CAIRO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday in Cairo that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza would be the best way to stop violence from spreading in the Middle East.
This marks Blinken’s 10th trip to the region since the start of the war that was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
His visit aimed to salvage stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict.
No other regional stops, including Israel, were on his itinerary.
“We discussed the importance of getting this deal across the finish line, something we’ll continue to pursue with our Qatari counterparts,” Blinken told journalists in a joint press conference alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
“We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to address risks to regional stability,” he added.
Following the meeting with Blinken, El-Sisi’s office said the pair discussed “ways to intensify joint efforts between Egypt, the US and Qatar to make progress on ceasefire negotiations and the exchange of hostages and detainees.”
El-Sisi also called for “decisive intervention to remove obstacles to the entry of huge amounts of aid” to Gaza and “ending Israeli violations in the West Bank,” it said.
Violence has surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the war broke out in Gaza, with Israel conducting large-scale raids in recent weeks.
Blinken arrived in Cairo hours after hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded almost simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday, killing 12 people and wounding more than 2,750 others.
Blinken denied reports the United States prior any knowledge or involvement in the attack which Hezbollah has blamed on Israel, the key US ally. Israel has yet to comment on the blasts.
“With regard to Lebanon, the United States did not know about, nor was it involved in these incidents, and we’re still gathering information and gathering the facts,” he said in Cairo.
“Broadly speaking, we’ve been very clear and we remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict.”
US news site Axios said that minutes before the attack, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called his US counterpart Lloyd Austin and informed him of an imminent operation in Lebanon, without giving any details.
After months of clashes along its northern border with Lebanon, Israel on Tuesday said it was broadening the aims of the war against Hamas to include its fight against Hezbollah.
While in Cairo, Blinken also discussed strengthening US-Egyptian relations.
After Cairo, Blinken is due to head to Paris to brief his French, British and Italian counterparts.
Blinken says Gaza truce best way to ensure regional stability
https://arab.news/2ztcb
Blinken says Gaza truce best way to ensure regional stability
- This marks Blinken’s 10th trip to the region since the start of the war that was sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel
- Blinken denied reports the United States prior any knowledge or involvement in the attack which Hezbollah has blamed on Israel
Arab and Islamic states reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
- Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday
- Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of Somalia
A group of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have firmly rejected Israel’s announcement of its recognition of the Somaliland region within Somalia.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the ministers condemned Israel’s decision, announced on December 26, warning that the move carries “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermines international peace and security, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The statement described the recognition as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations, which uphold the principles of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, JNA added.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.
The ministers reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty of Somalia, rejecting any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.
They warned that recognizing the independence of parts of states sets a dangerous precedent and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.
The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any attempt to link the move with plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land, stressing that such proposals are rejected “in form and substance.”
Alongside the Jordanian foreign ministry, the joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.
Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and expressed its rejection of the declaration of mutual recognition between Israel and Somaliland.
