WASHINGTON: In a sometimes heated meeting with Israel’s ambassador to the US, several House Democrats expressed anger Wednesday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s acceptance of a Republican invitation to address Congress next month.
Some of the seven lawmakers — all of whom are Jewish and strong supporters of Israel — urged the prime minister to postpone the speech or hold it somewhere other than Congress, participants said. They told Ambassador Ron Dermer that Netanyahu was unwise to accept a Republican invitation that bypassed President Barack Obama, and to schedule the speech only two weeks before Netanyahu seeks another term in Israel’s elections.
The meeting’s purpose was “to try to defuse the optics” of the planned speech to Congress, and to return to substantive issues involving the two nations, said Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat who hosted the gathering in his House office. Some attendees suggested a different time or venue for a Netanyahu speech, Israel told reporters, but “we have a while to go before we have to address whether or not he’s coming.”
Netanyahu’s March 3 speech would focus largely on Iran — and its nuclear program — amid delicate negotiations involving the United States, other Western powers and Tehran. Netanyahu’s acceptance of Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation has infuriated the White House and many congressional Democrats.
Rep. Israel said the problem began when Boehner “decided that Israel would be a political football and he’d spike it in the end zone.”
Dermer asked for the Wednesday meeting in hopes of defusing some of the tension, lawmakers said.
Several Jewish House Democrats had met last week during the party’s retreat in Philadelphia to discuss what to do about the speech.
“I organized the meeting with Ambassador Dermer, and I invited key congressional Democratic supporters of Israel to attend,” Israel said in a statement. “There were a wide range of views that were discussed, but one thing we all agreed on emphatically is that Israel should never be used as a political football.”
Last Friday, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi was asked if Netanyahu would be well-advised to speak out in favor of heavier sanctions on Iran somewhere other than a joint meeting of Congress. She noted that the Israeli leader often appears on Sunday talk shows in the US.
Netanyahu has been an outspoken critic of the international efforts to negotiate a deal with Iran, which does not recognize the Jewish state, and which supports anti-Israeli militants like Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas.
He is sensitive, though, to Israel’s important relationship with the United States.
Last week, Netanyahu called Pelosi, Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, in hopes of blunting their opposition to the invitation.
The issue has split many US Jewish organizations and communities, with some liberal groups criticizing the planned speech and others cheering it.
March 3 is 21 days before the US and its international partners are supposed to have reached a framework agreement with Iran — one that would provide an outline for a more comprehensive deal set to be finalized by the end of June.
The US and its allies want to prevent Iran from having the capability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies any interest in nuclear weapons and says its program is for peaceful uses such as nuclear power and medical technology.
US Democrats give Israeli envoy earful over Netanyahu speech
US Democrats give Israeli envoy earful over Netanyahu speech
Israelis await names of next 4 hostages to be released by Hamas as part of the ceasefire
- Israel believes about a third, or possibly as many as half, of the more than 90 hostages still in Gaza have died
- Hamas has not released definitive information on how many captives are still alive or the names of those who have died
As a fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its sixth day, Israelis waited anxiously for the names of the next four hostages who will be released from among the more than 90 still held in Gaza.
In the Palestinian enclave, civilians in the central and southern part of the Gaza Strip hoping to return to the remnants of their home in the battered north faced an agonizing wait.
Israel believes about a third, or possibly as many as half, of the more than 90 hostages still in Gaza have died. Hamas has not released definitive information on how many captives are still alive or the names of those who have died.
“Dear President Trump, first of all we want to say thank you for the happy moments we felt this week. But we want to tell you we still have 94 hostages, we need them all at home,” said Ayelet Samerano, whose son Yonatan Samerano is among those still being held. “Please do not stop. Please continue to press and do everything so that all the 94 hostages will come home immediately.”
In the first phase of the ceasefire deal, 33 hostages are expected to be released gradually in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The first three Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of the ceasefire that has halted the 15-month war that has devastated Gaza. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and wide swaths of the territory have been destroyed.
According to the deal, on Friday Hamas is to announce the names of the next four hostages to be released on Saturday, after which Israel will also release a list of which Palestinian prisoners will be freed.
The hostages were among about 250 men, women and children captured by militants who burst across the border into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people in an attack that sparked the war in Gaza. About 100 were released during a brief ceasefire in November that year, while the bodies of around three dozen hostages have been recovered in Gaza and eight hostages have been rescued by the army.
“I call from here to the Prime Minister and negotiating team — you’re doing excellent work — do whatever is necessary to bring everyone back, to the last hostage,” Samerano said. “We ask you to ensure phase two of the deal is agreed upon before finishing the current phrase. We cannot continue living in uncertainty. All hostages must return, and none of them has time left.”
The 33 to be released in the first phase will include women, children, sick people and those over 50 — almost all civilians, though the deal also commits Hamas to freeing all living female soldiers in Phase 1. Hamas will release living hostages first, but could release some bodies if they don’t have enough living hostages in this category. Male soldiers are not expected to be released in the first phase.
“This week we were moved to watch images of mothers embracing their daughters, but our hearts break thinking that my son Nimrod and other men remain behind, and each day they’re there poses a real danger to their lives,” said Vicky Cohen, whose son Nimrod Cohen is among the hostages. “The worry that the deal won’t be fully implemented gnaws at us all. All senior officials openly say that stopping the deal means a death sentence for those left behind.”
Under the terms of the deal, Palestinians in Gaza will have more freedom of movement from the north to the south of the enclave. Civilians in the south will be allowed to take a coastal road to northern Gaza from Saturday, when Israeli troops are expected to withdraw from the key route and Hamas is set to release the next four Israeli hostages.
Those in other parts of the strip seized on the ceasefire this week to reunite with scattered family members, picking their way through vast swaths of rubble and trying to salvage what remained of their homes and their belongings. But those displaced from the north have had to wait.
“The first thing I’ll do, I’ll kiss the dirt of the land on which I was born and raised,” said Nadia Al-Debs, one of the many people gathered in makeshift tents in Gaza’s central city of Deir Al-Balah preparing to set out for home in Gaza City the next day. “We’ll return so my children can see their father.”
Nafouz Al-Rabai, another displaced woman in Deir Al-Balah from Al-Shati, along the coast in Gaza City, said the day she walks home will be a “day of joy for us.”
The return stirs bittersweet emotions. Al-Rabai acknowledged it would be painful to absorb the scale of damage to the home and the urban refugee camp she knew and loved. “God knows if I’ll find (my house) standing or not,” she said. “It’s a very bad life.”
Iraqi president calls for more global action on desertification
- Iraq is the world’s fifth most vulnerable country to climate change
DAVOS: Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid has called for more action on desertification, amid global concerns of land degradation that has affected agricultural productivity, caused pollution in waterways and resulted in increased frequency of droughts.
“We attend many conferences, joined many groups for solving desertification but unfortunately the actual achievement has been very little to show for. I appeal to you, once we make decisions for decreasing desertification, let us act on it,” Rashid said on Friday.
Speaking during a World Economic Forum panel “On Firmer Ground with Land Restoration,” the Iraqi leader told participants that land restoration was not just an environmental imperative but also a moral duty.
“In Iraq, we face the consequences of environmental challenges. Nearly 40 percent of our land is affected by desertification, and our water resources essential for agriculture and livelihood are under severe strain. These problems are made worse by climate change, rising temperatures, reduced river flows from our neighboring countries,” the president, a British-educated engineer, said.
Iraq is the world’s fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, and there are grave concerns regarding water and food security, according to the UN.
The depletion of water resources and the spread of desertification are exacerbating Iraq’s problems, leading to conditions including scorching temperatures exceeding 50°C — recorded in 2023 — coupled with water scarcity, desertification and reduced rainfall, the global body said.
Government figures show that desertification has ravaged 71 percent of the nation’s arable land, with an additional 10,000 hectares becoming barren each year. This degradation has reduced the amount of cultivable land to just 1.4 million hectares and has led to a 70 percent decline in agricultural output.
“Iraq is taking bold and good steps to combat these challenges,” according to Rashid, who was the Iraqi minister of water resources from 2003-2010.
One of these steps was the implementation of a 10-year program to combat desertification that prioritizes reforestation, soil preservation and sustainable agricultural practice, Rashid said.
Iraq needs to plant 15 billion trees to combat desertification, establish forests and reduce greenhouse gases, its agriculture ministry said, considering the country’s forest area is only 8,250 sq km, or just 2 percent of its total area.
“We are establishing a buffer zone around our cities to prevent desertification by planting native and drought-resistant vegetation. These efforts are not just environmental but economic. Land restoration is integral to Iraq’s long-term economic plan … (our) development particularly in agriculture, energy and water security,” Rashid said.
“Additionally, we are promoting smart agriculture, diversifying crops, encouraging organic and regenerating farming and mandating sustainable land use practices through legislation,” the Iraqi leader added.
“Sustainable development is key to growth without compromising our environmental health.”
The Iraqi leader also emphasized the need for cross-border cooperation and collaboration with its neighbors — Turkiye and Iran — particularly on water resource matters.
“Iraq is engaged with negotiations in upstream countries including Turkiye and Iran to secure (an) equitable water-sharing agreement for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. These negotiations are essential for the future of our region,” he said.
Turkish and Iranian dams upstream on the shared Tigris and Euphrates rivers are cutting Iraq off from much-needed water relief. It is estimated that Turkiye’s various dam and hydropower construction projects have reduced Iraq’s water supply along the two rivers by 80 percent since 1975.
Meanwhile, Iran’s development push has led to the proliferation of dams, impacting Iraq, to about 647 in 2018 from only 316 in 2012.
“Iraq is working with many international organizations to adopt climate resilient agriculture … gaining access to expertise for funding need to succeed. Ultimately, we know that lasting solutions require local actions; mobilizing communities is at the heart of our strategy,” Rashid said.
UN denounces Israel’s use of ‘war fighting’ methods in West Bank
- ’We are deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank’
GENEVA: The United Nations voiced serious concerns Friday over the Israeli military’s use of force in its raid this week in the West Bank, including methods “developed for war fighting.”
“We are deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. The deadly Israeli operations in recent days raise serious concerns about unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, including methods and means developed for war fighting, in violation of international human rights law, norms and standards applicable to law enforcement operations,” UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told a media briefing in Geneva.
Iranian vice president visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
- The delegation was introduced to the mosque’s history, architecture, distinctive Islamic art, and collection of items representing Islamic civilization
DUBAI: Iran’s Vice President Shina Ansari, along with Reza Ameri, Iranian ambassador to the UAE, visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, state news agency WAM reported on Friday.
Ansari was accompanied by Yousef Al-Obaidli, director-general of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center, during the tour.
The delegation was introduced to the mosque’s history, architecture, distinctive Islamic art, and collection of items representing Islamic civilization.
They also learned about the significant role of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center in promoting Islamic culture, cross-cultural dialogue, and the values of coexistence and tolerance, inspired by the legacy of Sheikh Zayed.
At the end of the visit, Ansari was presented with a piece of art featuring a verse from the Qu’ran in Kufic script, one of the Islamic art styles used in decorating the mosque’s domes, along with a copy of the book “Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: Lights of Peace,” the latest publication from the center.
UAE minister meets Syria’s FM in Davos
DUBAI: The UAE’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Gergawi had a meeting this week with Asaad Al-Shibani, Syria’s foreign affairs minister in the transitional government, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, state news agency WAM reported on Friday.
During the meeting, Al-Gergawi reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to supporting Syria’s independence and sovereignty.
He emphasized the UAE’s support for all efforts to achieve peace, stability, and a dignified future for the nation’s people.
