Blinken travelling to Israel and Jordan as Rafah invasion looms
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at Ben Gurion International airport, Israel, on March 22. ReutersEllie Sennett reports from Washington:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expanding his Middle East trip to Israel and Jordan this week, after Palestinian warnings that Israel’s invasion of Rafah could happen within days.
Mr Blinken will travel to Israel and Jordan after his World Economic Forum meetings in Riyadh on Wednesday.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Mr Blinken will focus on the effort to secure a ceasefire in Gaza that includes the release of hostages and ensure humanitarian aid into the enclave continues or increases.
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Biden repeats Rafah position in call with Netanyahu
Ellie Sennett reports from Washington:
US President Biden has repeated “his clear position” on Rafah to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday amid warnings that an Israeli incursion into the Palestinian city was imminent.
The White House has emphasised that it does not want Israel to invade Rafah without a plan to evacuate civilians.
Tension has increased between Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu over Israel’s war in Gaza, particularly over Rafah, the last enclave of relative safety for Palestinians.
The White House said the two leaders spoke by phone, and Mr Biden “reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.
He also discussed “increases in the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including through preparations to open new northern crossings starting this week”.
Two Israeli ministers air differences over Gaza truce deal
Two Israeli ministers publicly opposed a Gaza truce deal on Sunday, saying Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had no right to exist if it failed to invade Rafah, Hamas’s last bastion in the Palestinian territory.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and war cabinet minister Benny Gantz called for Hamas to be destroyed, which was one of the government’s stated aims.
“If you decide to raise a white flag and cancel the plan to occupy Rafah aimed at destroying Hamas in order to restore security to Israel, then the government headed by you will have no right to exist,” Mr Smotrich wrote on X, addressing Mr Netanyahu.
Mr Gantz, a former army chief and defence minister, also pushed for Rafah to be invaded.
“Entering Rafah is important in the long struggle against Hamas,” he said in a statement issued by his party.
“If a responsible outline for the return of hostages backed by the entire defence establishment is achieved, which doesn’t entail ending the war, and the ministers who led the government on October 7 prevent it — the government will not have the right to continue to exist.”
– AFP
Israel will increase amount of aid going into Gaza, military says
The amount of humanitarian aid going into the Gaza Strip will be increased in coming days, Israel’s military said on Sunday.
It said there would be new corridors that use an Israeli seaport and border crossings into the Palestinian enclave.
“Over the last few weeks, the amount of humanitarian aid going into Gaza has significantly increased,” spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said.
“In the coming days, the amount of aid going into Gaza will continue to scale up even more.
“Food, water, medical supplies, shelter equipment and other aid – more of it is going into Gaza than ever before.”
Admiral Hagari said aid was going through Israel’s Ashdod port and a new crossing into northern Gaza.
He said increased aid from Jordan was entering through the Karem Abu Salem border crossing at the southern tip of Gaza.
Israel is also working with US Central Command to build a “temporary maritime pier”, which will allow ship-to-shore distribution, Admiral Hagari said.
– Reuters
US Secretary of State Blinken expected to announce trip to Tel Aviv
Ellie Sennett reports from Washington:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected on Sunday to announce a trip to Tel Aviv as the threat of an Israeli invasion of Rafah intensifies.
President Joe Biden’s administration is playing down speculation that Israel would defy Washington’s warnings not to invade Rafah without a plan for humanitarian evacuations.
The White House said on Sunday that Israel has “agreed to listen to US concerns” before a Rafah invasion.
A State Department official told The National that the official trip would probably be announced in the coming hours.
White House urges ‘peaceful’ campus protests after hundreds arrested
The White House insisted on Sunday that the pro-Palestinian protests across US universities in recent weeks must remain peaceful, after police arrested about 275 people on four campuses at the weekend.
“We certainly respect the right of peaceful protests,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC.
But Mr Kirby said: “We absolutely condemn the anti-Semitism language that we’ve heard of late and certainly condemn all the hate speech and the threats of violence out there.”
The wave of demonstrations began at Columbia University in New York but has since spread rapidly across the country.
While peace has prevailed on many campuses, the number of protesters detained – at times by police in riot gear using chemical irritants and Tasers – is rising fast.
They include 100 at Northeastern University in Boston, 80 at Washington University in St Louis, 72 at Arizona State University and 23 at Indiana University.
At the University of Southern California, school officials closed the main campus to the public late on Saturday after pro-Palestinian groups again set up a camp that had been cleared earlier, the school announced on X.
With final exams coming in the next few weeks, some campuses, including the Humboldt campus of California State Polytechnic University, have closed and instructed students to complete their classes online.
The activists behind the campus protests, not all of whom are students, are calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas, and want universities to sever ties with Israel.
– AFP
US says Gaza aid pier ready in two to three weeks
The White House said on Sunday that a US-made pier meant to boost aid to Gaza will become operational in a few weeks, but that it cannot replace land routes as the best way to feed people in the territory.
The Pentagon said last week that the US military had begun building a pier meant to speed up aid deliveries.
“It will take probably two to three weeks before we can really see an operation,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC on Sunday.
Mr Kirby said the floating platform to bring more food and other essentials into Gaza will help, but has its limits.
He said Israel is now letting in more lorries, particularly in the beleaguered north of Gaza.
“The Israelis have started to meet the commitments that President Biden asked them to meet.”
– AFP
World Central Kitchen to resume aid operations in Gaza
Ellie Sennett reports from Washington:
World Central Kitchen will resume operations in Gaza on Monday for the first time since Israel killed seven of its workers.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire,” Erin Gore, chief executive of WCK, said in a statement.
“We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity and focus on feeding as many people as possible.
“Food is a universal right, and our work in Palestine has been the most life-saving mission in our 14-year organisational history.”
The aid group, which was founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, is restarting its Gaza food delivery operations with a Palestinian team, it said, after the April 1 strike killed seven of its international aid volunteers.
The pause in operations was a significant blow to Palestinians in Gaza, who are in increasingly desperate need of aid.
WCK accounted for 62 per cent of all international NGO aid in the enclave.
It has 276 lorries with the equivalent of almost eight million meals ready to enter through the Rafah crossing and will also send lorries into Gaza from Jordan, it said.
Hamas official says delegation to respond to Gaza truce plan on Monday
A senior Hamas official said on Sunday that the group would give its response to Israel’s latest counter-proposal for a Gaza ceasefire on Monday in Egypt.
“A Hamas delegation headed by Khalil Al Hayya will arrive in Egypt tomorrow … and deliver the movement’s response” to Egyptian intelligence officials, said the official.
-AFP
Israel agrees to listen to US concerns on Rafah invasion
Ellie Sennett reports from Washington:
Israel has agreed to listen to US concerns and thoughts before it launches an invasion of Rafah, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday.
Mr Kirby told ABC that Israel has started to meet the commitments it made to President Joe Biden on allowing aid into the north of Gaza.
Israel-Lebanon front continues to heat up despite French mediation efforts
French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, left, meets Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut on Sunday. EPAFighting along the Lebanon-Israel front intensified on Sunday despite the arrival of France’s Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in Lebanon as part of a western diplomatic push to ease the conflict.
Mr Sejourne, on his second visit to the region since February, said he would present proposals to Lebanese officials aimed at preventing war and easing tension between Hezbollah and Israel.
“I will convey messages and propose initiatives to the authorities here to push this region towards stability and avoid the outbreak of war,” Mr Sejourne said.
He earlier visited the headquarters of Unifil, the UN agency charged with keeping peace between Israel and Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it launched attacks on Israeli territory on Sunday in retaliation for Israel’s assaults “on the steadfast southern villages and civilian homes” in Quzah, Markaba and Serbin villages the previous day.
At least nine people were wounded in the attack on Serbin, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
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UAE delivers 400 tonnes of food aid for Gaza
The UAE delivered 400 tonnes of food aid destined for Gaza to Israel’s Ashdod port on Sunday.
“There remains a critical need, today more than ever, to deliver lifesaving humanitarian relief to the Gaza Strip,” said Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, according to the Wam news agency.
“By land, air and sea, the UAE continues to seek all possible avenues to provide urgent humanitarian aid and food to the strip.
“The UAE is keen to co-operate with all partners in the international community to provide relief to civilians in the Gaza Strip who are suffering from tragic humanitarian conditions.”
The aid was delivered in co-operation with the American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera).
“Anera is enormously grateful to be partnering with the UAE government to deliver food and other critical aid to Palestinians in Gaza,” president and chief executive Sean Carroll said.
To date, the UAE has delivered more than 31,000 tonnes of urgent supplies to Gaza, including food, relief and medical items, sent through 250 flights, 38 aid drops, 1,160 lorries and three ships.
Israeli army approves continuation of fighting in Gaza
The Israeli army has said it has approved continued fighting in Gaza after a meeting with its Southern Command on Sunday.
Army chief Herzi Halevi “held a discussion and approval of plans for the continuation of the war with the commander of the Southern Command, Maj Gen Yaron Finkelman and all the commanders of the divisions and brigades in the command”, it wrote on X.
Troops are expected to invade Rafah, a major city in southern Gaza, in the coming days, which the UN and world leaders have warned will result in unprecedented suffering.
Israeli violence in occupied West Bank may worsen, says Abbas
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he is afraid Israel will increase its raids on the occupied West Bank when the war in Gaza ends.
Mr Abbas urged the US, Israel’s biggest ally, to halt a planned offensive on Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where most displaced Palestinians have sought refuge.
“I fear after Israel finishes with Gaza, it will turn to the West Bank to deport its people towards Jordan,” he said at a special meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh.
“Both Egypt and Jordan refused the deportation of the Palestinians, but Israel needs someone to force it to stop.”
At least 500 Palestinians have been killed and about 5,000 arrested in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began in October.
Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister calls for de-escalation at WEF meeting
John Benny reports:
Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister has called for de-escalation across several conflict zones in a panel at the World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh, where discussions have centred on the continuing war in Gaza.
“It is very unfortunate to see loss of lives wherever that is. Civilian lives are important, whether it is in Ukraine or in Palestine or elsewhere,” said Mohammed Al Jadaan.
“When you have conflicts of this nature in your region, it puts a lot of pressure on the emotions and the moods and it’s no secret that the economy is impacted by perception.
“I think cool-headed countries and leaders and people need to prevail, and you need to make sure that you actually de-escalate.”
Abbas urges US to prevent Israeli assault on Rafah
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the US to prevent Israel from entering Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
Speaking from the World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh, Mr Abbas said the occupation must end, while repeating his condemnation of the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israeli communities.
Israel will invade Rafah “within days”, he said.
“All the Palestinians of Gaza have gathered in Rafah. A small strike is all it takes to force everyone to leave Palestine.”
The US is the “only country that can can prevent Israel from perpetrating that crime”, he added.
An Israeli invasion of Rafah would be “the greatest catastrophe in the history of the Palestinian people”, said Mr Abbas.
Israel arrests 15 Palestinians across occupied West Bank
Palestinian youths observe an Israeli army patrol car at the entrance of the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. AFPIsraeli forces arrested 15 Palestinians overnight across the occupied West Bank, according to local media.
Two children and former detainees were among those arrested in raids on Salfit, Tulkarm, Jenin, Jericho, Qalqilya and Jerusalem, the official Wafa news agency reported.
About 8,500 people have been arrested across the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October, it added.
World Economic Forum special meeting begins in Riyadh
Mina Al-Oraibi reports:
The Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development kicked off in Riyadh on Sunday morning, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in attendance. While the meeting, hosted by the World Economic Forum, is more focused on getting economic growth back on track, the war in Gaza and the future of regional conflicts is very present.
Mr Abbas met a number of officials on Saturday evening and on Sunday evening the EU and Arab Ministers will convene in a meeting co-hosted by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barthe, with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borell. Among the attendees are Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al Safadi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
The meeting comes ahead of the arrival of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the hope of getting European and Arab perspectives more closely aligned. While Arab officials and diplomats insist there must be a ceasefire in Gaza before speaking of “the day after solution”, European officials are keen to get agreement on a path of “the day after”, according to diplomatic sources speaking to The National in Riyadh.
The presence of Mr Abbas in Riyadh can help contribute in considering what that “day after” means for the Palestinian Authority and more coherent governance in the Palestinian territories.
Hostage deal is Israel’s ‘most urgent mission,’ says Lapid
Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid has said Israel’s primary objective must be to secure a hostage deal with Hamas, criticising Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as being “in a tailspin” with “no vision”.
“It’s a difficult decision, but the time has come to make it,” Mr Lapid wrote in an opinion piece for the Haaretz newspaper.
“We can return to Rafah at a later date. Now we must do everything we can to bring the hostages back home.”
Among other recommendations, Mr Lapid said aid deliveries to Gaza must also be increased.
“The government had two choices: One was to swamp Gaza with aid to alleviate international pressure on us … two was to prevent aid from reaching Gaza to create leverage on Hamas with regard to the hostages. Instead, the government opted for a third choice, the worst one possible: It sent too little aid into Gaza and tried to hide this so as not to upset Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich,” he wrote, saying Israel has a “clear and unequivocal interest” in ensuring there is no hunger in Gaza, where at least 30 people have starved to death since October.
