Author: Steven Sahiounie

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says a deal between Israel and Hamas that would include a pause in the fighting and the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners is still possible but “very hard” points of disagreement have yet to be resolved. “We are very committed to do everything we can to move forward and see if we can reach an agreement,” he added. Talks involving Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the US ended in Cairo this week without a breakthrough. source: AlJazeera

The Council of the Arab League has affirmed that Israel’s commission of the crime of forcible displacement of the Palestinian people constitutes an attack on Arab national security. The Council warned this could lead to the collapse of peace prospects in the Middle East, exacerbating and widening conflicts in the region. In an extraordinary session of permanent representatives on Thursday, the Council expressed concern over the unprecedented dire conditions in Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt, citing Israel’s plans and intentions to forcibly displace approximately one and a half million Palestinian citizens there…

Iran has called for an emergency meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) amid the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, especially Rafah which faces an imminent Israeli invasion. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the plea on Thursday during phone talks with OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, demanding that Muslim countries “take decisive measures against the recent aggression of the Zionist regime”. Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza’s southern city Rafah where more than a million Palestinians have fled since the start of the war on Gaza, with a top UN official…

UN Relief Chief Martin Griffiths has addressed “Israel’s” invasion of Rafah and its call for the evacuation of Palestinians, saying there exists zero safe zones in Gaza. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said safe zones in Gaza are an ‘illusion’, as “Israel” calls for the evacuation of Palestinian refugees in Rafah ahead of its invasion. “There is not anywhere safe for people to go in Gaza, it is an illusion to think there is some wonderful part of Gaza where you can go and be safe from the war because the displacement continues … as the…

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan expressed his ongoing willingness Mediation between Russia and Ukraine for a “fair” peace between the two countries, a text of his comments en route from a visit to Egypt showed on Thursday. “We have brought the parties together in Turkey on multiple occasions. We can do this again and open the door to peace through a solution-focused process management, free from external influences,” Erdogan said, Reuters reported. “In our meetings with both President (Vladimir) Putin and President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, we continue our efforts in this pursuit.” Source: Tasnim

The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, today passed a bill in its preliminary reading aimed at banning the operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the 1948-occupied territories and occupied Jerusalem. The bill was advanced by 33 votes to 10, said Knesset officials. It will now be turned over to the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee for deliberation. The bill needs to pass three more readings before becoming law. If passed, it will prohibit UNRWA from operating within Israel and Israeli-occupied territory, and will instruct the police to enforce this prohibition. Earlier this week, Israeli…

Attacks on Gaza Strip reflect Israel’s ‘usual lack of conscience,’ Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells reporters on return flight from Egypt Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said calls for peace in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has killed more than 28,000 people, “unfortunately remain fruitless due to a negative approach of the US.” “Although the US claims to have sent some high-level officials to the region ostensibly to resolve the issue, tangible results are yet to be achieved. Despite the situation, we continue to strive for a cease-fire and peace, as we see no alternative way out,” Erdogan said.…

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that the United Nations has failed to resolve international conflicts and harshly criticized Israeli actions in Gaza.“Israel’s behavior has no explanation: with the pretext of fighting Hamas, it is killing women and children,” he said after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.Speaking later to the Arab League, Lula said Brazil had condemned the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, but he added that the Israel’s response was “disproportional and indiscriminate” and unacceptable.Lula said there would not be peace without the establishment of a Palestinian state and…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On February 14, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon killed at least seven civilians, after Hezbollah rocket fire killed an Israeli soldier. In Souaneh, a woman was killed along with her two children. Rawaa al-Mohammed, and her two sons, Hassan Mohsen, 13, and Amir Mohsen, 2 were killed in their home. In Aadchit, one man was killed, and 10 others were injured by Israel. In another Israeli strike, two women, and four members of one family were killed by Israel, and none of those killed had any connection to Hezbollah. Israeli government spokesperson Ilana Stein told…

The ongoing US and UK aerial aggression against Yemen persists, as reported by Al Mayadeen correspondent. The Al Mayadeen correspondent in Yemen reported that the US-UK coalition aircraft carried out two airstrikes, on Wednesday, against the southern part of the al-Jah Triangle in the district of Beit al-Faqih, which is south of Hodeidah Governorate in western Yemen. Our correspondent indicated an increase in the number of US-UK coalition airstrikes on Hodeidah to eight since noon today. The earlier aggression targeted the Ras Issa area in the al-Salif district, northwest of the province, with three airstrikes, and the al-Jabana area north of the…