WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday Washington was ‘concerned’ over the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a separatist group, declaring self-rule in Yemen’s south, warning such actions threatened efforts to revive talks between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels.
“Such unilateral actions only exacerbate instability in Yemen,” Pompeo said in a statement. “They are especially unhelpful at a time when the country is threatened by COVID-19 and also threaten to complicate the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to revive political negotiations between the government and the Houthi rebels.”
The Arab coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia, has announced a unilateral truce prompted by a United Nations plea to focus on the coronavirus pandemic. The Houthis have not accepted it and violence has continued.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government warned of “catastrophic consequences” after the STC on Sunday declared emergency rule in southern governorates including Aden, interim seat of the government that was ousted from power in the capital, Sanaa, by the Houthi group in late 2014.
“We call on the STC and the Republic of Yemen government to re-engage in the political process provided under the Riyadh Agreement,” Pompeo said.
On Monday, the coalition engaged in Yemen urged the STC to rescind its move, saying it was an “escalatory action” at a time when all parties should focus on confronting the novel coronavirus.
Pompeo says US ‘concerned’ over south Yemen separatist self-rule declaration
https://arab.news/g7bn3
Pompeo says US ‘concerned’ over south Yemen separatist self-rule declaration
- 'Such unilateral actions only exacerbate instability in Yemen,' Pompeo said
Israel issues over 3,000 tenders for E1 settlement in Jerusalem
- The settlement would divide the occupied West Bank, hindering the establishment of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state
LONDON: Israeli authorities have issued tenders for the construction of 3,401 settlement units in the area known as E1, east of Jerusalem.
Muayyad Shaban, head of the Commission against the Wall and Settlements, said Israeli authorities had transitioned from planning and approval to implementation of the E1 plan.
The settlement, if developed, would divide the occupied West Bank, hindering the establishment of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian state.
After nearly 30 years of delay under intense international opposition to the plan, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved plans for 3,400 homes in E1 last August.
Shaban said E1 constituted “a highly dangerous escalation in the repercussions of the accelerated assault on Palestinian lands through colonial settlement plans.”
The plan would separate Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian areas and connect the Maale Adumim settlement to the city, undermining the possibility of a contiguous Palestinian state, he added.
In 2025, Israeli authorities issued plans for 10,098 new settlement units, marking an unprecedented increase in settlement tenders.
Over 7,000 units were allocated to Maale Adumim, along with 900 units for Efrat in Bethlehem and 700 for Ariel in Salfit, reflecting a push to deepen colonial control over Palestinian land, the Commission against the Wall and Settlements reported.
