Safadi, Ashkenazi Discuss Resuming Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi, Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry, and French FM Jean-Yves Le Drian, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo. (AP)
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi, Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry, and French FM Jean-Yves Le Drian, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo. (AP)
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Safadi, Ashkenazi Discuss Resuming Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi, Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry, and French FM Jean-Yves Le Drian, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo. (AP)
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Jordanian FM Ayman Safadi, Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry, and French FM Jean-Yves Le Drian, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo. (AP)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi met in Jordan for the second time in two weeks after a series of telephone calls between them last month, according to political sources in Tel Aviv.

The sources described the talks as “positive,” adding that they were followed by meetings between Israeli and Jordanian teams to discuss the practical steps on the various issues addressed by the two ministers.

A Palestinian source in Ramallah said that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is aware of these meetings, which are in line with recent efforts by the quartet of Egypt, Jordan, Germany and France to move forward with Palestinian-Israeli negotiations on a political settlement based on the two-state solution.

These efforts have intensified in recent weeks, days before Joe Biden is sworn in as American president on January 20.

The source stressed that the efforts culminated on Monday with the quartet meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, France, and Germany, a forum known as the Munich Group, in Cairo.

The meeting between Ashkenazi and Safadi is part of these efforts, according to the source, adding that Amman condemned the Israeli government's practices “to impose a de-facto solution that sabotages the two-state solution, such as going ahead with settlement building.”

Since assuming his position as foreign minister, Ashkenazi has been working to improve the strained relations with Jordan, said a close associate to him in Tel Aviv. Ashkenazi is aware that there is a common supreme strategic interest for both Jordan and Israel.

Israel Hayom reported that the latest meeting between Ashkenazi and Safadi discussed regional strategic issues, strengthening economic cooperation and reducing tensions in bilateral ties.

It suggested that the talks between the two ministers focused on civil and economic ties and avoided contentious issues, noting that the meeting also included several ministers.

Ashkenazi had been invited to participate in the meeting in Cairo, but he apologized due to the two-week lockdown imposed by the government, which suggests that his meeting with Safadi took place at the end of December.

The newspaper said that despite the efforts of the Israeli FM, Safadi is pursuing a decisive stance with Israel, demanding that it put an end to provocations at al-Aqsa Mosque and fulfill its legal obligations as an occupying power, according to a statement issued by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.



Israeli Troops Expand 'Security Zone' in Northern Gaza

A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory  on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
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Israeli Troops Expand 'Security Zone' in Northern Gaza

A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory  on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Israeli troops moved into an area of northern Gaza to expand what they call a security zone around the edge of the enclave, the military said on Friday, days after the government announced plans to seize large areas with an operation in the south.

Soldiers carrying out the operation in Shejaia, a suburb east of Gaza City in the north, were letting civilians out via organized routes, the military said in a statement.

Israel issued evacuation warnings in the area on Thursday, and hundreds of residents streamed out, some carrying their belongings as they walked, others on donkey carts and bikes or in vans, reported Reuters.

Gaza health authorities said Israeli forces killed at least 27 people, including women and children, in an airstrike on a school building in Gaza City where displaced families were sheltering.

The military said the Dar Al-Arqam school building in Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City had been used a command and control center by Hamas militants and accused the fighters of deliberately using civilian infrastructure as bases. Hamas denies that it operates among civilians.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing their homes in recent days in one of the biggest mass exoduses of the war, as Israeli forces have moved to expand the territory under their control.

On the southern edge of Gaza, Israeli troops have been consolidating around the ruins of the city of Rafah.

Israel has not fully explained its long-term aim for the areas it is now seizing as a security zone. Gaza residents say they believe the aim is to permanently depopulate swathes of land, including some of Gaza's last farmland and water infrastructure.

The military said it had killed numerous militants and dismantled infrastructure, including what it said was a Hamas command and control center.

Palestinians say Israel's ultimate aim is to displace Gaza's population permanently, in line with a plan announced by US President Donald Trump to turn the enclave into a waterfront resort under US control. Israel says it would encourage Palestinians who wish to leave voluntarily.

Israeli troops resumed their operation in Gaza on March 18, following a two-month truce. Ministers have said the operation will continue until 59 hostages still held in Gaza are returned. Hamas says it will free them only under a deal that brings a permanent end to the war.

The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel has reduced much of Gaza to ruins and killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health authorities.