LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday made a phone call to Jordan’s King Abdullah to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip, 10 Downing Street announced.
During the call, Sunak renewed the UK’s support for Jordan’s security and that of the region, saying a significant escalation is “not in anyone’s interests.”
He added that the UK’s focus remains on finding a solution to the conflict in Gaza.
The UK continues to work toward an immediate humanitarian truce to bring in much larger amounts of aid and return the Israeli hostages held by Hamas safely to their families, “leading to a longer-term sustainable ceasefire,” Sunak said.
The two leaders “discussed joint efforts to significantly step up aid to Gaza, with the UK taking part in Jordanian-led aid drops and a humanitarian land corridor to Gaza, as well as the maritime aid corridor from Cyprus,” Downing Street said.
Sunak told the king that the UK’s ultimate goal is to achieve a workable two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
The two leaders “agreed on the importance of supporting a reformed Palestinian authority to deliver stability and prosperity across the Palestinian territories,” Downing Street said.
King Abdullah warned of the danger of regional escalation, which he said threatens international peace and security, Jordan’s official Petra news agency reported.
He renewed his call for the international community to intensify efforts to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza to alleviate the worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Palestinian territory, and warned of the dangerous consequences of an Israeli assault on Rafah.
The king stressed the need to protect civilians in Gaza and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
He pointed to the importance of continuing to support the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees to enable it to provide its humanitarian services in accordance with its UN mandate.
UK PM discusses Gaza developments with Jordan’s king
https://arab.news/vevyj
UK PM discusses Gaza developments with Jordan’s king
- Sunak told the king that the UK’s ultimate goal is to achieve a workable two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians
UAE’s foreign minister visits National Institute of Education in Singapore
- Minister affirms support in strengthening cooperation in the education sector
LONDON: The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan visited the National Institute of Education in Singapore on Sunday, the Emirates News Agency reported.
Founded in 1950, the NIE has been instrumental in developing Singapore’s teaching workforce.
Upon his arrival at the institute, Sheikh Abdullah was welcomed by Christine Goh, the NIE’s director professor.
The minister toured the institute’s facilities and was briefed on the NIE’s influential role in shaping and advancing Singapore’s educational system and contemporary teaching methodologies.
He praised the NIE as one of the world’s premier academic institutions in educational excellence and leadership. He highlighted that the NIE reflects Singapore’s robust educational system, a cornerstone of the nation’s overall development.
The foreign minister also emphasized the UAE’s commitment to strengthening educational cooperation with Singapore, noting that education is fundamental to sustainable development, progress, and the safeguarding of national achievements.
Sheikh Abdullah affirmed the UAE’s support in strengthening cooperation with Singapore in the education sector within the framework of the comprehensive partnership between the two countries.
Qatar slams Israeli attempt to classify UNRWA as a terrorist organization
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on international community to stand firm in the face of Israel’s plans
DOHA: Qatar has condemned Israel’s move to classify the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees as a terrorist organization, the Qatar News Agency reported on Sunday.
The Gulf state described the action as an attempt to undermine the agency’s diplomatic immunity and criminalize its humanitarian efforts at a time when the need for its services is paramount given Israel’s war in Gaza.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community to stand firm in the face of Israeli plans to shut down the agency and deprive millions of Palestinians of vital services in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
The ministry reaffirmed Qatar’s unwavering support for UNRWA, emphasizing the country’s commitment to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. These include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, has been in crisis since January when Israel accused about a dozen of its 13,000 Gaza employees of being involved in the Oct. 7 attack.
Saudi Arabia and Jordan issued similar condemnations on Saturday.
Houthis fire barrage of drones, missiles at ships, including US destroyer
- Comes as Houthis claim to have made another reprisal hit on US ship in Red Sea
AL-MUKALLA: The US military said Yemen’s Houthi militia has fired a new wave of drones and missiles into international shipping lanes off Yemen, including two missiles aimed at a US warship in the Red Sea.
This comes as the Houthis claim to have made another reprisal hit on a US ship in the Red Sea.
The US Central Command said on Sunday that the Houthis launched three drones over the Red Sea on Saturday, one of which was destroyed by its forces, while the other two fell into the water, failing to strike any ship in the important commercial corridor.
The US military said in a statement on Sunday morning, Yemen time, that no injuries or damage was reported by the US coalition or commercial ships.
Also on Saturday, CENTCOM forces intercepted two anti-ship ballistic missiles in the southern Red Sea before they reached their target, the destroyer USS Gravely.
“The ASBM were fired in the direction of USS Gravely and were destroyed in self-defense, with no damage or injuries reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships,” the US military said in the same statement.
On Friday, the Houthis launched five drones and two ballistic missiles into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but did not hit any ships on the two commercial routes, CENTCOM said.
In Sanaa, the Houthis claimed on Saturday night to have carried out six strikes on commercial and navy ships, including one on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
In a videotaped statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said that their troops launched several ballistic missiles and drones at the US aircraft carrier and a US destroyer in the Red Sea.
The other four attacks targeted three ships: Maina in the Red Sea, the Al-Oraiq in the Indian Ocean, and the Abliani in the Red Sea, alleging that they had breached a ban on visiting Israeli ports.
Ship-tracking app Marine Traffic identified the Maina as a bulk carrier flying the Malta flag that left Russia’s Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga early last month for Krishnapatnam Port in India.
The Marshall Island-flagged Al-Oraiq is an LNG tanker sailing from Ras Laffan in Qatar to Italy, while the Malta-flagged Abliani is a crude oil tanker sailing to the Suez Canal in Egypt, according to the app.
Since November, the Houthis have sunk one commercial ship, captured another, and claimed to have shot hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at more than 100 ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, and most recently the Mediterranean.
The Houthis claim that their actions are aimed solely at ships with links to Israel in an atempt to put pressure on Israel to end its war in Gaza, a claim challenged by the Houthis’ opponents in Yemen, who accuse the militia of exploiting the nationwide outrage of civilian deaths in Gaza to shore up their public support at home.
The US reacted to the Houthi assaults by labeling them as a terrorist organization, organizing a marine alliance to protect the seas, and launching airstrikes on Houthi sites in Yemen.
Despite US assertions that its strikes have weakened the Houthis, analysts say the increasing number of Houthi attacks on ships demonstrate that the strikes are ineffectual and that the Houthis continue to feel that their attacks have increased their popularity.
“It (the surge in Houthi attacks] suggests that US-UK airstrikes against Houthi targets are not working, at least not yet and not as effectively as intended,” Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert and head of Girton College at the University of Cambridge, told Arab News. “It suggests that the Houthis believe their attacks continue to work for them in terms of gaining broad popularity, international notoriety and greater leverage in ongoing efforts to end the Yemen war. They see no reason to stop,” she added.
Kendall said that maintaining strikes on ships, even with less accurate weaponry, is a win for the Houthis.
“The Houthis are resilient and the asymmetric nature of the Red Sea conflict plays to their advantage. The sophistication of their weaponry may diminish, but all they need to do is to keep going.”
Egyptian, US foreign ministers discuss Gaza crisis
- During the call, Shoukry affirmed Egypt’s support for all efforts aimed at halting the Israeli war against the Gaza Strip and reaching an immediate and lasting ceasefire
CAIRO: Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry received a phone call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which they discussed the situation in Gaza.
During the call, Shoukry affirmed Egypt’s support for all efforts aimed at halting the Israeli war against the Gaza Strip, reaching an immediate and lasting ceasefire, swapping hostages and detainees, and ensuring full and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson at Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the two sides tackled various facets of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including Shoukry’s emphasis on the inevitability of opening all land crossings between Israel and Gaza to bring in aid and provide safe conditions for the operation of international relief crews in the enclave.
They agreed to maintain consultation and close coordination to continue pushing toward a halt in the war and putting an end to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
US President Joe Biden on Friday revealed a three-phase proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip proposed by Israel. Biden said the first phase of the proposed deal would last for six weeks, including a “full and complete ceasefire” and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza.
Egypt joins US and Qatar in calling on Israel and Hamas to finalize ceasefire agreement
- El-Sisi urges progress toward implementing a two-state solution
CAIRO: Egypt, Qatar and the US have jointly called on Hamas and Israel to finalize an agreement outlined by US President Joe Biden.
The joint press statement said: “As mediators in the ongoing discussions to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and detainees, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar jointly call on both Hamas and Israel to finalize the agreement embodying the principles outlined by President Biden on May 31, 2024.”
These principles bring together the demands of all parties in a deal that serves numerous interests and will bring immediate relief to the long-suffering people of Gaza as well as the long-suffering hostages and their families. This deal offers a roadmap for a permanent ceasefire and an end to the crisis.
Biden on Friday revealed a three-phase proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it was “time for this war to end.”
The US president said the first phase of the proposed deal would last for six weeks and include a “full and complete ceasefire.”
In a separate context, on Saturday, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Lindsey Graham, Republican minority leader of the US Senate and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.
Graham lauded Egypt’s fundamental role in reinforcing security and stability in the region, as well as the strategic partnership between Egypt and the US.
He said that successive regional and global crises have highlighted the need to further strengthen the partnership, because it is a key pillar of regional stability.
Graham pointed out Egypt’s efforts and mediation to contain the situation in Gaza and acknowledged the burdens Egypt endured to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
During the meeting, El-Sisi reiterated the importance of concerted international efforts to stop the war and prevent the expansion of its humanitarian and security repercussions.
He warned against the danger of the persistent and ongoing Israeli military operations in the Palestinian city of Rafah, the ensuing exacerbation of the humanitarian catastrophe suffered by the people of Gaza and the effect of the war on regional security.
El-Sisi also affirmed the necessity for all parties to engage seriously in efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in a way that allows progress toward implementing the two-state solution, the optimal path to ensure justice and sustainable security in the region.
