Palestinian Issue – News Agency nabakhabar

Egypt has tightened the grip on international support for Gaza

News Agency nabakhabar — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 18:30:49 +0000

Egypt seems to be trying to stay in the middle regarding the Israeli military offensive against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. As this enters its fourth month, there are so many contradictions in the official position that Cairo may lose a lot of the influence that it has on the Palestinian issue.

Despite the record rise in the number of Palestinian casualties — more than 23,000 killed, mostly children and women, and 60,000 wounded — Cairo seems to be hiding behind official statements denouncing the Israeli aggression. With growing Qatari and Turkish involvement, and the emergence of strong support from South Africa and Latin American countries for Gaza, the Egyptian position is surrounded by many doubts and questions about why Cairo is tightening the grip on the Palestinians, restricting support campaigns and aid for the Gaza Strip, and trying to besiege the resistance groups and reduce their options.

This is the only crossing that is under the control of an Arab country on the border with the occupied Palestinian territories, and which is not subject to the control of Israel (at least in theory).

According to the NGO Sinai Foundation for Human Rights, hundreds of trucks of food and humanitarian aid are accumulating in Al-Arish, in northern Sinai near the Rafah border crossing, amid demands for the Egyptian authorities to open the land crossing permanently to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe getting even worse. Cairo blames Israel’s stubbornness regarding the entry of aid convoys. Egyptian officials say that they cannot guarantee the safety of those responsible for the aid. Such Israeli inflexibility has affected journalists, human rights and relief organizations, international solidarity delegations and public figures.

Egyptian security agents arrested four foreign activists, including former US Congress candidate John Parker, after they organized a protest in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain the necessary permits for the Conscience of the World Caravan to mobilize to Rafah, which was called for by the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate. The Egyptian authorities obstructed the convoy, which was scheduled to leave for the Rafah crossing on 24 November, amid leaks that those responsible for it were subjected to security pressure, causing the convoy’s departure to be postponed indefinitely.

Despite the officially announced support for the people of Gaza, Palestinian patients complain about the slow process of getting treatment abroad, which involves obtaining approval from the Egyptians to cross the border and securing ambulances to transport patients to hospitals. Egyptian television channels broadcast daily images of a queue of ambulances in front of the Rafah crossing. There is also a strong propaganda campaign talking about the role of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in supporting the Palestinian cause and saying that Egypt tops the list of donors of international aid provided to Palestine.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in Gaza complains of the inadequacy of the mechanism for transporting the wounded abroad, which includes sending a list of names and waiting for approval from the Egyptians. So far, only 413 people have left Gaza through the Rafah crossing for treatment, which is less than one percent of the total number of those wounded since the beginning of the Israeli genocide.

Social media shares video clips and testimonies documenting what stranded Palestinians at the Rafah crossing are exposed to. Palestinians say that they have to pay between two and seven thousand US dollars per person to cross to Egypt. BBC Arabic News Network noted this on its website under the headline “Thousands of dollars in bribes to exit the Rafah crossing”. According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, it has provided an electronic mechanism to register Egyptian citizens wishing to return from Gaza, and that any other method that is being talked about falls within fraud and deception.

According to the independent Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, the worst part is the arrests of dozens of Egyptian demonstrators, and renewing their imprisonment, following their demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinians. Moreover, those in charge of relief organisations and charities have complained about the difficulties in receiving donations to support the Palestinian people or collecting medical and pharmaceutical aid to send to Gaza.

One Egyptian relief official, who spoke to me on condition of anonymity, said that they had received instructions from security agents not to advertise for Gaza relief, or launch humanitarian campaigns to support the Palestinians. Charitable donations generally face harsh legal restrictions in Egypt, and require official and security approvals, but with the start of the Israeli offensive, those affiliated with the authorities, such as the Long Live Egypt Fund, took the initiative to open bank accounts for donations.

The Egyptian regime has also maintained a media blackout on events in Gaza. It did not change the programming or news map on its official and private channels. What’s more, Al-Sisi personally is showing more interest in the Egypt football team’s preparations for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. Last month, the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University cancelled a seminar to discuss the political repercussions of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, without giving any reasons.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders accuses Egypt of being complicit in the siege of Gaza, with no intention of opening the Rafah border crossing to journalists. The group noted that many journalists living in Cairo have been told to ask for approval from Israel to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, which is supposed to be under the control of the Egyptian authorities. Furthermore, the group obtained an audio recording of Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry saying that, “Any unilateral action by Egypt regarding allowing journalists to enter Gaza may be considered by Israel as inappropriate… It may have negative consequences on other arrangements between Egypt and Israel.”

In addition to the ongoing media blockade, though, it seems that there was a green light for media figures close to the Egyptian regime, most notably Ibrahim Issa, to attack Hamas and accuse it of committing war crimes against the Palestinians and of being responsible for the destruction of Gaza.

Political researcher Mohamed Annan explained this by saying that Egypt fears that any solidarity with Gaza will produce an active popular mood that could expand across the country. The authorities are concerned that such activities will cross red lines and become the nucleus for building a wave of popular protests targeting the regime itself, which is a nightmare for the authorities with every mass gathering, whether political or sports related.

According to Annan, this tendency reinforces the desire to avoid a clash with Israel, Egypt’s ally, and the US, Egypt’s supporter, and a wish to identify with the Saudi-UAE vision specifically targeting Hamas, in the hope of making political and economic gains, including loan and aid packages. The Egyptian regime has a pre-set position about the Palestinian resistance, mainly Hamas with its close relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egyptian political and media discourse has long described as a “terrorist” group, especially after the overthrow of democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi by the Sisi-led military coup in mid-2013.

A former Egyptian diplomat, who also asked to remain anonymous, commented by saying that Cairo’s desire to play the role of mediator between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian resistance regarding the prisoner exchange issue, imposes on it a commitment to neutrality. However, the Egyptian regime’s calculations cannot ignore the Muslim Brotherhood roots of Hamas on the one hand, and fears of getting entangled in external issues, even if they are border affairs of a security nature, on the other. This has led to minimising the Egyptian role, tightening the noose on the Palestinians, and not moving effectively to stop the war on Gaza, or even opening the Rafah crossing permanently for the flow of humanitarian aid.

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Iran FM stresses Islamic unity in face of Israeli crimes

News Agency nabakhabar — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 14:00:32 +0000

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has held a telephone conversation with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah to discuss bilateral relations, the Palestinian issue, and regional developments.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in the telephone conversation with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah on Thursday congratulated the arrival of Eid Fitr

Amir-Abdollahian pointed to the importance of holding the recent joint consular committee and the joint meeting of the Coast Guard of the two countries and expressed hope that a joint High Commission of the two countries would be held in the near future.

Referring to the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Holy Quds by the Zionist regime of Israel and the arrival of Quds Day, the Iranian foreign minister stressed the need for unity in the Islamic world against the crimes committed by the regime and the need to defend the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In this regard, the Iranian Foreign Minister praised the stances adopted by the Kuwaiti government and people in condemning the actions of the occupying regime in Quds and supporting the Palestinian people.

As regards Yemen, Amir-Abdollahian welcomed the upholding of the ceasefire in the country and expressed hope that the blockade on Yemen would end as soon as possible and that intra-Yemeni talks would be held.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah, for his part, congratulated the arrival of Eid al-Fitr and pointed to the friendly and long-standing neighborly relations between the two countries and the two peoples, and stressed the importance of further developing relations in various political, economic and cultural areas.

He also pointed to the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque as the first qibla of Muslims by the occupiers, emphasizing that Quds is a red line for the Islamic world and that Islamic countries should strengthen and unify their stances to confront the crimes of the occupying regime.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister thanked the Islamic Republic for its constructive stance in helping to establish a ceasefire in Yemen and expressed hope for a permanent ceasefire in Yemen.

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South African amb. talks of bilateral ties, Palestinian issue

News Agency nabakhabar — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 19:36:39 +0000

Vika Mazwi Khumalo said to MNA correspondent that S.Africa’s stance towards Israeli crimes against Palestinians is similar to Iran’s, adding that his country remains committed to the expansion of its ties with Tehran.

In a press conference held on Monday in the South African Embassy, South Africa’s Ambassador to Iran Vika Mazwi Khumalo and his colleagues answered questions raised by Iranian reporters on a wide range of topics.

South Africa’s positions on the Palestinian issue

“South Africa’s position on the Palestinian question is informed, in general, by three broad issues, namely: Firstly, South Africa’s own history, not only the injustices people had to suffer under Apartheid but also Africa’s history of colonialism and exploitation. The Palestinians are facing a situation where they remain deprived of their human rights and the denial of their dignity, similar to what was experienced by South Africans.

Secondly, South Africa’s constitution guarantees certain fundamental freedoms, including the rights to freedom of expression, religious freedom, and access to justice. These are rights are denied to Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. Thirdly, International Law, where we continue to see a total disregard for successive United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that call for an end to the occupation of Palestinian land and for the fulfillment of the rights of the Palestinian people.

South Africa’s position remains that the international community must uphold international law and exert and intensify efforts in support of the Palestinian cause, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, UN Charter, and the tools and legal frameworks provided by multilateral diplomacy and international law. It is in this regard that South Africa and the Islamic Republic have committed to cooperate to support the legal and legitimate demands of the Palestinian people,” the ambassador said to Mehr News correspondent.

Future of Iran, South Africa’s economic, trade, political coop. under Iran’s new administration

He also told Mehr News correspondent about Iran and South Africa’s economic, trade, political cooperation, “The depth of the relations between South Africa and the Islamic Republic of Iran established a broad political mechanism in 1995, called the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission is chaired by the Ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs and guides the political and economic interactions between the two countries. It addresses a very wide spectrum of cooperation, in areas such as energy, banking, and finance, health, agriculture, water and sanitation, cultural heritage, tourism science and technology, education, the environment, and so forth. The Joint Commission has concluded approximately 24 active agreements between the two countries during the same period.

South Africa was also the first resident Ambassador to Iran to officially meet with Minister Amir-Abdollahian following his appointment as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Therefore, it is evident that the two countries continue to share a deep relationship that continues to be valued and prioritized by both. The change of administration will not influence this relationship, specifically since it is also supported and strengthened through various agreements.

Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic and difficult international environment have caused that some of the targets we set out to reach, such as increasing trade to US$2 billion per annum, likely will not be reached within the allocated timeframes.

However, South Africa remains committed to its relationship with Iran and the expansion of this relationship. The Embassy continues to engage and identify opportunities, specifically economic, that could be pursued despite the current imposed challenges. The two countries are already engaging and have initiated processes to ensure that the Joint Commission will be hosted in South Africa during 2022 and that its preparatory and intercessional activities continue in order to review the various sectors, our continued priorities, finalize outstanding agreements and also review existing agreements and cooperation. ”

Fields of cooperation between Iran, South Africa in next joint commission

Regarding Iran- South Africa’s next joint commission, the ambassador told Mehr News, “As indicated, the two countries have started processes towards the hosting of the Joint Commission in South Africa during 2022. This includes discussions and preparations towards the hosting and interaction of the various technical committees associated with the Joint Commission as well as its inter-sessional mechanism, the Deputy Ministerial Working Group – which will be hosted by the Islamic Republic.

The Joint Commission addresses a wide spectrum of areas of cooperation. Each of these areas includes specific technical working groups, such as the Working Group on Science and Technology, as an example.

Therefore, although the Joint Commission had identified and continues to identify priority areas, such as previously mentioned, each of these technical working groups (comprising the experts from each country in that particular area) will identify the specific priorities the two countries would target or need to review. Therefore, it is an ongoing process in the pursuit of deepening relations and cooperation.”

The followings are the South African envoy’s answers to other Iranian reporters attending the press conference:

President Raeisi’s visit to South Africa in 2022

“President Ramaphosa extended an invitation to former President Rouhani to visit South Africa during 2020. Unfortunately, this visit could not take place due to the lockdowns and restrictions that had to be imposed due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The invitation follows from the visit to Iran by former South African President JG Zuma in 2016. As already stated, South Africa and the Islamic Republic intend to host the 15th Meeting of the Joint Commission in South Africa in 2022.

It is within this context that both countries are currently discussing the possible visit of President Raeisi to South Africa, but no dates have yet been proposed or confirmed.

The two leaders will continue to pursue the objectives that South Africa and the Islamic Republic have committed to since 1995. This does not only include continued political cooperation but also exploring ways in which to increase economic interaction between the two countries, within the current difficult international space imposed on Iran. The two countries are also working towards finalizing several agreements that could possibly be signed during the Joint Commission or during the State Visit.”

Current trade level between Iran and South Africa

“Sources indicate that the trade between Iran and South Africa for 2020 amounted to approximately US$37 million. In general, trade during 2020 significantly declined and these figures should also be viewed within the context of a restrictive environment, specifically since 2018, that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic downturn. All of this has unfortunately contributed to an overall decline of approximately 14% in trade volumes with African countries during 2020. Some significant South African investments in specific sectors in the Islamic Republic of Iran could also not be continued.

However, trade between the two countries has started to recover based on the partial economic statistics released for 2021.

The overall situation and trend observed remain unfortunate, specifically since South Africa and Iran had agreed in 2016 to work towards escalating the overall economic interaction between the two countries to US$2 billion per annum. Furthermore, some significant investments, such as in the telecommunications industry have continued and are also not included in the traditional product figures mentioned.”

Main obstacles for Iranian, South African private-sector traders

“The main obstacle currently relates to the unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran and their secondary potential to businesses wishing to engage with the Islamic Republic.

Unfortunately, we find that the impression is created that doing business with Iran may be too risky or that economic interaction may not be possible due to the sanctions and their impacts. However, the Embassy continues to exert a great deal of effort in identifying opportunities and continuing to advise, together with Ministries in South Africa, on continued economic engagements, regardless of the unilateral sanctions and their effects.

Despite these difficulties, the Islamic Republic continues to offer many opportunities in many areas that are not subject to unilateral sanctions. Despite these obstacles, a substantial amount of interaction continues between the two countries.”

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Jordan, Israel in rare meeting on Palestinian issue

News Agency nabakhabar — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:50:01 +0000

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has held a rare meeting with his Israeli counterpart to press for the restart of stalled negotiations between the Palestinians and the Jewish state.

Thursday’s meeting came days after Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas visited Jordan as part of an Arab tour to raise support for the Palestinians after Joe Biden won last month’s United States presidential election.

During the meeting at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Safadi said the creation of an independent Palestinian state was key to ending the conflict with Israel.

“There is no alternative to a two-state solution” between Israel and the Palestinians, he told Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, quoted by the official Petra news agency.

“It is necessary to return to the negotiating table according to international law in order to find a real solution to achieve a just peace,” Safadi said.

On Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz called on the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table, in a video statement addressing the “Palestinian people and their leadership”.

“The Middle East is changing. It is in your interest to come return to negotiate,” Gantz said in the statement that was posted online with Arabic subtitles.

“Don’t stay behind,” he said, promising to “promote big projects” in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip.

Tense relations

Thursday’s meeting was the first with Jordan officially reported between Safadi and Ashkenazi since the latter, a former army chief of staff, became foreign minister in May.

Jordan and Israel have been bound by a peace treaty since 1994, but relations between the two neighbours are often tense.

Safadi said resuming Israeli-Palestinian talks was timely, “particularly in light of the Palestinian Authority’s decision to resume security cooperation with Israel”.

The Palestinians announced last month they were restoring coordination they had stopped in May over Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

Israel put on hold its annexation plans, in return for an agreement to normalise ties with the United Arab Emirates announced in August.

Abbas held talks in Jordan last week with King Abdullah II ahead of visits to Egypt, where he met separately with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

During the tour, Arab leaders stepped up international efforts for a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on a two-state solution.

Talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been frozen since 2014, and a US peace plan announced in January has been welcomed by Israel but rejected outright by the Palestinians as biased.

The plan was among moves pushed by President Donald Trump – including the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided capital” – that have angered the Palestinians.

The Palestinians, who want to set up an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital, broke ties with the Trump administration, and are now hoping to build ties with Biden’s incoming team.

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Ayatollah Khamenei: Iran Serious on Palestinian Issue

News Agency nabakhabar — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 06:53:30 +0000

Speaking at a meeting with a high-ranking delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, in Tehran on Monday, Ayatollah Khamenei described the Palestinian issue as “the first and foremost issue of the Muslim world” and hailed the resistance of the Palestinian people and political groups, including Hamas, as “wonderful”.

“Victory will not be achieved without resistance and struggle and, based on a definite divine promise, we believe that the issue of Palestine will surely end in favor of the Palestinian people and the Islamic world,” the Leader stated.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not stand on ceremony with any country in the world when it comes to Palestine,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, adding, “We have always expressed our views on Palestine clearly and transparently.”

“Even in the international arena, our friendly countries, with whom we have differences of opinion in this regard, know that the Islamic Republic is completely serious on the Palestinian issue,” the Leader stated.

“One of the major causes of hostility toward the Islamic Republic of Iran is the issue of Palestine but these hostilities and pressures will not make Iran retreat from its stance on the issue because support for Palestine is a religious issue,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

“If the Islamic world had stood firm unitedly with regard to the issue of Palestine, it would have better conditions now,” the Leader went on to say.

The move by countries that toe the line of the US, like Saudi Arabia, to distance themselves from the Palestinian issue is “absurd” because if they had supported the Palestinians, they could have won major concessions from the United States, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.

In the Eid al-Fitr sermons in Tehran last month, Ayatollah Khamenei said the US-Israeli plot against Palestinians, known as the deal of the century, is doomed to failure and will never materialize.

Decrying the US conspiracy for the deal of century, the Leader said the betrayal of the cause of Palestine by some Muslim countries, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, has provided the grounds for “the evil plot”.

The deal of the century will never materialize, Ayatollah Khamenei said, expressing gratitude to some Arab countries and the Palestinian groups that have voiced their opposition to the deal.

The deal of century ploy, fronted by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has already been rejected by the Palestinians, who say the White House’s policies have been blatantly biased in favor of Israel.

Palestinians have cut off all contacts with the Trump administration since the president broke with decades of bipartisan policy to recognize al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel in December 2017.

In the meantime, Bahrain hosted a conference in June to encourage what it calls investment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as part of Trump’s plan for Palestine.

The so-called “Peace to Prosperity” economic workshop, which was held on June 25 and 26 in cooperation with Washington, was rebuffed by Palestinian officials and business leaders.

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