Blinken Says ‘All Sides Need to De-escalate’ in Middle East
Tuesday, 11 May, 2021 – 06:15
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi speak prior to a meeting at the State Department – AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged both Israel and the Palestinians to lower tensions and urged an immediate end to rocket fire by Hamas.
“All sides need to de-escalate, reduce tensions, take practical steps to calm things down,” Blinken said as he met his Jordanian counterpart in Washington.
Blinken strongly condemned rocket fire by Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, and backed Israel’s right to respond.
The rocket attacks “need to stop immediately,” Blinken said, according to AFP.
He also praised steps taken by Israel over the past day partly in response to concerns led by the United states, including rerouting a flashpoint parade meant to celebrate Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967.
Blinken also pointed to the postponement of a decision on the eviction of Palestinian families in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, an immediate trigger for the violence that has left hundreds injured in the holy city.
“But it’s imperative for all sides to take steps to de-escalate the situation,” he said.
For his part, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Jerusalem was a “red line” for the kingdom, which has a peace treaty with Israel and maintains a custodial role in the Al-Aqsa compound, known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif.
“Our focus right now is on ensuring that the escalation stops, and for that to happen we believe that all illegal, provocative measures against the peoples of Sheikh Jarrah or in terms of violations into al-Haram must stop,” Safadi said.
While a second term of four years depends on the results of the upcoming elections, scheduled for June 10, Kadhimi confirmed during a television interview with a number of Iraqi satellite channels that he will not run in the polls.
More than 3,000 candidates will participate in the early elections, compared to around 7,000 contenders in 2018. Political observers attributed the drop to the new electoral law, which does not allow multiple nominees to compete in one district.
While the number of candidates and parties has decreased, observers note that the elections will witness a high turnout despite boycott calls by the new political movement, known as the October Forces, in wake of the recent assassination of civilian activist Ihab al-Wazni in Karbala.
During the interview, the premier said he had taken his decision against running in the polls since the first day when the government was formed. He also denied reports that the leader of the Sadrist movement, Moqtada al-Sadr, has exerted pressure on him in this regard.
Kadhimi stressed that his country was “trying today to restore its international reputation. We reject all forms of political influence by any side.”
On the assassination of al-Wazni, he said: “If we want to build a real Iraq, weapons must be solely under the state’s authority.”
He vowed that the country would confront all attempts that threaten it.
Kadhimi renewed his accusations against parties trying to “exploit the weapons that fought ISIS under various pretexts,” revealing that some “gangs have infiltrated our security apparatus, especially the Ministry of Interior.”
On relations with the Kurdistan region, the PM said: “Unprecedented security coordination between Baghdad and Erbil is underway. It will help end terrorist attacks in the disputed areas and the regions witnessing security vacuum.”
He also expressed confidence that the regional government would cooperate with Baghdad’s proposals in this regard.
The government also asked for intervention to prevent Tehran from continuing to smuggle weapons to the militias as part of its efforts to threaten regional and international stability.
On the ground, seven civilians were injured in the Marib province on Sunday after the Houthis fired a new ballistic missile into a neighborhood in the government-held city. This was the fifth missile fired into Marib in seven days.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak said: “The ongoing military escalation, in spite of the United Nations and international efforts to end the war and restore peace, reflects the militias’ refusal to reach a peaceful solution.”
During a meeting with China’s ambassador to Yemen, he underscored the importance of exerting maximum pressure on the Houthis to force them to stop their escalation and respond to peace calls.
He also met with Russian Ambassador Vladimir Dedoshkin on ongoing efforts to end the war and achieve peace based on UN and regional initiatives, slamming the Houthis for their insistence on continuing the aggression against the Yemeni people.
The ongoing offensive in Marib reflects the “hostile nature of the militias and commitment to Iran’s agenda to destabilize Yemen and the region,” he added.
Bin Mubarak also held talks with EU Ambassador Hans Grundberg, who reiterated the Union’s support for reaching peace in Yemen and restoring its unity, security and stability.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the arms shipment, seized on Saturday by the US Navy in the Arabian Sea, is new evidence of Iran’s ongoing smuggling of weapons to the Houthis.
He said it is clear that Tehran is using the militias to carry out is expansionist agenda and spread chaos and terrorism in the region and threaten global interests.
He called on the international community to take a clear stance against the continuous Iranian meddling in Yemen and its blatant violation of international law, the UN Charter and relevant Security Council resolutions.
On Saturday, the US said its navy foiled a smuggling of large shipment of different arms, including missiles, on a small ship of unidentified nationality in international waters off Yemen’s southern coasts.
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