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Does Israeli Minister's Anti-Palestinian Statement Undermine Sharm el-Sheikh Understandings?

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a news conference in Jerusalem (Reuters)
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a news conference in Jerusalem (Reuters)
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Does Israeli Minister's Anti-Palestinian Statement Undermine Sharm el-Sheikh Understandings?

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a news conference in Jerusalem (Reuters)
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a news conference in Jerusalem (Reuters)

Egypt denounced the recent “inflammatory” statements of Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on the Palestinian people, saying they undermined peace efforts.

Last Sunday, Egyptian, Jordanian, Israeli, Palestinian, and US security officials and politicians met in Sharm el-Sheikh following Cairo's invitation to complete the understanding reached in Aqaba on Feb. 26.

The parties agreed on the "necessity of calm" ahead of Ramadan, and they decided to develop a mechanism to curb incitement and inflammatory statements and actions.

The mechanism must submit reports to the leaders of the five countries next April when resuming the meeting session in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Only hours after these understandings, Smotrich denied the existence of a Palestinian people or nationhood, saying there was "no such thing as Palestinians because there's no such thing as the Palestinian people."

Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Abu Zeid, described the Israeli minister's statements as "irresponsible and inflammatory," noting that the racist gestures that deny history and geography fuel anger and tension among Palestinians and the people of the free world.

Abu Zeid said such statements undermine efforts to achieve calm between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, especially ahead of Ramadan, which coincides with the Christian and Jewish holidays, all of which establish meanings of tolerance, peace, and respect for others.

An Egyptian official, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, considered Smotrich's statements a violation of the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings.

He indicated that the US and Egypt stressed during the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting that the Tel Aviv government must maintain stability and calm, rejecting any hostile statements or actions from the far-right ministers that could further exacerbate the situation.

The source said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must control his government, warning of the consequences of unilateral Israeli actions and their impact on achieving calm.

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Syrians Commemorate Uprising Anniversary for First Time Since Assad's Fall

This is the first celebration of the Syria's 2011 uprising since the fall of Bashar al-Assad (AFP/Bakr ALKASEM)
This is the first celebration of the Syria's 2011 uprising since the fall of Bashar al-Assad (AFP/Bakr ALKASEM)
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Syrians Commemorate Uprising Anniversary for First Time Since Assad's Fall

This is the first celebration of the Syria's 2011 uprising since the fall of Bashar al-Assad (AFP/Bakr ALKASEM)
This is the first celebration of the Syria's 2011 uprising since the fall of Bashar al-Assad (AFP/Bakr ALKASEM)

Syrians gathered on Saturday to commemorate the 14th anniversary of their uprising in public demonstrations in Damascus for the first time since president Bashar al-Assad was toppled.

The demonstration in Damascus's Umayyad Square is the first in the capital after years of repression under Assad, during which the square was the sole preserve of the ousted president's supporters.

Activists also called on people to gather in the cities of Homs, Idlib and Hama at demonstrations under the slogan "Syria is victorious".

By the afternoon, dozens of people had gathered in the capital's Umayyad Square, amid a heavy security presence and with military helicopters overhead dropping leaflets bearing the slogan "there is no room for hate among us".

Security forces were stationed at all entrances to the square, with some of them handing out flowers to demonstrators while speakers blared revolutionary and Islamic songs, AFP reported.

Many attendees waved the Syrian flag -- officially changed from one used under Assad to the design from the independence era -- and held signs reading "the revolution has triumphed".

Hanaa al-Daghri, 32, was among those in the square and told AFP "what is happening now is a dream we never dared to imagine".

"I left Damascus 12 years ago because I was wanted, and I would have never had any hope of returning were it not for the liberation," she said.

"We are missing many friends who are no longer with us, but their bloodshed brought us to where we are today."

Under bright sunlight, Abdul Moneim Nimr, 41, stood surrounded by his friends who raised a large flag and began dancing and singing.

"We used to celebrate the anniversary of the revolution in northern Syria and today we are celebrating in Umayyad Square. This is a blessed victory," he said.

Syria's conflict began with peaceful demonstrations on March 15, 2011, in which thousands protested against Assad's government, before it spiralled into civil war after his violent repression of the protests.

This year's commemoration marks the first since Assad was toppled on December 8 by opposition factions.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, who headed the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) which spearheaded the offensive, has since been named interim president.

Hundreds also gathered at the main square in the opposition's former stronghold of Idlib, an AFP journalist saw, raising the flags of Syria and HTS amid a heavy security presence and despite the Ramadan fast and relatively hot weather.

On Thursday, Sharaa signed into force a constitutional declaration regulating a five-year transition period before a permanent constitution is to be put into place.

Analysts have criticised the declaration, saying it grants too much power to Sharaa and fails to provide sufficient protection to the country's minorities.

It also came a week after Syria's Mediterranean coast, the heartland of Assad's Alawite minority, was gripped by the worst wave of violence since his overthrow.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, security forces and allied groups killed at least 1,500 civilians, mainly Alawites, in the violence that began on March 6.

The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said on Friday: "It is fourteen years since Syrians took to the streets in peaceful protest, demanding dignity, freedom and a better future."

He added in a statement that despite the brutal civil war, "the resilience of Syrians and their pursuit of justice, dignity and peace endure. And they now deserve a transition that is worthy of this."

He called for "an immediate end to all violence and for protection of civilians".

On the occasion of the anniversary, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council in northeast Syria reiterated its objection to the constitutional declaration, saying it "did not adequately reflect the aspirations of the Syrian people to build a just and democratic state".