Jordan Warns Against Strife, ‘Suspicious Agendas’

Faisal Al-Fayez (Jordanian Senate)
Faisal Al-Fayez (Jordanian Senate)
TT

Jordan Warns Against Strife, ‘Suspicious Agendas’

Faisal Al-Fayez (Jordanian Senate)
Faisal Al-Fayez (Jordanian Senate)

Jordan has warned against attempts to distort its position on the war in Gaza, saying that it was confronting a “suspicious movements to sow discord and chaos in the country.”

In remarks on Thursday, the head of the Jordanian Senate, Faisal Al-Fayez, said: “Jordanians will not accept that demonstrations and protests turn into platforms for sowing discord and an arena for implementing the agendas of others.”

His statements came in response to slogans launched by protesters in the vicinity of the Israeli embassy in Amman, criticizing Jordanian efforts to support Gaza.

“These demonstrations will not turn into suspicious movements to sow discord and chaos,” Al-Fayez said. “We will confront every hand that seeks to tamper with Jordan’s security.”

The authorities accuse the unlicensed Muslim Brotherhood in the country of being behind the sit-ins that began during the past few days.

In this context, and in response to a question about criticism of the Hamas movement for calling on the people of Jordan to support the Palestinians, Osama Hamdan, a leader in Hamas, said: “The movement has been calling on all the people of our nation and all the free people of the world to stand by the Palestinians.”

In a press conference in Beirut, Hamdan noted that the Hamas movement was calling “on the entire nation and all the free people of the world to escalate their pressure on the American administration and Israel.”

He also stressed that no progress has been made so far in negotiations with Israel over a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange agreement.

“The Israeli position is intransigent, and the negotiations are taking place in a vicious circle... [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government are trying to buy time and show a false interest in negotiating,” he stated.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
TT

US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.