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Arab World

Lebanon, Israel in 3rd Round of Maritime Border Talks

UN peacekeeping military vehicles enter the headquarters of UNIFIL in Naqoura, South Lebanon. AP file photo
UN peacekeeping military vehicles enter the headquarters of UNIFIL in Naqoura, South Lebanon. AP file photo
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Lebanon, Israel in 3rd Round of Maritime Border Talks

UN peacekeeping military vehicles enter the headquarters of UNIFIL in Naqoura, South Lebanon. AP file photo
UN peacekeeping military vehicles enter the headquarters of UNIFIL in Naqoura, South Lebanon. AP file photo

Lebanon and Israel kicked off a third round of sea border talks Wednesday under US and UN mediation to allow for offshore oil and gas exploration.

The delegations met under tight security at the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) in the Lebanese border town of Naqoura, the National News Agency said.

Lebanon and Israel in early October said they had agreed to begin the negotiations in what Washington hailed as a "historic" agreement.

The first two rounds of talks were held on October 14 and 28-29.

The negotiations are meant to focus on an 860-square-kilometer disputed sea area according to a map registered with the United Nations in 2011.

But Lebanon has now demanded an additional area of 1,430 square kilometers further south, Lebanese energy expert Laury Haytayan said, characterizing the new phase of talks as a "war of the maps.”

She said the additional area extends into part of the Karish gas field which Israel has assigned to Greek firm Energean for exploration.

An Israeli source close to the talks said, meanwhile, Israel has demanded that the sea frontier be moved further north, deeper into areas claimed by Lebanon.

"The Israeli delegation itself presented a line that is north of the border of the dispute, and clarified that no talks will be held on a line that is south of the border of the dispute," the source said.

The head of the Israeli delegation, energy ministry director general Udi Adiri, earlier this month in a letter to Energean said discussing any areas outside the initial disputed area was out of the question.

"There is no change, and no perspective of change about the status of the Israeli commercial waters south of the disputed area, including of course, Karish and Tanin" gas fields, Adiri wrote in a letter to CEO Shaul Tzemach.

In February 2018, Lebanon signed its first contract for offshore drilling for oil and gas in Block 9 and Block 4 with a consortium comprising energy giants Total, ENI and Novatek.

Lebanon in April said initial drilling in Block 4 had shown traces of gas but no commercially viable reserves.

Exploration has not started in Block 9, part of which lies in the disputed area.

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Arab World

The Netherlands Supports Lebanon with €140 Million

Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot shakes hands with Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon May 6, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot shakes hands with Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon May 6, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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The Netherlands Supports Lebanon with €140 Million

Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot shakes hands with Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon May 6, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot shakes hands with Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon May 6, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

The Netherlands has allocated €140 million to support Lebanon for the next four years, Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot announced in Beirut on Monday.

The announcement came amid concerns in Lebanon over an aid package from the European Union last week to provide €1 billion to the Lebanese government over three years to prop up the country's economy and help prevent a surge in refugees leaving for Europe.

The EU aid package has sparked outrage among Lebanese, primarily due to concerns that it might push Syrians to permanently settle in Lebanon.

The outrage further culminated on Monday when head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea said his party will “continue exerting all efforts until the last illegal migrant leaves Lebanon.”

Following a meeting with her Lebanese counterpart, Abdallah Bou Habib, on Monday, the Dutch Foreign Minister expressed great appreciation for Lebanon for hosting the largest number of displaced Syrians despite the great burden it bears. “I understand that this has a huge impact on Lebanon and its people,” she said.

Slot noted that The Netherlands supports the Lebanese army, which works to strengthen stability. “We also support rebuilding the private sector in Lebanon, which contributes to the development of the country, in cooperation with the European Union. The Netherlands has allocated an amount of €140 million for the next four years,” she added.

This is Slot’s first visit to Lebanon.

The Dutch Minister said her country is committed to the relationship with Lebanon and that she spoke with Bou Habib about the importance of stability in the Middle East.

Slot also discussed the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, saying, “We would like to resolve the crisis and reach a quick agreement regarding the current negotiation, and thus an immediate ceasefire, the return of the prisoners, and for the agreement to be a foundation upon which a lasting peace can later be built.”

The Dutch Foreign Minister then highlighted "the importance of immediately halting the deteriorating situation on the southern Lebanese border between Israel and Lebanon.”

She said The Netherlands is concerned about the escalation of the conflict and regrets the loss of civilian lives because of its negative impact on Lebanon and the region. “It is extremely important that we avoid expanding the cycle of violence.”

Slot then asked for a diplomatic solution and count on France's efforts. But, she said, Lebanon also plays a role and Resolution 1701 must be adopted as a basis for lasting peace. “We urge both sides, including Hezbollah, to contribute to implementing Resolution 1701 through field action, and also to support the Lebanese army.”

Meanwhile, the LF leader said his party’s position on the issue of the illegal Syrian presence in Lebanon is a firm, principled and sovereign stance that does not change with a billion euros or tens of billions, and does not change with an international request or wish.

The illegal presence of Syrians on Lebanese soil cannot continue and is not subject to discussion, according to Geagea. “The only thing that is up for discussion is assistance in their deportation, not assistance in keeping them in Lebanon,” he affirmed.

On Monday, Hezbollah said it refuses to negotiate a ceasefire in south Lebanon or to discuss any arrangements for the southern Litani area before the Gaza ceasefire.

The head of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, vowed that the war between his party and Israel is not just a military or a balance of power battle.

At a memorial service, he said, “This battle aims to offer a model of dedication to the preservation of the homeland and the preservation of humanity. We offer jihadists who have the highest moral and humanitarian characteristics and do not target civilians but only its enemies.”

In return, he accused Israel of presenting the ugliest image of a cruel human.

Arab World

Israel Bombards Rafah ahead of Talks Aimed at Sealing Truce

Palestinians search for casualties amid deep craters filled with broken concrete and twisted metal, after Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef
Palestinians search for casualties amid deep craters filled with broken concrete and twisted metal, after Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef
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Israel Bombards Rafah ahead of Talks Aimed at Sealing Truce

Palestinians search for casualties amid deep craters filled with broken concrete and twisted metal, after Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef
Palestinians search for casualties amid deep craters filled with broken concrete and twisted metal, after Israeli air strikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. REUTERS/Anas al-Shareef

Israel carried out strikes on the Gazan city of Rafah overnight as it sought to put "pressure" on Hamas ahead of talks in Egypt on Tuesday aimed at sealing a truce proposal endorsed by the group.
After having vowed for weeks to push into the southern border town, Israel called on Monday for Palestinians in eastern Rafah to leave for an "expanded humanitarian area" ahead of a ground incursion.
An AFP correspondent in the city reported heavy bombardment throughout the night, while the Kuwaiti hospital there said Tuesday in an updated toll that 11 people had been killed and dozens of others injured in Israeli strikes.
After talks earlier in the day failed to produce an agreement, Hamas said Monday evening that it had informed mediators Egypt and Qatar of its "approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire" in the seven-month-old war, prompting cheering crowds to take to the streets of Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the proposal "is far from Israel's essential demands", but the government would send negotiators for talks "to exhaust the potential for arriving at an agreement".
In the meantime, it added, "Israel is continuing the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to advance the release of our hostages and the other objectives of the war".
Close Israeli ally the United States said it was "reviewing" the Hamas response.
Hamas member Khalil al-Hayya told the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel that the proposal agreed to by Hamas involved a three-phase truce.
He said it includes a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war and a hostage-prisoner exchange, with the goal of a "permanent ceasefire".
Qatar said that it was sending a delegation to Cairo on Tuesday morning to resume negotiations in the "hope that the talks will culminate in reaching an agreement for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza strip".
A senior Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Israel must now decide whether it accepts or "obstructs" a truce.
'Intolerable' invasion
Renewing the call for people to leave Rafah late Monday, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said "aircraft targeted more than 50 terror targets in the Rafah area" throughout the day.
Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said Monday night that it had fired rockets from Gaza towards southern Israel in response.
International alarm has been steadily building about the consequences of an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, situated on the border with Egypt.
Egypt, the main conduit for aid trucks into Gaza, has been a key mediator in truce efforts and has resolutely opposed any mass displacement of refugees from the strip into its territory.
An Israeli incursion into the city would be "intolerable", UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday, calling on Israel and Hamas "to go an extra mile" to reach a ceasefire deal.
"This is an opportunity that cannot be missed, and a ground invasion in Rafah would be intolerable because of its devastating humanitarian consequences, and because of its destabilizing impact in the region," Guterres said.
Egypt's foreign ministry warned of "grave humanitarian risks" for the more than one million Gazans sheltering there and urged Israel to "exercise the utmost restraint".
Jordanian King Abdullah II asked US President Joe Biden in talks Monday to intervene to stop a "new massacre" in Rafah.
In a conversation with Netanyahu on Monday, Biden restated "his clear position" opposing an invasion of the city, the White House said.
Netanyahu has vowed to eventually send ground troops into Rafah regardless of any truce, saying it needs to root out Hamas's remaining forces to prevent a repeat of the bloody October 7 attacks that sparked the war in Gaza.
'Thousands' leaving
Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory offensive that has killed at least 34,735 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.
Militants also abducted 250 hostages on October 7, of whom Israel estimates 128 remain in Gaza, including 35 whom the military says are dead.
The Hostage Families and Missing Families Forum said in a statement after Hamas's announcement Monday that "now is the time for all that are involved to fulfill their commitment and turn this opportunity into a deal for the return of all the hostages".
About 1.2 million people are sheltering in Rafah, the World Health Organization says.
Hamas said Israel was planning a large-scale offensive "without regard for the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe" in the besieged Gaza Strip or for the fate of hostages held there.
Israel said its "limited" and temporary Rafah evacuation order aimed "to get people out of harm's way".
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported "thousands" of Gazans leaving the city's east.
'Where can we go?'
Israel's military in a statement urged those in eastern Rafah to head for the "expanded humanitarian area" at Al-Mawasi on the coast.
But aid groups said Al-Mawasi was not ready for such an influx.
Asked how many people should move, an Israeli military spokesman said: "The estimate is around 100,000 people."
The Red Crescent said the designated evacuation zone hosts around 250,000 people, many of them already uprooted from elsewhere.
Palestinian Abdul Rahman Abu Jazar, 36, said the area "does not have enough room for us to make tents" because it is already full.
"Where can we go?" he asked.
The main aid group in Gaza, UNRWA, said an Israeli Rafah offensive would mean "more civilian suffering and deaths", adding it was "not evacuating".

Arab World

UKMTO Receives Report Two Explosions South of Yemen's Aden

FILE - This black-and-white image released by the US military's Central Command shows the fire aboard the bulk carrier True Confidence after a missile attack by Yemen's Houthis in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (US Central Command via AP, File)
FILE - This black-and-white image released by the US military's Central Command shows the fire aboard the bulk carrier True Confidence after a missile attack by Yemen's Houthis in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (US Central Command via AP, File)
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UKMTO Receives Report Two Explosions South of Yemen's Aden

FILE - This black-and-white image released by the US military's Central Command shows the fire aboard the bulk carrier True Confidence after a missile attack by Yemen's Houthis in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (US Central Command via AP, File)
FILE - This black-and-white image released by the US military's Central Command shows the fire aboard the bulk carrier True Confidence after a missile attack by Yemen's Houthis in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (US Central Command via AP, File)

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Tuesday two explosions were reported in the proximity of a merchant vessel 82 nautical miles south of Yemen's Aden.
UKMTO reported that the vessel and all crew are safe and that authorities are investigating, Reuters reported.
The Houthi militia that controls the most populous parts of Yemen and is aligned with Iran have staged attacks on ships in the waters off the country for months in solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.
Authorities were investigating the incident, UKMTO said in an advisory note sent by e-mail.
The Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden since November.
That has forced shippers to re-route cargo on longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and stoking fears the Israel-Hamas war could spread and destabilize the Middle East.

Arab World

Raisi Urges Barzani to Prevent ‘Exploitation’ of Kurdistan to Launch Attacks against Iran

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday. (Supreme Leader's website)
President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday. (Supreme Leader's website)
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Raisi Urges Barzani to Prevent ‘Exploitation’ of Kurdistan to Launch Attacks against Iran

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday. (Supreme Leader's website)
President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday. (Supreme Leader's website)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi urged on Monday President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani to prevent the “exploitation of Kurdish territories” to attack Iran.

He stressed the need to remove the arms of “elements that are opposed to the revolution.”

“We trust that our Iraqi and Kurdish brothers have good intentions,” Raisi told Barzani during a meeting in Tehran. “However, given the spite harbored by our enemies, including the Zionist entity, we expect the Iraqi and Kurdistan governments to prevent the exploitation of their lands by hostile Zionist elements and groups opposed to the revolution.”

Moreover, he said Iran is open to expanding economic and trade cooperation with Kurdistan. “We believe the long border between the two sides is a valuable opportunity to boost relations, but security remains pivotal because it is necessary for any cooperation,” he went on to say.

Raisi said he was satisfied with the measures taken by the Baghdad and Erbil governments to carry out the joint Iraqi-Iranian security plan, stressing the need for its “full and strict” implementation, including the removal of weapons of groups that are opposed to the Iranian revolution.

For his part, Barzani said Kurdistan was adamant on fully implementing the agreement.

“We expect Iran to stand by our side in easing Iraq’s problems and building a prosperous and modern country,” he added.

On Israel, he remarked: “Any sound mind will not prioritize the establishment of ties with a regime - that is at its lowest point – over relations with a strong and friendly country.”

Kurdistan’s Rudaw network said Barzani and Raisi’s talks underscored the need to bolster relations between Iran, Iraq and Kurdistan based on good neighborliness, joint interests and raising the level of trade and economic exchange.

Barzani also held two meetings with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

A statement from the Kurdistan presidency said the officials discussed relations between Baghdad, Erbil and Tehran, including opportunities for economic cooperation. They also tackled political affairs in Iraq and Kurdistan and regional developments.

Barzani also met with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. No details were made available about their talks.

Kurdistan and Iran share a 650-km long border and seven border crossings. Trade exchange between them tops 7 billion dollars annually, reported Rudaw.

In a post on the X platform, former Iraqi FM Hoshyar Zebari described Barzani’s trip as “very successful.”

He noted that it took place in wake of “violent tensions” in relations between Kurdistan and Iran in wake of Tehran’s rocket attacks on Erbil in recent years.

This was the first visit to Iran by a Kurdish official since January 2024 when Tehran fired 11 ballistic missiles at Erbil that targeted the residence of a prominent Kurdish businessman.

Iran alleged that it was striking targets that were spying for the Israeli Mossad. Iraq has denied that the Mossad had set up headquarters in Erbil.

Arab World

Türkiye Strikes Northern Iraq from Air, Says It Kills PKK Members

A member of the PKK carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, 22 June 2018 (AFP)
A member of the PKK carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, 22 June 2018 (AFP)
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Türkiye Strikes Northern Iraq from Air, Says It Kills PKK Members

A member of the PKK carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, 22 June 2018 (AFP)
A member of the PKK carries an automatic rifle on a road in the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, 22 June 2018 (AFP)

Türkiye hit northern Iraq with air strikes on Monday and claimed to have killed 16 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) sheltering there.

The Turkish defense ministry said the PKK militants had been "neutralized" in the Hakurk, Metina and Gara regions of northern Iraq.

The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with officials in Baghdad and Erbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region, about the continued presence of PKK fighters in northern Iraq.

Baghdad labelled the group a "banned organization" in March.

Arab World

Israeli Airstrike in Lebanon Injures 3 People

A photo shows an Israeli jet fighter flying over the southern Lebanese town of Marjeyoun on May 6, 2024. (AFP)
A photo shows an Israeli jet fighter flying over the southern Lebanese town of Marjeyoun on May 6, 2024. (AFP)
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Israeli Airstrike in Lebanon Injures 3 People

A photo shows an Israeli jet fighter flying over the southern Lebanese town of Marjeyoun on May 6, 2024. (AFP)
A photo shows an Israeli jet fighter flying over the southern Lebanese town of Marjeyoun on May 6, 2024. (AFP)

An Israeli airstrike on northeastern Lebanon wounded three people and destroyed a building, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said.

The strike on the village of Safri early Monday targeted a factory in the eastern Bekaa Valley, the agency said without giving further details.

The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck a Hezbollah military structure in Safri.

Monday’s strike came after a tense day along the Lebanon-Israel border during which an Israeli airstrike on a village near the border killed four Lebanese civilians.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah party said it fired dozens of rockets in retaliation toward northern Israel.

The Lebanon-Israel border has seen almost daily exchange of fire since a day after the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 350 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters with Hezbollah and allied groups but also including more than 50 civilians. In Israel, strikes from Lebanon have killed at least 10 civilians and 12 soldiers.

Arab World

UNRWA Says It Won’t Comply with an Israeli Evacuation Order for Rafah

People grab flour bags from a truck after the Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. (Reuters)
People grab flour bags from a truck after the Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. (Reuters)
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UNRWA Says It Won’t Comply with an Israeli Evacuation Order for Rafah

People grab flour bags from a truck after the Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. (Reuters)
People grab flour bags from a truck after the Israeli military began evacuating Palestinian civilians ahead of a threatened assault on Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. (Reuters)

The United Nations agency serving Palestinian refugees said on Monday it will not comply with an Israeli military order to evacuate parts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Juliette Touma, communications director for UNRWA, said the agency has not evacuated the area and has no plans to do so. She added it has thousands of employees in the city.

“UNRWA will not take part in any forced evacuation of the population in Rafah or elsewhere in Gaza,” she stressed. “We are committed to staying and delivering humanitarian assistance.” She called for a ceasefire.

Relations between Israel and UNRWA have long been strained and further deteriorated during the seven-month war.

Israel has accused UNRWA of collaborating with the Hamas group and called for the agency’s closure.

UNRWA, the largest international provider of aid and services in Gaza, denies the accusations.

Arab World

Egypt Denies Closing Border Rafah Crossing with Gaza

A drone picture of part of a line of trucks waiting on an Egyptian road along the border with Israel, near the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Oren Alon
A drone picture of part of a line of trucks waiting on an Egyptian road along the border with Israel, near the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Oren Alon
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Egypt Denies Closing Border Rafah Crossing with Gaza

A drone picture of part of a line of trucks waiting on an Egyptian road along the border with Israel, near the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Oren Alon
A drone picture of part of a line of trucks waiting on an Egyptian road along the border with Israel, near the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Oren Alon

Egypt assured on Monday that the border Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip is operating normally and that the entry of aid into the Strip continues as usual.
A high-level Egyptian source, in remarks to Cairo News channel, denied reports circulating that Egypt has closed the crossing.
The Israeli army had demanded Monday the residents of the eastern areas of Rafah city, south of the Gaza Strip, to evacuate immediately, in preparation for a military operation in the area.
Earlier the authorities in Gaza affirmed that the main crossing to Gaza is customarily operating.
Palestinian residents told the German news agency that the Israeli army had distributed leaflets in Arabic, urging them to leave their residential areas and head to safe areas in the city to avoid any danger to their lives while it carries out its military operation.
The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, launched a rocket attack on the Kerem Shalom site on Sunday, killing about 3 Israeli soldiers and injuring 12 others.

Since October 7th last year, Hamas and Israel have been engaged in a wide-ranging war following a surprise military attack by Hamas on Israeli towns adjacent to the Strip, resulting in the deaths of about 1200 people and the abduction of nearly 240 others within the sector.

Arab World

Reaction to Israel’s Rafah Evacuation Call

Palestinians gather as rescuers search for casualties under the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians gather as rescuers search for casualties under the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. (Reuters)
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Reaction to Israel’s Rafah Evacuation Call

Palestinians gather as rescuers search for casualties under the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians gather as rescuers search for casualties under the rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel has urged Palestinians to evacuate parts of the Gazan city of Rafah in apparent preparation for an assault on Hamas units that foreign powers fear could take a big civilian toll.

Here is some comment:

HAMAS OFFICIAL SAMI ABU ZUHURI

"This is a dangerous escalation that will have consequences. The US administration, alongside the occupation, bears responsibility for this terrorism."

GAZA RESIDENT ABU MUHEY, SHELTERING WITH FAMILY NORTH OF RAFAH

"They (the Israeli military) are calling people in the eastern area of Rafah, some also in the west near the Rafah crossing, ordering them to leave ... We don't know what to do, but I will take my family to Deir Al-Balah though I am not in the targeted area, maybe not yet."

UN PALESTINIAN RELIEF AGENCY UNRWA

"An Israeli offensive in #Rafah would mean more civilian suffering & deaths. The consequences would be devastating for 1.4 million people. @UNRWA is not evacuating: the Agency will maintain a presence in Rafah as long as possible & will continue providing lifesaving aid to people."

ISRAELI DEFENCE MINISTER YOAV GALLANT

"Minister Gallant briefed the (US) Secretary (of Defense) on the attack conducted by the Hamas terrorist organization, in which approximately 10 projectiles were fired from the area adjacent to the Rafah Crossing toward the area of the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing.

During their discussion, Minister Gallant discussed the efforts undertaken to achieve the release of hostages and indicated that at this stage, Hamas refuses the frameworks at hand. Minister Gallant emphasized that military action is required, including in the area of Rafah, at the lack of an alternative."

ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER ISRAEL KATZ

"Our just war in Gaza continues with the exact same goals: the release of all hostages and the defeat of Hamas."

Arab World

Nechervan Barzani Visits Tehran in New Effort to Delay Kurdistan Elections

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad last week. (Kurdistan Region Presidency)
President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad last week. (Kurdistan Region Presidency)
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Nechervan Barzani Visits Tehran in New Effort to Delay Kurdistan Elections

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad last week. (Kurdistan Region Presidency)
President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani meets with Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad last week. (Kurdistan Region Presidency)

President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani arrived in Tehran on Sunday on a visit described by a source from the pro-Iran Coordination Framework as a “last-ditch effort to postpone elections in the Region and maintain its unity.”

Iranian media said he is expected to meet with President Ebrahim Raisi, parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The source from the Framework said his visit is part of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) effort to postpone the elections so that it has time to introduce amendments to the Baghdad Federal Supreme Court’s rulings related to the shares of minorities and the body that will oversee the polls, reported the Arab World Press.

Barzani will demand that Tehran pressure their ally, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), headed by Bafel Talabani, to agree on postponing the elections, added the source.

For their part, the Iranians wants to discuss “Israeli organizations that are present in Kurdistan and that are constantly targeting their country’s security.”

They believe that Nechervan Barzani is “approaching them from a weak position, meaning this is a golden opportunity to negotiate with him over the Israeli organizations and Iranian armed groups, which are opposed to Tehran, that are present in Kurdistan,” continued the source.

In return, the Iranians will talk to the PUK to persuade it to postpone the elections, which are set for June 10.

Kurdish Iraqi MP Rezan Sheikh Dler had previously warned that holding the elections on time would effectively lead to the division of Kurdistan into two administrations.

The PUK had declared in March that it would be boycotting the elections in protest against the Federal Supreme Court’s rulings.

Member of the PUK’s leadership council Jabar Yawar told Arab World Press that Kurdistan’s political disputes will be on Nechervan Barzani’s agenda in Tehran.

He will also discuss economic and border security issues with Iranian officials, he added.

“The Iranian have often played in role in resolving disputes between Kurdish parties and between the Kurdish region and federal government” in Baghdad, he remarked.

This is Nechervan Barzani’s fifth visit to Tehran in less than a year.

Electoral campaigns are expected to kick off in Kurdistan later this week.