Armed Iraqi factions announced today (Wednesday) that they attacked a base for American forces inside Syrian territory with two drones.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of Iraqi Shiite factions, said in a statement that its members targeted “the American occupation base in Al-Tanf, Syria, with two drones, which directly hit their targets.”

The American base is located in the Al-Tanf region in southeastern Syria.

These armed factions have previously announced attacks on American military bases in Syria.

Recently, Iraqi military bases where American forces and forces from the international coalition are present as advisors and trainers were subjected to attacks with missiles and drones, after the outbreak of war between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings on the seventh of last October.

The occupation army is working to expand its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, but the resistance is confronting its forces, with clashes taking place on the ground in several areas. While Khan Yunis witnessed fierce clashes.

The Israeli army admitted the killing of 11 soldiers and the wounding of others, ranging from moderate to serious, in the ongoing battles with the Palestinian resistance in the northern Gaza Strip, on the 26th day of the war waged by the occupation on the Gaza Strip. Yesterday evening, it had admitted the killing of two soldiers in the clashes it described. With "fierce".

This comes as the Israeli bombing continued at dawn on Wednesday morning on several areas in the Gaza Strip, leaving dozens of martyrs and injuries, the day after the horrific massacre in Jabalia, in which 400 civilians were martyred and injured.

The violent and intense bombardment targeted various areas of the Gaza Strip, in addition to violent and continuous artillery shelling for several hours targeting the east and north of Gaza City, and east of Juhr al-Dik in the central Gaza Strip.

The total number of victims of the war on Gaza, according to data provided by the Ministry of Health today, reached 8,796 dead, including 3,648 children and 2,290 women, in addition to more than 22,200 injured people.

The occupation army is working to expand its ground operation in the Gaza Strip, while resistance factions are trying to confront its forces, as clashes are taking place on the ground in several axes through which the occupation is trying to control the north of the Gaza Strip and separate it from the center and south.

Khan Yunis also witnessed violent clashes with the occupation forces that attempted to penetrate overland.

Military aircraft intensified their raids on the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, which led to the outbreak of fires, and the bombing took the form of a belt of fire, a method that the occupation forces used to follow before field entry into the targeted area.

On the political level, while the United States and other Western countries reject the ceasefire under the pretext that it serves the interests of the Hamas movement, Bolivia decided to sever its relations with Israel, while Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors from there in protest against the massacres committed by the occupation against civilians in Gaza.

The Prisoners' and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs Authority and the Prisoners' Club said in a statement today, Wednesday, that during the month of October, the Israeli occupation forces issued "1,034" administrative detention orders, including "904" orders issued against new detainees, and "130" orders issued against new detainees. Renewal order.

The statement added that the total number of administrative detention orders after October 7 amounted to (872) orders, most of which were against those who were arrested during the arrest campaigns carried out in the West Bank recently.

It explained that according to the latest data, the number of administrative detainees “detained without charge and under the pretext of the existence of a secret file” in the occupation detention centers reached (2070) administrative detainees, including women and children, and these numbers change daily, as more administrative detention orders continue to be issued.

It is noteworthy that the majority of administrative detainees are former prisoners who spent years in Israeli occupation detention centers, noting that this increasing percentage in the number of administrative detainees is the highest in more than 20 years.

It is worth noting that the crime of administrative detention constitutes the most prominent crimes pursued by the Israeli occupation, within the framework of mass retaliatory operations, and to undermine any escalating struggle against it.

The occupation forces bombed a residential square in Al-Faluga in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing and wounding dozens in a place not far from the neighborhood where Israel committed a massacre in the camp yesterday that resulted in the death and injury of about 400 Palestinians, most of them children.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that Israeli forces committed another massacre in Jabalia camp, one of the most crowded places in the Strip, where homes are close together.

Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Musal told Al Jazeera that entire families were martyred in the second Jabalia massacre, adding that they do not have sufficient equipment to rescue people from under the rubble in the Jabalia camp.

Musal called on the Arab countries to provide the civil defense in Gaza with Arab cadres capable of dealing with such tragic events, so that they can continue to perform their relief duty.

The first group of wounded Palestinians set off from the Gaza Strip towards Egypt via the Rafah border crossing this morning (Wednesday), as part of a group of about 80 seriously wounded people.

Palestinian sources reported that the Rafah crossing was opened for dozens of Egyptian ambulances that entered the Gaza Strip to transport the wounded who needed treatment and surgeries that were difficult to perform in the Strip.

The Egyptian government has begun preparing private hospitals to receive the wounded in Sinai, in the hope that the rest of the seriously wounded, who number more than 3,000, will be allowed to leave Gaza for treatment, according to what the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced.

Meanwhile, hundreds of foreign and Arab nationals gathered near the Rafah crossing gate, waiting for them to leave the Gaza Strip, for hours this morning.

The Gaza Crossings Authority and Palestinian sources told Xinhua News Agency that about 500 holders of foreign and Arab nationalities will leave the Gaza Strip.

The exact timing of their exit was not known.

The sources said that the administration of the Gaza Crossings Authority will prepare lists for holders of foreign nationalities to pave the way for their exit.

This is the first time that the Rafah crossing has been opened for the exit of the wounded and those holding foreign nationalities from the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October.
These developments coincided with the announcement by the spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, yesterday that it would release foreign hostages "in the coming days."

Today (Wednesday) the Israeli government approved the recruitment of five thousand foreign workers to the agricultural sector in the country.

A joint statement by the Israeli Ministries of Interior and Agriculture said that the step has become more urgent in light of the departure of thousands of foreign workers working in the agricultural sector in Israel due to the war on the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October.

The statement stated, “The government decided, at the initiative of the Minister of Interior, Moshe Arbel, and Labor Minister, Yoav Ben Tzur, to allow the immediate entry of 5,000 foreign workers to work in the agricultural sector.”

The statement stated that these workers will be invited and brought to Israel by a private manpower company that has a license to employ foreign workers in the agricultural sector.

Israeli Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter welcomed the aforementioned step, considering that it helps the Israeli agricultural sector return to normal quickly.

Dichter said, "This step would support farmers who are in dire need of this labor, so that the agricultural sector can return to normal, continue its work, and ensure food security."

Labor Minister Yoav Tzur confirmed that his ministry has stopped the entry of Palestinian workers and is working to provide alternative solutions.

He explained, "We stopped the entry of Palestinian workers, and at the same time we are working with the rest of the ministries to provide solutions for farmers and the labor market in Israel."

With the outbreak of war against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, more than 7,800 foreign workers left Israel for their country, according to the statement.

The statement stated that "the Israeli agricultural sector suffered severe damage, accompanied by the departure of more than 7,800 foreign workers from Israel to their country," noting that these constitute 26% of the number of foreign workers working in the agricultural sector in Israel.

Israel kept the door closed to 20,000 Palestinians who worked until the beginning of the war in the Israeli agricultural sector, after not allowing them to return to their workplaces.

On October 7, Israel declared a state of war for the first time in 50 years, and launched Operation “Iron Swords” against the Gaza Strip after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack under the name “Al-Aqsa Flood.”

Two young men were injured by Israeli occupation forces' bullets, today, Wednesday, during confrontations that broke out after the funeral of the killed teen, Abdul Rahman Muhammad Hassan Muqbil (16 years old), to his final resting place in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.

Muqbel succumbed to his injury by bullets from the occupation, during confrontations that broke out yesterday, in the Asida area, following the suppression of a march denouncing the massacres committed against our people in the Gaza Strip. The occupation fired live bullets, which led to wonding Muqbel, after which he was transferred to the hospital and afterwards announced dead.

According to local sources, violent confrontations broke out with the Israeli occupation forces in the Asida area, during which the occupation soldiers fired live bullets and poisonous tear gas bombs, which resulted in two young men being injured in the foot and hand. They were taken to a medical center, in addition to dozens of citizens suffering from suffocation and were treated in the field.

Palestinian Minister of Health, Dr. Mai Alkaila, announced today, Wednesday, that the Turkish Friendship Hospital in the Gaza Strip has stopped working, as a result of its bombing by the occupation forces yesterday and the day before yesterday, and that it has completely run out of fuel. It is the only hospital designated for treating cancer patients in the Gaza Strip, and thus The number of hospitals that have stopped operating as a result of the bombing and running out of fuel is 16 out of 35.

The Minister stated, that the lives of 70 cancer patients inside the hospital are seriously threatened, as the number of cancer patients in the Gaza Strip is about 2,000, living in catastrophic health conditions as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip and the displacement of a large number.

She added that Al-Shifa Medical Complex will stop working in less than 24 hours due to running out of fuel, as the hospital is currently operating in the emergency, surgery, kidney, intensive care and incubator departments only, and that it is operating at a capacity exceeding many times its absorptive capacity and with a staff that does not cover 30% of the necessary need.

The number of citizens safe from the occupation’s aggression in and around Al-Shifa Medical Complex is approximately 50,000 citizens, as the hospital’s vicinity is subjected to repeated Israeli bombing.

The Minister renewed urgent appeals to stop the Israeli aggression and allow the entry of necessary medicines and medical supplies, as well as allow the entry of volunteer medical teams and remove the wounded for treatment.

Participants, in a protest organized today, Wednesday, in front of the United Nations in the city of Ramallah, demanded an immediate ceasefire and an end to the ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.

Today, Wednesday, representatives of the national and Islamic forces, unions, federations, civil institutions, and popular activities delivered a letter to the United Nations Counselor, Bassem Al-Khalidi, to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, demanding immediate intervention to establish a ceasefire, stop the ethnic cleansing in Gaza, and open the crossings to bring in fuel, water, and food. And medical supplies, and the need for human rights institutions to bear their responsibilities towards the crimes of the occupation in Gaza.

The participants appreciated the recent statements of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in support of Palestinian rights, and the subsequent fierce attack on them from the occupation government.

The participants in the protest raised pictures of a number of dead who rose in the aggression, and chanted slogans affirming the right of citizens in the Gaza Strip to live in security and peace, and calling for national unity to confront the crimes of the occupation.

The non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders announced today, Wednesday, that it had filed a lawsuit before the International Criminal Court, regarding the commission of “war crimes” against journalists during the ongoing occupation aggression against the Gaza Strip, since the seventh of last October.

The organization said in a statement published by Agence France-Presse, “Reporters Without Borders submitted a complaint regarding war crimes to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on October 31, 2023, detailing the cases of nine journalists killed since October 7, and two others. They were injured while doing their work.”

In a non-final statistic, 35 journalists were announced for their promotion during their coverage of the aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Since last October 7, the Gaza Strip has been subjected to a comprehensive Israeli aggression, which has resulted in more than 8,485 martyrs and more than 21,000 injured, in addition to major destruction of infrastructure, homes, buildings and facilities, and the cutting of electricity, water and fuel, in light of continuous bombing by occupation aircraft. And his artillery and gunboats.

Today, Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying wrote a tweet on the “X” website regarding the war on Gaza, which has entered its twenty-sixth day.

Hua Chunying said: “The bombing of the Gaza Strip is still continuing. How many lives of children and civilians will be enough to stop this?! If the minimum respect and reverence for life and international law are lost, the moral red line will be absent, and that means falling into the abyss.”

She added: “More than 60 United Nations employees, more than 100 medical workers, and more than 8,000 Palestinians were killed in the bombing of the Gaza Strip. This goes beyond the limits of self-defense. Every country has the right to self-defense, but international law must be adhered to when exercising this.” "Right."

Chunning condemned all actions that target civilians and expose them to danger. All lives are precious. Palestinian lives, like the lives of other peoples, must be protected. History has proven that military force does not lead to lasting peace.

The concerned parties called for comprehensive implementation of the United Nations General Assembly resolution, adherence to international law, especially international humanitarian law, a ceasefire and violence, and finding solutions that contribute to achieving peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel.

Liberation newspaper said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the heavy losses among civilians in Gaza by recalling the so-called "Carthage Operation" carried out by the Allies during World War II, which was a "tragic" mistake in which dozens of children were killed.

By comparing the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Nazis on the one hand, and Israel and its allies on the other, Netanyahu told the story of a mistaken strike that occurred during World War II.

Netanyahu said, “The British Air Force was scheduled to bomb the Gestapo (German intelligence) headquarters in Copenhagen in 1944, and it was a completely legitimate target, but the British pilots missed the target, and instead of the Gestapo headquarters, they opened fire on a children’s hospital.”

Netanyahu added, "I believe that 84 children were burned to death. It is not a war crime, and Britain is not to blame for it. It was a legitimate act of war, but it had tragic consequences. He did not tell the allies at the time, 'Do not stop your war against the Nazis,' because of these tragic consequences."

He continued, "They came all this way because they knew that the future of our civilization was at stake... Well, I'm telling you now the future of our civilization is at stake. We must win this war, and we will do that by reducing human casualties among civilians."

The tragic event

The newspaper corrected this well-known and documented historical fact, explaining that the “Carthage Operation” was carried out on March 21, 1945, not in 1944 as Netanyahu claimed, and its first target was the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, but an unexpected event occurred, which the Royal Air Force described as “ An unfortunate accident,” which the Danish press described as a “catastrophic mistake,” which led to the burning of a French Catholic school, not a “children’s hospital,” as Netanyahu also claimed.

The event - as the newspaper says - is that a warplane was flying at a very low altitude. It hit a building, according to the Royal Air Force, or an electricity pole, according to other accounts. It lost its ability to fly, and crashed after colliding with the French school, "Jeanne d'Arc." Then other planes rose from the waves. Subsequent combat, led by smoke emanating from the burned school, led to targeting and bombing it, and the result was the death of 120 civilians, including 86 children.

According to the newspaper, Netanyahu adopted a true historical story in which a technical error led to very serious “collateral damage,” justifying the killing of civilians in Gaza by saying that Hamas was using them as “human shields.”

He said, "No civilian should die. Hamas only has to allow them to enter the safe zone that we created in the southeast of the Gaza Strip. But Hamas prevents them from going there, and keeps them in conflict areas. So I think your question should be posed to Hamas." .

In conclusion, the newspaper pointed out that this is not the first time that Netanyahu has referred to this story. He spoke about it when he was Israel’s representative to the United Nations on the American program “Firing Line,” trying to prove that the mistake of the Carthage operation is not “terrorism.” ", as mentioned in a book published in 1997 entitled "Combat Terrorism."

The Al-Qassam Brigades announced the killing of 7 civilian detainees during the Israeli bombing of Jabalia yesterday, Tuesday, including 3 holders of foreign passports.

Successive Israeli raids targeted “Al-Talouli Square” and “Al-Hoja Street” in Jabalia Camp, and military aircraft launched 3 raids on Al-Eshreen Street in Al-Nuseirat Camp.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the toll of the raids exceeded 400 dead and wounded, and that many residents of the targeted residential area were still under the rubble, as more than 20 homes were destroyed.

Today, Wednesday, Israeli occupation forces closed the entrances to the town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah.

According to local sources, the occupation forces closed all entrances to the town of Sinjil and agricultural roads with dirt barriers, causing citizens to be unable to enter or leave the town, and farmers to be unable to go to their lands to pick olives.

The Israeli occupation army admitted on Wednesday morning the killing of nine soldiers from the Givati Brigade in northern Gaza, after their vehicle was bombed by an anti-tank missile in the ongoing battles with the Palestinian resistance in the northern Gaza Strip, bringing the number killed in the past 24 hours to 11.

The occupation forces published a list of the names of the dead, and confirmed that four soldiers were seriously injured after a troop carrier was subjected to a missile attack by the Palestinian resistance.

In this context, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Wednesday described the killing of Israeli soldiers in battles against the resistance as a “cruel and painful” blow.

Gallant said that the "significant achievements" achieved by the intense fighting in the Gaza Strip unfortunately exact a heavy price.

Today, Wednesday, dozens of settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, protected by the Israeli occupation police.

According to local sources, these settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque from the direction of the Mughariba Gate, carried out provocative rounds in its courtyard, and performed Talmudic rituals in the vicinity of the Bab Al-Rahma prayer hall.

The occupation police also tightened its military measures around the mosque.

1. For the first time since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 7, the Rafah crossing was opened today, Wednesday, to transport the wounded and the exit of foreigners from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.

   
   

   An informed source told Reuters on Wednesday that Qatar mediated an agreement between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, in coordination with the United States, to allow the exit of foreign passport holders and some seriously injured people from the besieged Gaza Strip.

   
   

   The source added that the timetable for how long the crossing will remain open has not yet been determined.

   
   

   81 wounded people will be transferred from the Gaza Strip for treatment in Egyptian hospitals, and a number of foreign nationals will be allowed to travel, after movement at the crossing had been limited in recent days to bringing limited amounts of humanitarian aid into the Strip.

   
   

   Media reported that dozens of foreign passport holders arrived at the Rafah land crossing in preparation for leaving the Gaza Strip towards Egypt.

   
   

   Official Palestinian sources said that Egyptian ambulances headed to the Israeli Nitzana crossing to be searched before entering the Gaza Strip, and that they would be searched at the same crossing when they left carrying the wounded.

   
   

After more than three weeks of shock and confusion, yesterday came the moment of good news. In an operation whose details were kept secret, the Shin Bet Operations Unit, with the support of the Israeli army, succeeded in rescuing kidnapped soldier Uri Magidish from the captivity of the Hamas movement. Majidish was serving in the command control room at the Nahal Oz base. The majority of fellow female soldiers were killed, or kidnapped, during the “terrorist” attack that was carried out on October 7. As for the intelligence and operational success, yesterday it opened a window of hope for what will come later.

What comes next will be more difficult, but this impressive achievement spreads a glimmer of hope in the hearts of the families of the kidnapped, that the state has not forgotten them, despite its miserable failure. Now, the efforts will be integrated into the ground operation that will be carried out by the Israeli army, which will expand to large areas in the northern Gaza Strip. We can hope that continued pressure on Hamas will create operational opportunities that will allow other kidnapped persons to be rescued. In parallel, intensive efforts are being made to release more kidnapped persons through indirect negotiations with Hamas, with Qatari assistance.

There are things that the dust of battle can no longer hide, as the Israeli army is tightening its grip on the northern Gaza Strip. Yesterday afternoon, there were reports of the movement of mechanized forces belonging to the Israeli army. Before that, the army spokesman announced that an Israeli ground force had uncovered a cell belonging to the Hamas movement, carrying anti-armor weapons, and that the Israeli army had struck this cell at Al-Azhar University. This happened in the northern part of Gaza City, and it indicates an Israeli move deep into Gaza.

The movement of Israeli forces reminds us of the ground operations carried out by the Israeli army in the “Cast Lead” campaign in the Gaza Strip in 2009. Although two clear differences emerge when we compare the campaign launched 14 years ago and the war taking place now. 

First, the Hamas movement has accumulated its strength since then and has improved its defense systems, especially the tunnel network. Secondly, both the Israeli army and government have set a long-term goal of eliminating the authority and military capabilities of the Hamas movement. As American officers indicated in dialogue with their Israeli colleagues, it is still unclear how these steps will be consistent with the goal, which has set a high ceiling of expectations before the eyes of the Israeli public. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his promise yesterday, in which he said that the Hamas movement would be dealt a blow that would bring it to its knees, and that it would be defeated. His latest statement may be a bit more moderate than his previous statements.

Defense Minister Yoav Galant and senior Israeli army officials announced that Israeli forces would be given unlimited time to carry out their mission. This understanding is based on the broad supportive Israeli popular legitimacy, in light of the “atrocities” committed by Hamas on October 7, and the encouraging messages that have arrived from both the United States and many European countries. 

However, Western support is of limited validity, and is conditional on Israel refraining from violating the borders drawn by Biden: adhering to international law, maintaining open humanitarian corridors in order to protect Palestinian civilians, and refraining from occupying the Gaza Strip. At some point, the West's patience will run out, in light of news reports about the suffering of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip (unrelated to its support for activity against the crimes of the Hamas movement). It remains to be seen whether the realistic time frame for the operation will be months, or just a few weeks.

At the beginning of the operation, military friction was relatively low. This may be due to the Hamas movement's choice not to confront it in places that are exposed to it. The nature of the Israeli moves is gradually revealing. 

The IDF has a clear advantage over land, firepower and the ability to operate surveillance facilities. When groups of Hamas fighters move there, they expose themselves to danger. On the other hand, the guerrilla forces that take defensive positions have points that they can exploit by preparing explosive device fields, intentionally blowing up tunnels, and using anti-armor missiles.

Moving troops into the field, into areas previously cleared by air sorties, would help find more defensive tunnels. 

The army made a big mistake in 2021, in the “Guardian of the Walls” campaign, when it squandered an excellent operational capability that it had formulated - the “Blue Lightning” plan aimed at demolishing part of the tunnel network called the “Metro” and striking thousands of saboteurs - and squandering it in a movement Acrobatics-like redundant PR campaigns, which only resulted in the killing of a few “saboteurs”. Despite this, the Air Force, using accurate intelligence, is able to cause massive destruction in the tunnels and kill the “saboteurs.” This is what it is hoped will be achieved now, during the ground operation.

Meanwhile, in the background of events, communications are taking place regarding the deal to free the kidnapped persons. The chances of reaching a complete deal, leading to the release of all kidnapped persons in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners, are not great at this stage. Hamas assumes that its detention of some of the kidnapped persons is considered an asset, in preparation for continued Israeli ground entry, while the release of all the kidnapped persons will lead to the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip becoming more aggressive. 

It seems that the Hamas movement is ready to enter into negotiations related to the liberation of women, children and the elderly, but it is seeking to procrastinate as much as possible, in order to disrupt the ground operation. It is likely that the organization's leadership in the Gaza Strip is the one directing this policy, while the leadership outside the Strip is influential, but it is not the one issuing orders.

Yesterday, a few hours before news began to circulate regarding the release of soldier Uri Megidish, the Hamas movement released a short video clip, in which three kidnapped women appeared, one of whom attacked Netanyahu and called on him to reach a deal for the release of all the kidnapped. As for the country, the families of the kidnapped are escalating the demand to reach a deal, while advertising banners have spread in the cities, on which pictures of the kidnapped are printed. Hamas is waging a psychological war with the kidnapped women, in order to terrify the Israeli public and try to stop the ground movement. These propaganda operations are likely to intensify, as the ground campaign inflicts more heavy costs on Hamas.

The Northern Paradox

In addition, the situation in the north remains complicated. Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah announced that he will deliver a speech regarding the war for the first time next Friday. The prevailing impression currently is that the two parties, namely Hezbollah and Israel, understand each other well. They realize the opponent's lack of desire to be dragged behind the Hamas movement into a comprehensive war in Lebanon, but, ironically, this very conclusion is what leads to more offensive measures deep inside the opponent (based on the thinking that it is possible to manage the confrontation without... You cross the threshold into war.) Israel was able to record operational achievements and killed 50 Hezbollah members and more Palestinian “saboteurs”, but Hezbollah and Hamas, in return, began expanding the range of their fire towards the residential communities located south of the Ras Naqoura-Nahariya line.

This point is considered dangerous in the ongoing confrontation, against the backdrop of the expanding activity of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip. Things in the north could also get out of control. Attention should also be paid to Hezbollah's presence on the Syrian side of the Golan, where it mobilizes Shiite militias to serve its goals.

Meanwhile, Iran sits by and watches. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, in an interview with Al Jazeera this week, tried to walk a very fine line. On the one hand, he admitted that Iran is arming and training the organizations of the radical axis (Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad movement). On the other hand, he claimed that Iran was not informed of Hamas’ decision regarding the attack, and that it is not a partner in Hamas’ operations. It appears to be an Iranian attempt to maintain a certain safe distance from the war, and essentially, to maintain a safe distance that prevents its military involvement in a confrontation with the United States, which is steadily strengthening its forces in the region.

 The right moral step

In the midst of the chaos created by war, it is sometimes difficult to pay attention to additional long-term damage. The International Court in The Hague sent a public prosecutor to Egypt to examine whether the two parties to the war in the Gaza Strip were committing war crimes. This is a judicial change that Israel has been facing since the days of the “Cast Lead” campaign and the Goldstone Commission report issued by the United Nations. However, the situation now is more complicated: despite the warnings directed to Netanyahu, he insisted on passing the law reducing the reason for reasonableness last August. As a result, Israel will find it more difficult to claim that it has independent, Western-style investigative and judicial systems, and based on this to claim that there is no reason for external interference in its actions.

The images arriving from Dagestan, the small Islamic Caucasus republic, on Sunday night are deeply disturbing. A crowd of mobs at the main airport in the country searched for Jews and Israelis whose plane had landed from Tel Aviv, in order to attack them en masse. This mob created chaos at the airport for many hours, leaving the passengers on the plane trapped. The chaos was suppressed by force, and resulted in many casualties.

Such things do not happen by chance, nor in a vacuum. They are the result of direct incitement, not only in the Caucasus republics influenced by Russia, but within Russia itself. President Vladimir Putin's regime has been spreading toxic political propaganda in favor of the Hamas movement, starting from the first day of the war. It also hosted a delegation of the organization's senior leaders in Moscow last week.

Putin has now become an honorary member of a global coalition that also includes Iran (which is supplying him with drones in his war on Ukraine), Hezbollah, and Hamas. The Israeli silence regarding his actions is shameful. The least Netanyahu can do is finally comply with the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and allow him to conduct a solidarity visit to the country. Zelensky asked to come in the first week, and his request was rejected. When Israel came to its senses, it was no longer certain that he remained involved. It is time to renew our approach to Him and invite Him to come. This is the right moral step, but at the same time it will carry an important message to the world: Israel stands with the rational side of the global conflict, while evil has emerged in its backyard with all its seriousness.

Today, Wednesday, settlers opened fire on farmers in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus.

Anti-settlement activist Fouad Hassan said that a group of settlers from the Yesh Kodesh outpost attacked the olive pickers under the protection of the occupation army, and opened fire on them in the southern direction on the road between Qasra and Jalud.

He added that this is the second time in two days that settlers have targeted olive pickers in the same area, and they beat up a citizen.

Israel is trying to push Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to agree to absorb refugees from the Gaza Strip into Egypt, in exchange for writing off Egypt's debts to the World Bank. In this context, the Prime Minister recently went to international leaders and asked them to convince President Sisi of the idea, because it is the best solution. Another idea was also proposed: evacuating the wounded Palestinians by ship, and establishing a field hospital in Egypt.

Two weeks ago, President Sisi announced his strong opposition to the transfer of Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip to Sinai, and warned that such a step would turn Sinai into a source of attacks against Israel, and Egypt would turn into a base for “terrorist” operations.

The occupation's aggression against the Gaza Strip continued yesterday for the twenty-fifth day, and it is clear that it will not stop. Hundreds of killed and wounded fell, including a large number of children, and many homes and entire neighborhoods were erased. Jabalia camp was a clear witness to the extent of the immoral bombing by the occupation. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, thousands fell, and many families were displaced, including children who became homeless, without shelter, protection, food, or nourishment.

The battle continues, and it seems that the world is watching what is happening, seeing blood flowing and children's tears filling the streets, and it does not seem to feel anything. the world stands as a spectator who sees and does not care. Israel is bombing entire neighborhoods, destroying them, displacing their families and residents, and cutting off water, electricity, and food. No one hears or sees this tragedy except our Palestinian people. The occupation continues with its arrogance, bombing and demolishing neighborhoods and displacing families, including  young and the elderly.

The big question is: Where is the world in all of this? Why this inhuman and immoral silence? Why do they let Israel expand its bombing, destruction and killing? This silence encourages Israel and its arrogance and crimes increase..!!

They believe that by doing so they can eliminate the dreams and aspirations of our steadfast and patient people. But of course, they are wrong and do not learn from past experiences. Over the years, our people have suffered a lot of violence, destruction, sabotage and killing. But they never surrendered and they certainly will not surrender or raise the white flag. But they will remain strong, steadfast and patient. Palestine aspirations and hopes are great and will not be canceled or destroyed by any aggression, force or arrogance.

The big question that we repeat and hope that the whole world will hear remains: How long will this silence on the arrogance of the occupation and its attacks and crimes against our people? If this world is subject to self-interests, and takes full account of the Zionist forces and those supporting them, then it must wake up and realize that interests are changing and the big powers are disappearing. Truth will prevail at the end. T

We are confident that our people are strong, steadfast and adhere to their rights and look forward to their future and to the restoration of all their usurped rights..!!

The Israeli media, for the most part, have a large role in increasing the uncertainty and obscurity more than contributing to revelation, exposure, and clarification, and some of them have gone beyond that to justifying the excessive force that the Israeli killing and aggression machine has used and continues to use, not to mention justifying the war itself.

The current Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which is approaching the end of its first month, has highlighted what is described as “new Israeli heroes” and has coined terms that are being circulated for the first time. It seems that all of this will remain part of the general scene and prevailing discourse in subsequent times, which makes this a project that is constantly open to more questions related to what Israel has become, as a society and its leadership.

At the forefront of these “heroes” is security affairs researcher Eliyahu (Behrouz) Yossian, a Jew of Iranian origin, from the staff of the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, affiliated with the New Israeli Right, and a specialist in Iranian affairs. His heroism, according to what one of Haaretz's regular columnists, Rogel Alpher, acknowledges, is his repeated call to kill the Gazan population completely. The refrain that Yossian repeats in all Israeli television studios is the following: If Israel wants to survive, it must brutally invade Gaza for the purpose of revenge, with zero morals, and in order to accumulate as many dead bodies as possible. When he repeats this, no one objects or even has reservations about what he says, which leads to the legitimization of the call to kill all the residents of Gaza.

On the official level, the Minister of Agriculture and member of the Israeli Cabinet, Avi Dichter, a former head of the General Security Agency (Shin Bet), said on the third day of the war, during radio and television interviews, that the era of the presence of innocents in Gaza had ended irrevocably. The current war is not another round, but a real battle to turn things around.

Dichter's conclusion was supported by a position paper issued by the Misgav Institute mentioned above, indicating that 60% of the population of the Gaza Strip support the Hamas movement from a political standpoint, and support its armed struggle against Israel. Accordingly, what is required is the necessity of overturning any ideological or political separation between most of the population in the Gaza Strip and Hamas. One of the Israeli right-wing media outlets titled its report on the contents of that paper with the following phrases: “Innocents? Not in the Gaza Strip...”

Israeli leaders used to claim that “our enemy is Hamas, not the residents of Gaza,” but, at the same time, they were keen to add to that by saying that “the residents of Gaza are guilty because they elected Hamas.” The goal they most insisted on establishing in the minds of the world, in addition to appearing as the eternal victim, was to exclude any comparison between Israel and Hamas. In this regard, former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni outdid everyone by saying that there is no comparison between Israel and Hamas, as the latter deliberately kills civilians while its state kills civilians unintentionally. She added emphatically that this is the difference between murder and premeditated murder. It was supposed, as a legal and not just a political one, to know with certainty that even those accused of manslaughter would also be punished with long imprisonment.

The Israeli media, for the most part, have a large role in increasing the uncertainty and obscurity more than contributing to revelation, exposure, and clarification, and some of them have gone beyond that to justify the excessive force that the Israeli killing and aggression machine has used and continues to use, not to mention justifying the war itself. The media, with rare exceptions, treats Israeli society's overt and latent ability to accept the killing of children, some with understanding, some with approval, and some even with extreme enthusiasm, with disgusting indifference.

There is no doubt that what enables this brutal world to survive and continue is that it is not confronted with the facts and facts bleeding from Gaza, and it is not confronted with them given that the public arm entrusted with conveying the facts (the Israeli media) is failing to carry out its mission, which has led academics to assert that if There was a prime example of “treason in wartime,” and that was treason.

Arab and international public opinion is dominated by old stereotypes and ideas, which have contributed to making Israel in the public political mind a fortified fortress whose walls cannot be penetrated. This image was built as a result of the defeats suffered by the Arab armies in some of their wars with Israel, and the latter’s investment in perpetuating its military, security and technical superiority, which It has no counterpart in the Middle East.

This is because Israel, which was established on the lands of historic Palestine by a British decision and Western collusion in 1948, has remained governed by concerns about existential danger to this day, and its rulers realized early on that overcoming those concerns requires exclusive guarantees that make the idea of maintaining survival reasonable in an Arab environment that has raised concerns. Antagonizing it by occupying lands that belong to it, therefore, the Israeli security strategy formulated by David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, was based on building a strong, multi-front, modernly armed army, and entering into international alliances that support the presence of the Israeli occupation and its military capabilities. It is no surprise when we see the United States of America It provides political, military, legal, and media cover for its ally, Israel, the features of which are clearly evident in the ongoing Israeli aggression (as of this writing) on Gaza.

When the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip opened Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, international news agencies reported the news of resistance fighters penetrating a smart iron wall built by the Israeli occupation authorities along its border with the Strip. This was followed by specific operations carried out by the resistance factions, with tactics shocking the Israeli security and military circles. In fact, that breakthrough caused a shock in the Arab and Western political imagination, in which the image of Israel as superior in security and militarily had been established for many decades.

The preventive security theory whose provisions the Gaza Division of the Israeli occupation army was assigned to operate in accordance with its terms has failed, and that failure paved the way for the resistance factions to carry out unprecedented operations deep inside Israel (the occupied territories). Although Israel was surprised by the resistance operation, it responded with a violent aerial bombardment that led to the martyrdom of As many as more than 8,300 civilians so far, Western countries have rushed to support it for reasons related to its influence in the Middle East.

Let us go back a little. The countries of the West created Israel, and not only did they do that, but they transferred to it development factors, gave it the elements for survival, and made it an agent for their interests in the region. What confirms this is that Britain decided to establish it in the beginning, and France contributed to building its nuclear reactors, which It believes in its ability to provide regional deterrence, and Germany also supports it economically and militarily, and the United States, whose president, Joe Biden, recently said, “If there was no Israel in existence, we would work to establish it, and we will continue to stand by it.”

This evidence does not fail to confirm the fact that the Israeli occupation performs a geostrategic function through which it serves the interests of Western countries and supports its control in the region. Therefore, when the Palestinian resistance was imposed on October 7, a conflict that the occupation is not good at playing according to its rules, Washington felt Western countries realized that their regional agent might disrupt his strategic functions, so the leaders of those countries quickly flocked to Tel Aviv to show support, and moved their giant battleships to the Mediterranean Sea to establish a circumstantial deterrence equation that prevents the ignition of additional fronts that threaten their influence in the region.

Despite this, the Israeli occupation is well aware that it is not fighting a regular army whose forces are stationed in bases or camps whose geographical locations are known and can be easily bombed from the air, as it did in the 1967 war. Rather, it is fighting non-state organizations that are proficient in guerrilla warfare and fight in their field, which complicates the situation. The occupation attempts to restore respect to the concept of Israeli deterrence, which has suffered a major setback. Therefore, the leaders in Israel realize that the goal of eliminating the Hamas movement and stripping it of its combat capabilities is not realistic, especially since it is still holding the strings of war. Therefore, they rely mainly on the air force to destroy the infrastructure. Infrastructure in Gaza, and stripping it of the necessities of life, to force its residents to flee within the Strip, and to plunge the Hamas movement into a subsequent confrontation with the society it rules in Gaza after the end of the war that the Prime Minister of the Israeli occupation government, Netanyahu, seeks to prolong; To escape the entitlements that haunt him.

Finally, whatever the outcome of the ongoing war on Gaza, the square of security, intelligence, military and political failure in Israel that was revealed by the Al-Aqsa Flood operation quickly erased the image of Israel with constant security vigilance and military preparedness supported by various modern technical levers, which it bet on. Arab systems to confront dangers that Israel no longer includes.

That image, which was erased by the Al-Aqsa flood, was followed by what must precede the eradication of the Israeli occupation and the liberation of Palestine, which is the liberation of the Arab political imagination, which was besieged for decades following the peace agreements with Israel, both old and new, whose complete failure to replace the historical and logical representations of the image of the colonial and existing Israel was confirmed. With the occupation in the Arab mentality, with another based on appeasement and acceptance or alliance with it and submission to it. The sixth and seventh of October are not just two consecutive days, but rather two stages, each of which has its next, and that history will be written.

Ahmed Abdel Hafez Al-Darabaa: A writer and civil activist, interested in regional and international affairs, and a research assistant in the Jordanian National Assembly

Source: Arabic post

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, that Saudi Arabia has confirmed to the administration of President Joe Biden that the Kingdom is still interested in seeking to reach an agreement that would normalize relations with Israel after the end of the war in Gaza, according to What was reported by the American website “Axios”.

Kirby said: “Without going into details, we emerged from those discussions confident that we have a path back toward normalization and that there is interest from the Saudi side in continuing that.”

He added that the war in Gaza makes it difficult to make progress at the moment, but said: “We are still committed to it, and it is clear to us that the Saudis are still committed to it.” The Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to questions regarding Kirby’s comments, according to Axios.

The website noted that a congressional delegation from both the Democratic and Republican parties, headed by Senator Lindsey Graham, visited Saudi Arabia 10 days ago and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The website quoted a source familiar with the talks in Saudi Arabia, saying that the message the senators heard from Saudi officials was that they “are still interested in trying to reach a normalization agreement with Israel.”

Biden is pressing for normalization

Biden spoke last week with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and both stressed “the importance of working toward a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians once the crisis subsides,” according to the White House.

After their phone call, Biden said he had "no evidence" but that his "instinct" told him that Hamas "may have attacked Israel to obstruct the progress made in the Israeli-Saudi agreement."

Before the war began on October 7, Biden was pushing to reach a deal with Saudi Arabia that would include a historic normalization agreement between the Kingdom and Israel.

This comes as Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman visits Washington this week to hold talks with senior officials in the Biden administration amid the war in Gaza.

Yesterday, Monday, the Saudi minister met with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and the White House said that they discussed the war in Gaza and stressed the urgent need to increase humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

The White House added that they "also stressed the importance of working to achieve sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, building on the work already underway between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States in recent months."

KBS said in a tweet on “X” that he stressed to Sullivan the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, protecting civilians, allowing humanitarian aid, and resuming the peace process.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its condemnation of the aggression launched by the Israeli occupation forces against the Jabalia camp in the besieged Gaza Strip, which caused the death of a large number of defenseless civilian victims.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said in a statement published by KUNA news agency today, Wednesday, that the State of Kuwait condemns the continued escalation of the occupation forces in the Palestinian territories in general and the Gaza Strip in particular, and reiterates its position calling for the need for the international community and the Security Council to assume their responsibilities and move quickly to protect the Palestinian people and stop... Circle of violence.

The State of Kuwait renewed its demand for an immediate ceasefire and a humanitarian truce in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly resolution issued last Friday.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Tuesday that the United States and other countries are considering a “variety of potential alternatives” for the future of the Gaza Strip if Hamas is isolated from its rule.

Blinken added during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing that the status quo in which Hamas is in charge of the densely populated Strip cannot continue, but Israel does not want to run Gaza either.

Blinken explained that between these two situations there are “a variety of potential alternatives that we are now carefully examining, as are other countries.”

He added that what would be most logical at some point is the presence of an “effective and renewed Palestinian authority” to govern Gaza, but the question is whether this is possible.

"If we cannot do that, there are other temporary arrangements that may include a number of other countries in the region. They may include international agencies that help provide security and governance," Blinken said.

Israel responded to the attack launched by Hamas on October 7, which led to the death of more than 1,400 people, by bombarding the Gaza Strip with air strikes, vowing to eliminate Hamas in a relentless attack, but it does not seem to have a clear way to end the matter.

The Hamas Ministry of Health announced that the death toll as a result of the Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip had risen to 8,500, nearly half of whom were children.

UN and other aid officials said civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave were facing a health catastrophe, with hospitals struggling to treat the injured and a shortage of electricity supplies.

'Unclear plan'

Washington is talking with Israel, as well as with other countries in the region, about how to govern the Palestinian Strip if Israel wins on the battlefield, but a clear plan has not yet emerged.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that among the options being considered by the United States and Israel are the deployment of a multinational force that may include American forces, or placing Gaza under United Nations supervision temporarily.

In response to the report, the White House said that sending American forces to Gaza as part of a peacekeeping force is not a matter under study or discussion.

Some aides to US President Joe Biden are concerned that although Israel may develop an effective plan to permanently damage Hamas, it has not yet developed an exit strategy.

“We had very preliminary conversations about what the future of Gaza might look like,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a press conference, adding: “I expect this will be the subject of a lot of diplomatic work going forward.”

He continued: “The possibility of achieving this goal in one step is an open question, and if this is impossible to achieve now, there are temporary arrangements that may include other countries in the region or international agencies that can provide security and governance in the sector. The ultimate goal in the long term remains achieving the two-state solution.” .

"stained hands"

Blinken was forced to stop his speech during the interrogation session in Congress, after protesters chanted to demand “save the children of Gaza” and “ceasefire now.”

The protesters waved their hands stained red, indicating blood, and calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli National Security Advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, announced the launch of what he described as the “third phase” of the Gaza war, which is the ground operation in the northern Gaza Strip, noting that the first phase included containing the Hamas attack and securing the south. Israel. The second stage, as he put it, consists of “striking all enemy systems with force and precision, from land, sea and air, through intelligence information.”

Israel continues its land, air and sea aggression against the Gaza Strip for the twenty-sixth day in a row, amid a rise in the number of martyrs to more than 8,525, including 3,542 children, according to the latest statistics of the Ministry of Health in the Strip.

Dozens of Palestinians were martyred and injured in an air strike carried out by occupation aircraft on the Jabalia camp on Tuesday, which led to the death and injury of more than 400 people, after six bombs weighing 1,000 kilograms each were dropped, according to a report by the government media office in the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian sources said that the Rafah crossing will open exceptionally today, Wednesday, for the departure of 81 wounded people to complete their treatment in Egypt.

The Israeli army talks about shooting down a surface-to-air missile launched from Lebanon

The Israeli army said that its defenses intercepted and shot down a surface-to-air missile fired from southern Lebanon towards a warplane last night.

This comes after Israeli raids on southern Lebanon as part of sporadic clashes between Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israeli occupation forces.

Violent clashes between the resistance and the occupation forces south of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza

Violent clashes broke out between the resistance and the Israeli occupation forces penetrating south of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood (southeast of Gaza City).

The main axes of the Israeli incursion are the north and northwest of the Strip and the south and southeast of Gaza City.

It was also reported that the occupation forces attempted to penetrate the Abasan area, east of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Telecommunications Company announced, at dawn on Wednesday, a complete interruption of all communications and Internet services with the Gaza Strip.

The company explained in a brief statement that the interruption resulted from the international routes, which were previously reconnected, being disconnected again.

Since the seventh of last October, the Gaza Strip has been subjected to a comprehensive Israeli aggression, which has resulted in about 8,500 martyrs and the injury of more than 21,000, an infinite toll, in addition to widespread destruction of infrastructure, homes, buildings, and facilities, and the cutting of electricity, water, and fuel, in light of Continuous bombardment by occupation aircraft, artillery, and gunboats.

The comprehensive strike spread throughout the West Bank governorates, including the occupied city of Jerusalem, today, Wednesday, to denounce the continuing Israeli aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which has so far resulted in the martyrdom of more than 8,610 martyrs and more than 23,000 wounded.

The strike, called for by the Fatah movement, paralyzed all aspects of life, and universities, banks, and shops were closed, amid calls from the masses of our people to escalate the confrontation with the occupation in all fields of confrontation with the occupation, in defense of our people, and our sacred right to freedom, statehood, and independence. .

Yahia H. Zoubir

As the war on Gaza continues, China is increasingly positioning itself as a counter to the U.S. and Western European approach, emphasizing diplomacy and a need to address root causes of conflict.

Zhai Jun, China’s Special Envoy on the Middle East affairs, is on a trip to the region to push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. In his remarks at the Cairo Summit for Peace on the Palestinian Question on October 21, Zhai called for support for “the Palestinian people in restoring their lawful national rights.” This is a position shared by most countries. 

The absence of a resolution to the lingering, 75-year-old Palestine-Israel conflict has unsurprisingly caused it to flared up once again. The 2.3 million Palestinians living under occupation in Gaza, considered the largest “open-air prison,” suffer from hardship and despair with no end in sight. The powerful incursion by Hamas into Israel prompted a response by Israel, amounting to potential genocide in the form of intensive indiscriminate bombardments against an overpopulated Gaza. Israel also cut off the supply of water, food, electricity and fuel to the blockaded enclave. Gaza has undergone this kind of reprisal in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021, which caused the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians, many of them children.  

The ongoing strike on Gaza has come at a time when proponents of international multipolarity are contesting the unipolar system defended by the United States and its Western allies. The continued war in Ukraine epitomizes this contest between these two visions. The Gaza conflict has also widened the gap between the West and the rest of the world. China, for its part, emphasizes the root cause of the conflict, while officials in the U.S. and some European countries tend to de-contextualize and de-historicize it, contesting who supports Israel more strongly, calling for sending more arms to Israel and preparing for war against Iran, rather than suggesting solutions for peace. The issue is not the strong Western support for Israel, which is no secret, but the one-sided position that Western leaders have taken. 

Unlike Zhai’s declaration, Biden’s statement that “the U.S. remains committed to the Palestinians’ right to dignity and self-determination,” lacks credibility because of his decision to send more weapons to Israel. Unlike China’s neutral position, the one-sidedness of U.S. and European officials in the conflict proves that there is no indication that either the U.S. or the EU is willing to put an end to the onslaught on Gaza.  

Contrary to the U.S., China and much of the rest of the world have been calling for a ceasefire and a definitive resolution of the Palestine-Israel conflict. The attitudes of the U.S. and EU underscore the perception that they are pursuing hegemonic ambitions that rest essentially on military might rather than on diplomacy and the peaceful resolution of conflict. 

Beijing has emphasized peace and development as alternatives to perpetual conflict. In March, China successfully mediated normalization between Iran and Saudi Arabia, two countries with which it has comprehensive strategic partnerships. Before October 7, it offered to mediate between the Israelis and the Palestinians. While this looked like an arduous task, it had the merit of putting diplomacy as the conduit for conflict resolution. Mediation needs impartiality and objectivity. Beijing has consistently and unambiguously asserted its opposition to attacks on civilians and called for a ceasefire. China supports the two-state solution—even if this option might be unrealistic in view of Israeli settlement policy—and the implementation of United Nations resolutions. 

China’s attitude is consistent with one of the prerequisites of mediation: impartiality. Due to their unconditional pro-Israeli position, the U.S. and EU cannot be impartial brokers in the conflict. This was recently underlined by a U.S. veto of a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council calling for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid access to Gaza. For people in the Middle East and North Africa, and the Global South in general, the interpretation of U.S. impartiality is clear. The U.S. has pushed for normalization between Arab states and Israel through the Abraham Accords, but this policy has little chance of succeeding because it ignores the rights of the Palestinians. 

China is right to push for the resumption of genuine peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis and implement the two-state solution. Foreign Minister Wang Yi is correct in pointing out that the source of the Palestine-Israel war “lies in the long delay in realizing the dream of an independent State of Palestine and the failure to redress the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people.”  

Source: Middle East Council for Global Affairs