Anwar Gargash has stressed the need for an “immediate ceasefire in Gaza” to end the cycle of violence, regional instability and the destructive logic of aggression and retaliation…reports Asian Lite News
A true path to Palestinian self-determination is irreplaceable, according to Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Advisor to the UAE President.
Gargash emphasised the need for an “immediate ceasefire in Gaza” to end the cycle of violence and regional instability.
In a post on his X account, Dr. Gargash stated, “No reasonable voice can deny the urgency of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, ending the cycle of violence, regional escalation, and the destructive logic of aggression and retaliation,” while also acknowledging the failure of policies that have delayed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
He added, “There is no alternative to a genuine path that guarantees the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and breaks the cycle of instability in the region.”
At an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Waleed Al Khereiji, condemned the Israeli attacks on civilians. He expressed the Kingdom’s “deep concern over the escalating violence perpetrated by the Israeli army,” which has resulted in significant civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Holding Israel “fully responsible for the heinous attack” that killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran on July 31, the OIC has requested “immediate and effective intervention” by the UN Security Council for maintaining international peace and security.
Since the conflict began on October 7, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 39,699 in Gaza and 617 in the West Bank.
Iran may dump revenge attack
Could Tehran instead be prepared to pull back in exchange for progress on Gaza peace talks? That was the hope among regional leaders gathered at an emergency summit in Jeddah, CNN opined.
Since Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran last week, the Iran leaders have vowed vengeance against Israel, whom they claim was responsible. Israel hasn’t confirmed or denied responsibility.
According to CNN, flights across Iran and its neighbours were cancelled amid fears that missiles could fly any moment, triggering a much-feared escalation of Israel’s war in Gaza.
With his country on the brink of triggering a regional war, Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri attended the OIC Summit on Wednesday.
CNN quoted Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi as saying, “The first step toward stopping the escalation is ending its root cause, which is the continued Israeli aggression on Gaza.”
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US has told both- Israel and Iran that “no one should escalate this conflict”. He added that the ceasefire negotiations have reached “a final stage”, CNN reported. Blinken added that any tensions in the region can jeopardize the peace talks.
According to CNN, Safadi was in Tehran over the weekend and met both Bagheri and Iran’s new President Masoud Pezeshkian, and appears to believe that Iran may be looking for an off ramp to escalation.
Iran needs diplomatic cover to back away from its threats and a Gaza ceasefire would allow Tehran to claim it cares more for the lives of Palestinians than it does for taking revenge. “But the payoff needs to be big enough for Iran as its honour and deterrence are at stake,” CNN said.
According to CNN, France’s President Emanuel Macron is adding his diplomatic heft, declaring in a phone call with Pezeshkian Wednesday that retaliation against Israel “has to be abandoned”.
Pezeshkian’s response suggests he is listening, CNN reported quoting Iran PM, “If America and Western countries really want to prevent war and insecurity in the region, to prove this claim, they should immediately stop selling arms and supporting the Zionist regime and force this regime to stop the genocide and attacks on Gaza and accept a ceasefire.”
However, Hamas made peace talks with Israel further difficult as it replaced Haniyeh with Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind behind the October 7 attacks, which resulted into the ongoing war.
CNN said that the resolution from OIC will come into effect only if US President Joe Biden meddles, as it can convince Netanyahu.
Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s Permanent Observer at the UN said, “The region does not need escalation. What the region needs is a ceasefire. What the region needs to address legitimate rights. I have a feeling that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to drag President Biden into a war with Iran,” he said.
CNN reported that Israel views Iran and Lebanon-based Hezbollah as different hands under the same theological head.
A US official told CNN that they fear Hezbollah may strike Israel, and if the latter retaliates, the whole region may get wrapped in a regional escalation.
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