Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says the regional war is worsening because the Israeli government is “not listening to anyone.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called for international pressure to prevent Israel from carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in London.
Safadi told his American counterpart on Friday that “the humanitarian situation is really difficult when you look at northern Gaza, where we are seeing ethnic cleansing going on, and it has to stop.”
Blinken stopped in London at the end of his 11th round of shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East, where he visited Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The situation in the Middle East “unfortunately gets worse every time we meet,” Safadi said.
“This is not for lack of effort on our part, but because we have an Israeli government that does not listen to anyone, and this must stop,” he said.
“A real emergency”
Blinken also pledged Friday to work with “real urgency” for a diplomatic resolution to end Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, but said it was first essential to reach a deal on disarmament of the Lebanese armed group, Hezbollah.
Shortly after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in London, Blinken pleaded for the protection of civilians but stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.
“We have a real sense of urgency to achieve a diplomatic resolution and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, so that there can be real security along the the border between Israel and Lebanon,” Blinken told reporters, saying he was “intensely involved.” engaged”.
Resolution 1701, approved in 2006 after an earlier war between Israel and Hezbollah, calls for the disarmament of non-state groups in Lebanon – an allusion to Hezbollah, which effectively leads its own army – and for Israel’s complete withdrawal from the country.
Blinken said it was essential “to secure the agreements necessary to fully implement 1701.”
“The sooner we can do that, the sooner we can come to a resolution,” he said.
At the same time, he called for the protection of Lebanese civilians and soldiers, at least 11 of whom have died since the launch of the Israeli offensive a month ago.
“We want to make sure that in places like Beirut, there is a real effort to ensure that people don’t get hurt and civilians don’t get caught in the crossfire,” Blinken said.
An Israeli strike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon on Friday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, and the United Nations refugee agency warned that Israeli airstrikes on a border crossing with Syria were preventing refugees who were trying to escape the war.
After meeting with Blinken, Mikati accused Israel of intentionally targeting journalists and said the strike was a “war crime.”
“The new Israeli aggression targeting journalists” is part of “war crimes committed by the Israeli enemy,” Najib Mikati said in a statement, adding that the attack was “deliberate” and “aims to terrorize the media to cover up crimes and destruction.