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Regional, Int’l Efforts Seek to Ensure Success of Yemen Peace Roadmap

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak during his meeting with the UN envoy to Yemen (Saba)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak during his meeting with the UN envoy to Yemen (Saba)
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Regional, Int’l Efforts Seek to Ensure Success of Yemen Peace Roadmap

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak during his meeting with the UN envoy to Yemen (Saba)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak during his meeting with the UN envoy to Yemen (Saba)

Saudi-led peace efforts in Yemen revolve around the first peace roadmap after the Yemeni legitimacy and Houthis made their amendments and observations, announced a senior Yemeni source on Thursday.

The source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council reviewed the peace roadmap draft about a month ago and made some amendments to it.

He added that discussions addressed the roadmap presented to Saudi officials last Ramadan, noting that they introduced it a month ago to the Council which rejected the submitted formula. The draft was later amended.

When asked about an imminent agreement, a Gulf source familiar with the deliberations said something still needed to be done.

According to the Yemeni source, Houthis responded with the amendments they accepted regarding the tax and customs mechanism in Hodeidah port and salaries disbursement following the peace roadmap's first version.

On Tuesday, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak met with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and discussed the recent peace efforts.

Meanwhile, the US State Department announced that the Special Envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, is traveling to the Gulf this week to advance ongoing UN-led peace efforts in Yemen and support regional coordination to reach a durable end to the conflict.

The source reported that the Leadership Council will meet on Wednesday or Thursday to discuss the Houthi response and the ideas proposed to move forward in the peace process.

Last October, Vice Chairman of the Council Major General Faraj al-Bahsani clarified that the Oman and Saudi-led peace efforts continue in full swing, indicating that the roadmap enjoys regional and international support.

Bahsani revealed that the Leadership Council approved the names of the negotiating delegation that will meet with the Houthis in any future talks, expressing his optimism for achieving progress in the peace process.

The basic peace roadmap includes changing the Yemeni government or making a ministerial reshuffle as agreed upon, according to the source.

Asked whether a peace agreement and a long-term truce will be announced, the source said it depends on the discussions and the Houthi response regarding the peace roadmap and its provisions.

He added: "The matter depends on the upcoming meetings and the Houthis' response...

The state is ready and has submitted its observations on the presented formula, said the source, indicating that he believes Houthis would not agree to everything proposed and could make concessions on some issues and reject others.

The source noted that the two parties will sign a deal if all matters are agreed upon. However, it could take some time.

Most Presidential Leadership Council members have already arrived in Riyadh for the meeting.

Observers believe the recent calls by US Senators to reclassify the Houthis as a terrorist group may put pressure on it.

Last September, a Houthi delegation visited Riyadh and held five-day discussions with an Omani delegation.

The head of the Houthi delegation, Mohammad Abdulsalam, told Asharq Al-Awsat that they are working on achieving peace as the first option.

Saudi Arabia confirmed that it had invited a Sanaa delegation for a visit to complete the meetings and discussions based on the Saudi initiative announced in March 2021.

The visit also highlights Saudi and Omani efforts to reach a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen and a sustainable political solution acceptable to all Yemeni parties.

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Smotrich Again Calls For Reduction of Half of Gaza’s Population

Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
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Smotrich Again Calls For Reduction of Half of Gaza’s Population

Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)
Settler activists dance at a conference calling for the establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, close to the Israel-Gaza border, October 21, 2024. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday again called for the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the reduction of its Palestinian population “by half within two years,” raising concerns about the presence of similar plans.
Speaking at a conference organized by the Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing Israeli municipalities in the West Bank, Smotrich said that “it is possible to create a situation where Gaza’s population will be reduced to half its current size in two years.”
“It won’t cost too much money. Even if it does, we should not be afraid to pay for it,” he added.
Smotrich’s calls for the occupation of Gaza are not new. However, they reflect the unstated goals of the current war in Gaza, including a prolonged occupation, military rule and rebuilding of settlements.
Israel continues to announce that its goals of the Gaza war are the “elimination of Hamas” and “returning of the captives.” However, developments in Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip do not support such claims.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet announced a plan for the post-war phase in Gaza, where Israel is working to deepen its control by expanding the axes it holds and establishing permanent military outposts.
Meanwhile, Smotrich’s speech revealed that the minister is setting a budget for the occupation of Gaza.
He said that “Occupying Gaza is not a dirty word.”
“If the cost of security control is 5 billion shekels ($1.37 billion), I will accept it with open arms. If that is what it takes to ensure the security of Israel, then so be it,” the Minister added.
He appeared to be referencing concerns raised by members of Israel’s security establishment along with Treasury officials who have warned about the massive implications that occupying Gaza would have on Israel’s economy.
Smotrich insisted that the only way to defeat Hamas is to replace its governing capabilities in Gaza and that Israel is the only party that can do so, even if that means making the Israeli Army responsible for managing the civilian affairs of Palestinians in Gaza.
Smotrich claimed that once the success of “encouraged migration” is proven in Gaza, it can be replicated in the West Bank, where another three million Palestinians live.
The Religious Zionism party chairman has long spoken in favor of annexing large parts of the West Bank and declared earlier this month that US President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory offers an opportunity to see that vision through.
Smotrich was one of several government ministers who attended an event last month calling for the reestablishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza.
Ahead of his attendance at the conference, Smotrich said that territory relinquished by Israel in the past had turned into “Iranian forward terror bases,” and endangered the country.
But is Smotrich capable of reoccupying and rebuilding settlements in Gaza? For many Israelis, the matter depends on how the war in the Strip ends.
In an article published by The Times of Israel, Eran Hildesheim accused Smotrich of trying to convince the public of a new narrative that if Israel achieves its goals in the war and defeats its enemies, peace and security will return to the region.
The author said this narrative aims primarily to prepare the public opinion that the war should continue, while at the same time promoting the vision of rebuilding settlements in the Gaza Strip.
According to Hildesheim, “the end of the war, as Smotrich put it, implies a large land seizure in the Gaza Strip.”
In the first phase, the minister said the army would distribute food to the population.
Later, Smotrich plans a full military rule to directly manage the lives of the Palestinian population. The ultimate goal of this plan is to rebuild settlements in the Gaza Strip.
“Smotrich's vision places an unbearably heavy financial burden on Israel,” Hildesheim wrote.
He added that such a plan would cost about NIS 20 billion per year, not taking into account the costs of rebuilding the Strip.
He said while the state does not currently own this amount, Israel will therefore be forced to adopt an “economy based on God’s help” to get out of this situation peacefully.