New diplomatic push to prevent violence in Palestine during Ramadan
March 29, 2022, 11:25 am

New diplomatic push to prevent violence in Palestine during Ramadan

Palestine-Gaza-Palestinian children/Pixabay

The Arab News reported that a diplomatic push is underway to prevent a repeat of last year’s Ramadan violence in the occupied Palestinian territories that led to a fourth conflict between Israel and Gaza.

It said that King Abdullah of Jordan met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for two hours of talks in Ramallah on Monday, in his first trip to the occupied West Bank since 2017. The king had already met Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid this month to discuss strategies for containing unrest during Ramadan.

It mentioned, Israel’s government coordinator in the Palestinian territories, Ghassan Alyan, has also traveled to Cairo for security talks with Egyptian officials.

Palestinian officials have repeatedly warned that the occupied West Bank was on the verge of “exploding.” At this time last year, unrest at Al-Aqsa Mosque and attempts by Israeli settlers to evict Palestinians from their homes led to waves of violence, and an 11-day assault by Israel on Gaza.

A diplomatic push is underway to prevent a repeat of last year’s Ramadan violence in the occupied Palestinian territories that led to a fourth conflict between Israel and Gaza (File photo: Pixabay)

In addition to Ramadan, which begins next weekend, imminent potential flashpoints include the revival of Land Day on March 30, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day on April 17, the anniversary of the Great March of Return, the anniversary of last year’s Gaza conflict, and Nakba Day on May 15.

Tahani Mustafa, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, siad: “We’ve seen significant tension in Jerusalem, which hasn’t died down since the last line of conflict,” adding that “It only makes sense for Jordan to try and intervene in some way to quell tensions.”

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Security fears are already high after Daesh shot dead two Israeli policemen in Hadera on Sunday, and stabbed four Israelis to death last week in Beersheba.

Israeli political leaders have met to discuss increased security measures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in preparation for Ramadan. However, to ease tension, Israel will increase from 10,000 to 20,000 the number of Palestinian workers from Gaza who can enter Israel, ease some import restrictions, and implement pre-pandemic plans for Palestinians in the West Bank to visit Jerusalem.

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Analyst Mostafa Ibrahim told Arab News: “It is clear that there is an Israeli desire, backed by American pressure, to calm the situation in the Middle East in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war.”

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.