AMMAN: Palestinians from all walks of life have condemned US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman over his defense of illegal settlements, while an American-Jewish peace movement has demanded the envoy be recalled.
Friedman caused uproar after telling the Israeli news site Walla that only 2 percent of the West Bank is occupied and that settlements are part of Israel.
Friedman, a known sympathizer with Israel regarding the settlements, had earlier stirred controversy after he used the term “alleged occupation.”
The editorial of the Palestinian daily newspaper Al-Quds on Friday slammed Friedman, an American bankruptcy lawyer turned pro-Israeli ambassador.
“The Palestinian leadership has the right to demand from the US side clear positions on these dangerous statements if it indeed doesn’t adopt this extremist line that was represented by Friedman,” the editorial said.
A spokeswoman of the US Department of State stated Friday that US foreign policy regarding settlements “has not changed.”
Issa Amro, a prominent Palestinian human-rights defender and activist based in Hebron, West Bank, told Arab News that the American ambassador has aligned himself with extremists.
“This is a declaration of war on Palestinian rights and this statement reflects the US bias with right-wing Israeli extremists which no doubt will embolden these elements into continuing their racist and discriminatory policies,” said Amro, who is also co-founder of the grassroots group Youth Against Settlements.
Amro, who is making a tour of Washington and meeting with top US officials, echoed others in saying Friedman is unqualified to be US ambassador to Israel.
“For a country that is trying to play a neutral role in supporting people, human rights and international law, such a statement reflects a person who is not qualified to represent the Trump administration,” said Amro, who called for the US ambassador to be censured by the international community.
“David Friedman’s name should be added to the list of international companies that deal with the illegal settlements,” Amro told Arab News.
Hanan Ashrawi, Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) executive committee member, also condemned Friedman’s statements.
“In addition to his long-standing support for Israeli settlements, and after referring to the ‘alleged occupation’ of Palestinian land, he has the audacity to maintain that Israel occupies only 2 percent of the West Bank and that illegal settlements that carve, annex and steal Palestinian land are part of Israel,” Ashrawi said.
“The occupation exists. Settlements are illegal under international law and constitute a war crime. These facts and realities are not in question.”
Americans for Peace Now (APN) called on President Donald Trump to recall Ambassador Friedman for making statements that blatantly contradict long-held US policy.
“The truth is simple: Friedman is an obstacle to peace, a source of provocation and instability, and is therefore unfit to serve. We call on President Trump to immediately recall him from Tel Aviv and replace him with a person who would better serve our national interests in this sensitive and vital post,” APN said.
Nabil Shaath, a senior Fatah official and adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, told the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam that Friedman is ignorant of both geography and the policies of his own government.
“Friedman is totally biased to the country he is delegated to. I have a hard time understanding someone who is totally ignorant of diplomacy, of the position of the United States of America and ignorant of geography,” Shaath is reported as saying.
Palestinians slam US ambassador to Israel over settlements remarks
Palestinians slam US ambassador to Israel over settlements remarks
Man with US and German citizenship is charged with trying to attack US Embassy in Tel Aviv
- Israeli officials deported Neumeyer to New York on Saturday and he had an initial court appearance before a federal judge in Brooklyn on Sunday
NEW YORK: A dual US and German citizen has been arrested on charges that he traveled to Israel and attempted to firebomb the branch office of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, officials said Sunday.
Federal prosecutors in New York said the man, Joseph Neumeyer, walked up to the embassy building on May 19 with a backpack containing Molotov cocktails but got into a confrontation with a guard and eventually ran away, dropping his backpack as the guard tried to grab him.
Law enforcement then tracked Neumeyer down to a hotel a few blocks away from the embassy and arrested him, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York.
The attack took place against the backdrop of Israel’s war in Gaza, now in its 19th month.
Neumeyer, 28, who is originally from Colorado and has dual US and German citizenship, had traveled from the US to Canada in early February and then arrived in Israel in late April, according to court records. He had made a series of threatening social media posts before attempting the attack, prosecutors said.
Israeli officials deported Neumeyer to New York on Saturday and he had an initial court appearance before a federal judge in Brooklyn on Sunday. His criminal complaint was unsealed Sunday.
Neumeyer’s court-appointed attorney, Jeff Dahlberg, declined to comment.
During his first term, President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital despite Palestinian objections and moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv.
Spain hosts European, Arab nations to pressure Israel on Gaza
- The talks in Madrid aim to stop Israel’s “inhumane” and “senseless” war in Gaza, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said
- Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Albares on the sidelines of the meeting
MADRID: The international community should look at sanctions against Israel to stop the war in Gaza, Spain’s foreign minister said, as European and Arab nations gathered in Madrid Sunday to urge an end to its offensive.
Some of Israel’s long-standing allies have added their voices to growing international pressure after it expanded military operations against Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose 2023 attack on Israel sparked the devastating war.
A two-month aid blockade has worsened shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine in the Palestinian territory, stoking fears of famine.
Aid organizations say the trickle of supplies Israel has recently allowed to enter falls far short of needs.
The talks in Madrid aim to stop Israel’s “inhumane” and “senseless” war in Gaza, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters before the meeting opened.
Humanitarian aid must enter Gaza “massively, without conditions and without limits, and not controlled by Israel,” he added, describing the Strip as humanity’s “open wound.”
“Silence in these moments is complicity in this massacre... that is why we are meeting,” said Albares.
Representatives from European countries including France, Britain, Germany and Italy joined envoys from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Morocco, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Norway, Iceland, Ireland and Slovenia, who like Spain have already recognized a Palestinian state, are also taking part, alongside Brazil.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Albares on the sidelines of the meeting.
During the meeting, they discussed relations between their countries, areas of joint cooperation, and regional and international developments including the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
After the European Union decided this week to review its cooperation deal with Israel, Albares told reporters Spain would request its “immediate suspension.”
Spain would also urge partners to impose an arms embargo on Israel and “not rule out any” individual sanctions against those “who want to ruin the two-state solution forever,” he added.
Sunday’s meeting will also promote a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke by video link with Arab counterparts on Sunday and would press “the need for coordinated pressure” for a ceasefire, aid and the release of Hamas-held hostages, his office said.
Barrot will also meet the Palestinian Authority’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, during a trip to Yerevan next week, the French foreign ministry announced on Sunday.
The diplomatic drive comes one month before a UN conference on the Israel-Palestinian conflicted presided over by France and Saudi Arabia.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said his country will back draft resolutions at the United Nations aimed at ramping up aid access to Gaza and holding Israel to account over its international humanitarian obligations.
Madrid’s attempt to rally a wider consensus on the war comes a year after it broke with some European allies by recognizing a Palestinian state, infuriating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mainly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Palestinian militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed almost 54,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.
Swiss authorities exploring probe into Gaza aid group
GENEVA: Swiss authorities said on Sunday they were exploring whether to open a legal investigation into the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization that plans to oversee aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave.
The move comes after a Swiss NGO submitted a request for a probe into GHF’s aid plan, which the UN has opposed, saying it is not impartial or neutral and forces further displacement and exposes thousands of people to harm.
The GHF, which has said it hopes to start work in Gaza by the end of May, said it “strictly adheres” to humanitarian principles, and that it would not support any form of forced relocation of civilians.
Israel has allowed limited aid deliveries to resume this week after having stopped all aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2.
TRIAL International, a Switzerland-based NGO, on Friday said it had filed two legal submissions asking Swiss authorities to investigate whether the Swiss-registered GHF complies with Swiss law and international humanitarian law.
The submissions were made to the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, or FDFA, on May 20 and 21.
The FDFA on Sunday confirmed that both authorities had received the submissions.
TRIAL International said it asked the Swiss FDFA to explain if the GHF had submitted a declaration, in accordance with Swiss law, to use private security companies to distribute aid, and if Swiss authorities had approved it.
The FDFA said it was investigating whether such a declaration would be required for the foundation.
It said that the Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations cannot review whether foundations comply with their statutes until they start their activities.
The GHF said that though using private security firms represents a change from prior aid delivery frameworks, it would ensure aid is not diverted to Hamas or criminal organizations.
Jordan, Spain pledge closer ties, urge action on Gaza during Madrid talks
- Foreign ministers discuss expanding cooperation across range of sectors, including defense, trade, economy, tourism
MADRID: Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi held high-level talks in Madrid on Sunday with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares, as both nations reaffirmed their commitment to deepening ties and advancing regional peace efforts.
The two ministers discussed expanding cooperation across a range of sectors, including defense, trade, economy, and tourism, the Jordan News Agency reported.
They also confirmed ongoing efforts to finalize a strategic partnership agreement between Jordan and Spain, with the aim of accelerating its implementation.
Safadi and Albares reiterated mutual support for each other’s candidacies in international organizations and pledged continued coordination within global forums.
They also reviewed preparations for the upcoming Union for the Mediterranean summit, set to take place later this year in Barcelona to mark the 30th anniversary of the union.
Jordan and the EU are scheduled to co-chair the event.
A major focus of the talks was the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The meeting came ahead of a ministerial session of the expanded Madrid Group aimed at pushing forward efforts to implement a two-state solution.
Safadi stressed that halting the violence and delivering immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza must be a global priority.
He warned that the international community’s failure to stop the war had undermined the credibility of international law and endangered the prospects for a just and lasting peace.
Praising Spain’s “principled” positions, Safadi welcomed the Spanish government’s decision to suspend arms sales to Israel and recognize the State of Palestine.
He also lauded Madrid’s efforts to mobilize international support for a ceasefire, its backing of Palestinian statehood, and the hosting of Sunday’s meeting attended by more than 20 nations and a delegation from the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee.
Albares reiterated Spain’s desire to deepen its long-standing partnership with Jordan, and commended the role of King Abdullah II in promoting regional stability and peace. He also extended congratulations to the kingdom on the occasion of its 79th Independence Day.
Turkiye’s Erdogan, Pakistan PM Sharif discuss boosting cooperation
- Erdogan’s office said he told Sharif it was in the interest of Turkiye and Pakistan to increase solidarity in education and intelligence sharing
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul on Sunday and said the two countries would strive to boost cooperation, particularly in defense, energy and transportation, Erdogan’s office said.
Turkiye has strong ties with Pakistan, both being largely Muslim countries and sharing historical links, and expressed solidarity with it during its recent clashes with India.
Erdogan’s office said he told Sharif it was in the interest of Turkiye and Pakistan to increase solidarity in education, intelligence sharing and technological support in the fight against terrorism.
Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler and intelligence agency chief Ibrahim Kalin also attended the meeting.
Earlier in May, Erdogan expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India conducted military strikes in response to an attack in Indian Kashmir by extremists. The clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors were the worst in more than two decades.
Ankara also maintains cordial ties with India but after Erdogan’s expression of support for Pakistan, small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers boycotted Turkish products.
