Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a Palestinian state after the end of the Gaza war, in open contradiction to the USA. Referring to a two-state solution at the urging of the US, Netanyahu said: “Israel’s prime minister must be able to say ‘no’ when necessary, even to our best friends.”
Meanwhile, the US has again attacked targets of the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen. National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby said this at a press conference at the White House. Houthi anti-ship missiles were again hit in the attacks. Kirby stressed that the attacks were in self-defense and intended to help make shipping in the Red Sea safer. US President Joe Biden had made it clear the day before that the US military would continue its attacks on Houthi positions.
Pentagon spokeswoman: We don’t want war
Asked whether U.S. attacks against the Houthis were having an impact, Biden told reporters in Washington: “Well, when you talk about impact, are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they continuing? Yes.” The US is not in a war in Yemen, said US Department of Defense spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.
“We don’t want war. We don’t believe we are at war,” the Pentagon spokeswoman said. The Houthis are the ones who continue to fire cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles at innocent sailors and merchant ships in the Red Sea. “What we are doing with our partners is self-defense,” Singh continued.
Meanwhile, Middle East expert Vali Nasr from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University told the Wall Street Journal that the US is well on its way to getting into a war in Yemen. “Blood has been shed, the scale of the attacks is there, the Houthis will not back down now,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. Like the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, the Houthis belong to the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” a network of groups in the fight against Israel that are supported by Iran. The government in Tehran denies the Jewish state the right to exist.
Demonstration in Yemen
Tens of thousands of people have once again taken to the streets in Yemen to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people and against attacks by the US, Britain and others. Images from the Houthi-affiliated Al-Marisah television channel showed tens of thousands gathering in the rain alone in the capital Sanaa. According to the TV channel, the event was held under the motto “America (USA) is the mother of terrorism.” Some of the protesters shouted, “America is the biggest devil.”
There were also large gatherings in other areas controlled by the militant Islamist Houthi militia, the Houthi-controlled news platform Saba reported.
In recent weeks there have been repeated protests in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The Iranian-backed militia regularly calls for rallies following Friday prayers.
Netanyahu rejects Palestinian state
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made it clear at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week that a lasting solution for the region must include the vision of a Palestinian state. Otherwise, Israel will not have any real security. Many Arab and Muslim countries have recently changed their attitude towards Israel and are now interested in stable relations. Israel must decide in which direction it wants to develop.
However, Israel’s right-wing Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects the vision of a Palestinian state. “From every area we withdraw from, we get terror, terrible terror,” Netanyahu said at a news conference. This happened in southern Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. Therefore, in any future agreement or even if an agreement is not reached, Israel must retain “security control” over the entire area west of the Jordan – i.e. Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
According to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the international community should, if necessary, “impose” the two-state solution from outside, even against Israel’s will. Otherwise, “the spiral of hatred will continue to turn generation after generation,” said Borrell on Friday during a speech at the University of Valladolid in Spain, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate.
However, Borrell emphasized that Israelis and Palestinians were no longer capable of compromise. “Those involved are too angry at each other to come to an agreement on their own,” emphasized the EU’s chief diplomat, who appeared at the speech in the university’s traditional costume. He called on the “Arab world, Europe, the USA and the entire United Nations” to recognize the formation of a Palestinian state, even against Israel’s resistance.
Fighting continues: Israel intercepts drone
The Israeli military says it intercepted a drone coming from Lebanon over the Mediterranean. The army said the Iron Dome missile defense system destroyed the projectile over the open sea.
Israeli warplanes then attacked positions, military installations and “terrorist infrastructure” of the Shiite Hezbollah militia in southern Libnon, it said. The military had already used fighter jets, tanks and mortars against Hezbollah positions in the region.
The Shiite militia announced in Beirut that it had attacked Israeli positions in the Shebaa Farms area. According to the UN, the so-called Shebaa Farms on the border between Lebanon, Israel and Syria are among the Syrian territories occupied by Israel in 1967. However, Syria and some parties in Lebanon consider the area to be Lebanese territory.
Prisoners in diapers: UN human rights office criticizes Israel
The UN human rights office has criticized Israel’s handling of detained Palestinians. Some men were released after more than eight weeks of detention wearing only diapers, reported office representative Ajith Sunghay. They reported beatings, humiliation and mistreatment that may have constituted torture. “They were in shock and distraught when I saw them,” he said. Sunghay spoke to reporters in Geneva on Friday via video link from the Gaza Strip. The number of those arrested is unclear, he said. The UN Human Rights Office assumes that thousands of Palestinians are or have been held by Israel.
A released man told him that he was only allowed to shower once in 55 days, said Sunghay. Everyone reported that they were blindfolded, sometimes for days. Many said they were taken to Israel. They had no contact with their families or lawyers.
Sanctions against Hamas supporters
The EU is targeting members and supporters of the Islamist Hamas with a new sanctions instrument. In a first step, six people were subjected to punitive measures, according to the EU Official Journal. Among them are Hamas donors from Sudan and Algeria, as well as men who are said to be involved in money laundering and money transfer activities for the organization’s benefit. Musa Muhammad Salim Dudin is also affected. According to the EU, he is a leading figure in Hamas and a member of the group’s politburo.
As a result of the EU’s sanction decision, all funds as well as other financial assets and economic resources of those affected in the EU would now have to be frozen. In addition, they are no longer allowed to enter the EU and are no longer allowed to receive assets and economic resources from the EU.
Parliamentarians call for ceasefire and peace process
More than 50 parliamentarians from Germany, Canada and the USA have called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip. There must be a new attempt to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the politicians demanded in an open letter. Among them are 20 SPD members of the Bundestag, including foreign policy expert Ralf Stegner and Bundestag Vice President Aydan Özoguz, 3 SPD European MPs, 20 Canadian MPs and 10 US MPs. The daily newspaper “taz” had previously reported on it.
The signatories strongly condemn the terrorist act by the Islamist Hamas on October 7th as a “breach of civilization consisting of murder, torture, sexual violence and hostage-taking.” All hostages must be released immediately. Like any other state, Israel has the right to defend itself within the framework of international law. However, the fighting in Gaza no longer allowed shelter for civilians in the densely populated area.
