Egypt, Jordan, Iraq Agree on ‘Strategic Cooperation’ to Restore Regional Stability

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/MENA)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/MENA)
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Egypt, Jordan, Iraq Agree on ‘Strategic Cooperation’ to Restore Regional Stability

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/MENA)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan (L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in Cairo, Egypt, March 24, 2019. (Xinhua/MENA)

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi affirmed on Sunday during their three-way summit in Cairo their commitment to maintaining strategic cooperation and coordination with Arab countries to restore regional stability and reach solutions to crises.

In a joint communiqué issued after the summit, the three countries called on regional and international efforts to counter terrorism within a holistic approach.

The leaders emphasized the importance of combatting terrorism in all its forms and confronting everyone supporting terrorism by offering financing, armament, safe shelters, or media platforms, according to the communiqué.

They also stressed on the importance to end "the all-out battle" against terrorism, particularly after recent military setbacks suffered by ISIS in Iraq and neighboring Syria.

The meeting also covered the importance of capitalizing on the potential of the three countries' geographical connectivity and their joint strategic and economic interests.

Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan also noted the importance of supporting the Palestinian people in securing all their legitimate rights, including the right to an independent state on their national soil with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international laws and relevant UN resolutions.

The three countries agreed to hold regular trilateral meetings to coordinate their positions and policies in the best interests of their peoples and in the pursuit of economic prosperity, while cooperating with fraternal and friendly states and building balanced international relations.

Sunday’s meeting in Cairo comes ahead of the annual Arab League summit due to be held later this month in Tunisia.

The three leaders hoped the upcoming Arab summit in Tunisia would lead to restoring Arab solidarity and bolstering joint action within the framework of the Arab League.

Ahead of the summit, Sisi and King Abdullah held talks focused on the advanced level of Jordanian-Egyptian ties and means to bolster economic and investment cooperation, as well as to maintain coordination on various issues.



Israel Media Report Accuses Troops of Indiscriminate Killing of Gaza Civilians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives at the Netzarim Corridor just south of Gaza City - AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives at the Netzarim Corridor just south of Gaza City - AFP
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Israel Media Report Accuses Troops of Indiscriminate Killing of Gaza Civilians

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives at the Netzarim Corridor just south of Gaza City - AFP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives at the Netzarim Corridor just south of Gaza City - AFP

A leading Israeli newspaper, citing unnamed soldiers serving in Gaza, described indiscriminate killings of Palestinian civilians in the territory's Netzarim Corridor, prompting a firm rejection Friday from the military.

Haaretz, a left-leaning Israeli daily that has faced severe criticism from the country's right-wing government, quoted soldiers, career officers and reservists who said commanders were given unprecedented authority to operate in the Gaza Strip.

According to AFP, they alleged commanders had ordered or allowed the killing of unarmed women, children and men in the Netzarim Corridor, a seven-kilometre-wide (4.3-mile-wide) strip of land that cuts across Gaza from Israel to the Mediterranean, and which has been turned into a military zone.

The report quoted an officer who recalled an incident in which a commander had announced that 200 militants were killed, when actually "only 10 were confirmed as known Hamas operatives".

Soldiers meanwhile told Haaretz they received questionable orders to open fire on "anyone who enters" Netzarim.

"Anyone crossing the line is a terrorist -- no exceptions, no civilians. Everyone's a terrorist," a soldier quoted a battalion commander as saying.

The soldiers also described how division commanders received "expanded powers" allowing them to bomb buildings or launch airstrikes that previously required approval from the army's top echelons.

The allegations contained in the Haaretz report could not be independently verified.

In a statement to AFP, the military rejected the accusations.

"All activities and operations conducted by (Israeli army) forces in the Gaza Strip, including in the Netzarim Corridor, are carried out in accordance with structured combat procedures, plans and operational orders approved by the highest ranks in the (army)," it said.

- 'No innocents in Gaza' -

The military added that "all strikes in the area (of Netzarim) are conducted in accordance with the mandatory procedures and protocols, including targets that are struck in an urgent time frame due to essential operational circumstances where ground forces face immediate threats".

"Incidents that give rise to concerns of deviations from army orders or ethical standards are thoroughly examined and addressed."

Many soldiers who spoke to Haaretz pointed to a specific commander, Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, who last summer took charge of Division 252, which has been based in Netzarim.

One of the soldiers said of Vach -- who was born in the settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank -- that "his worldview and political positions were clearly driving his operational decisions".

Another soldier said Vach had declared "there are no innocents in Gaza".

The military told AFP that the "statements attributed to him... were not made by him".

"Any claim asserting otherwise is entirely baseless."

The Haaretz report said Israeli soldiers spoke to the newspaper so that the Israeli "people need to know how this war really looks like, and what serious acts some commanders and fighters are committing inside Gaza".

"They need to know the inhuman scenes we're witnessing".

Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the current war, also reacted to the Haaretz report.

It said the testimonies offered "new evidence of unprecedented war crimes and full-fledged ethnic cleansing operations, carried out in an organised manner".

Hamas demanded that the United Nations and the International Court of Justice "document these testimonies and take the necessary steps to stop the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip".