This continuation worries the Secretary-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who has described the impact of the conflict on health in Gaza as “catastrophic”.
Qatar is the main broker of the late November ceasefire, which lasted a week and included an exchange of hostages for prisoners and an increase in the flow of humanitarian aid, so the issue was also present at the Doha forum. His prime minister and foreign minister, Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, implicitly blamed both Israel and Hamas for the difficulties in agreeing on a new exchange, which, he stressed, was the only realistic way for them to emerge alive. “His release through a military campaign has proven a failure,” he said, recalling that only one soldier could be saved in this way and that a failed attempt this week ended in the hostage’s death. This Sunday, Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, stressed that not a single abductee would leave the Gaza Strip alive without exchanging them for Palestinian prisoners or “fulfilling the demands,” which include a ceasefire.
Follow all international information on Facebook and Xor in our weekly newsletter.
Subscribe to continue reading
Read without limits
_