Latest news with #Sa'ar
Jordan News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Jordan News
Israel: Syrian Regime Engaging in Hostile Acts Against Minorities - Jordan News
Israeli occupation Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated on Wednesday that the Syrian regime is carrying out hostile actions against minority groups. اضافة اعلان In a press statement, Sa'ar said: "We are determined to prevent harm to the Druze community in Syria." He also emphasized that Israel seeks to maintain the current status quo along the Syrian border. Sa'ar stressed that Israel's intervention in Syria to protect the Druze is essential for Israeli security. These remarks come following a recent Israeli military intervention in Syria, under the pretext of protecting the Druze community, after the Syrian army entered Sweida Province, a majority-Druze area, following violent clashes between armed factions in the region.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Israel welcomes EU no response to Gaza, Palestinians are 'shocked'
The EU's recent decision not to act on Israel's war in Gaza is a 'diplomatic feat", Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in reaction, while his Palestinian counterpart, Varsen Aghabekian-Shahin, described it as 'shocking and disappointing'. On Tuesday, the 27 EU foreign ministers agreed to delay taking any action against Israel after examining an exhaustive list of 10 options to respond to Israel's breach of the EU-Israel Association Agreement over its failure to respect Palestinian human rights. The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the EU would keep the options, which included the suspension of visa-free travel and the blocking of imports from the Jewish settlements 'on the table' and 'stand ready to act if Israel does not live up to its pledges'. Following the meeting, Sa'ar wrote on X that his country had achieved 'an important diplomatic feat by managing to push back the obsessive attempts by several European Union countries to impose sanctions on Israel". 'The mere attempt to impose sanctions on a democratic state that is defending itself against attempts to destroy it is outrageous,' Sa'ar wrote. 'I thank our friends in the European Union and their foreign ministers, who supported us and prevented an attack on Israel that would also have been an attack on the European Union itself." By contrast, Aghabekian Shahin expressed disappointment and anger at the EU's inability to sanction a country it had earlier condemned. In May, the EU ordered a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement which later found "indications" that Israel breached its human rights obligations with actions in Gaza, by for example applying stringent conditions to the deliveries of humanitarian aid. 'It's shocking and disappointing, because everything is crystal clear. I mean, there's a new EU report that clearly stated that Israel has been violating ... 38 violations were indicated in that report. And it's an EU report,' Aghabekian Shahin told Euronews in an exclusive interview. 'These violations have been unfolding in front of everybody's eyes. The whole world has been seeing what is happening in Gaza. The killing, the atrocities, the war crimes,' Aghabekian Shahin added. The two also provided different responses to a recent deal struck by the EU with Israel to substantially increase the number of trucks of humanitarian aid including medical food items into Gaza. Sa'ar said his country had complied with the agreement while Aghabekian-Shahin insisted that since the agreement was made, 'we see more killings of people'. Earlier this week, the two ministers were in the same meeting as part of the EU-Southern Neighbourhood ministerial gathering in Brussels which is aimed at deepening the EU's cooperation with Israel as well as nine other southern partners including Syria and Libya. Sa'ar said the two didn't talk to each other, as the Palestinian Authority 'still sponsors terrorism, makes payments for terrorists and terrorist families', he said. It was the first time both sides were represented at high level in Brussels since Hamas October 7th terror attacks and the subsequent Israeli military action in Gaza.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gideon Sa'ar welcomes Syria's participation in EU-Middle East Meeting
"We welcome the participation of the Syrian minister. We will be together in the same meeting. Let's see what will happen," Saar told reporters ahead of Monday's meeting. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Monday that Israel welcomes the participation of Syria in the EU-Middle East meeting in Brussels. "We welcome the participation of the Syrian minister. We will be together in the same meeting. Let's see what will happen," Sa'ar told reporters ahead of Monday's meeting. Sa'ar's announcement on Monday comes two weeks after he said that Israel was interested in establishing official diplomatic relations with Syria, as well as Lebanon. However, the foreign minister specified that regarding Syria, Israel will not negotiate the Golan Heights in any peace agreement. Days before Sa'ar announced Israel's interest in diplomatic ties, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Trump administration is expecting Syria to be one of the next countries to join the Abraham Accords. "The president is certainly hopeful that more countries in the region will sign on to the Abraham Accords," she said. In late May, EU ambassadors reportedly reached an agreement to lift sanctions on Syria. Kaja Kallas, the high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy, had said earlier that she hoped EU foreign ministers would agree in Brussels to lift sanctions, adding that, "we want to ensure that the Syrian people have job opportunities and livelihoods so that the country becomes more stable.' Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.
Euronews
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Exclusive: No intention to control Gaza long term, Israeli FM says
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Monday that his country doesn't have "any intention" of controlling the Gaza Strip long term. "We don't have any intention to do so," Sa'ar said in an exclusive interview with Euronews. "With regard to the Gaza Strip, we have only security concerns." Sa'ar's comments seem to contradict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who in May said Israel would take control of all of Gaza after the war ends. "We [will] implement (President) Trump's plan, it is a good plan and makes a difference and it means something very simple, that the residents of Gaza who want to leave can leave," Netanyahu said, referring to a proposal floated by Trump of resettling all of Gaza's population in other countries. But Sa'ar added that the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which currently controls the enclave, "cannot be part of the future of Gaza." "If Hamas is ready to lay down its arms, if they are ready to demilitarise the Gaza Strip, we can do it in a political path." Sa'ar also slammed as "ridiculous" criticism from some Western countries that Israel's military operation in Gaza has been disproportionate. "What would you say about the Western attack against ISIS that destroyed ISIS? Was it proportionate?," he asked, referring to the so-called Islamic state that once ruled large parts of Syria and Iraq. Talking about the 7 October 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel that prompted the retaliatory military operation in Gaza, he said: "Israel should agree to the existence of this terrorist state, one mile from its communities, what its proportions are in this case? These terrorist states should be eliminated as a state." Around 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, were killed in that attack and 250 others taken as hostages back to Gaza, of which 20 are believed to still be alive. The Hamas-run health ministry says more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent Israeli military operation. A US-sponsored 60-day ceasefire deal for Gaza which would see Hamas free the remaining hostages has so far failed to materialise. Israel has indicated it would be willing to end all hostilities if Hamas surrendered its weapons and renounced governing Gaza. Sa'ar is in Brussels to participate in the EU-Southern Neighbourhood ministerial meeting, a gathering aimed at deepening EU cooperation with Israel as well as nine other southern partners, including Palestine, Syria and Libya. It is the first time that Israel and Palestine will be represented at a high level in Brussels since the war in Gaza started. Both sides have indicated there is no plan to meet. Direct negotiations between the Palestinian Authority, the government of the West Bank, and Israel have been at a standstill for more than a decade with many observers questioning the feasibility of a two-state solution. Sa'ar's visit also coincides with a meeting of the 27 EU foreign ministers on Tuesday, which is aimed at discussing an exhaustive list of 10 possibilities for the EU to respond to Israel's breach of the EU-Israel Association Agreement over its failure to respect Palestinian human rights. It also takes place a few days after a recent agreement brokered by the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas to improve the flow of aid to Gaza. Sa'ar defended the agreement with Kallas, saying there had already been fuel entering humanitarian facilities like hospitals or water installation in Gaza. "But the only restriction or the only problem we have here is that Hamas cannot take advantage of the aid as they did during the last 21 months," he said. In its last humanitarian update on 9 July, the UN estimated that one third of Gazans are going entire days without eating and more people are at risk of starvation. Health services face an imminent shutdown due to a lack of fuel. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of confiscating aid destined for civilians. The minister also called the EU's list of options in retaliation for Israel's breach of the EU-Israel Association Agreement "extremely distorted." Those options include suspending visa free travel and blocking imports from Jewish settlements, according to a document issued by Kallas' office seen by Euronews. "Even though we thought this process is not fair, it is extremely distorted, we gave answers and we brought facts," Sa'ar said. "I hope that also tomorrow, those member states that think it's not in the interest of the EU to go against Israel will prevail."
Mint
10-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Israel Reaches Agreement With EU to Allow More Aid Into Gaza
The European Union reached an agreement with Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. 'We have achieved an agreement on very concrete terms: how many trucks will get in, how many crossings will be opened, distribution points so that people would receive help, water distribution,' Kaja Kallas, the bloc's top diplomat, told Bloomberg TV in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. The war in Gaza has lasted more than 21 months, devastating the Palestinian territory and destabilizing the wider Middle East. The humanitarian crisis has led to criticism of Israel even from traditionally staunch allies such as Germany and spurred the EU to push the Israeli government to increase flows of food and medicine going into Gaza. The EU-Israel deal is the outcome of negotiations between Kallas and her Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar, an EU spokesperson told reporters, adding that the measures would be implemented in the coming days. 'We really need to see also this agreement put in practice,' Kallas said. 'I'm glad to hear that already today there were improvements like fuel getting to hospitals and the situation being a bit improved.' The EU recently assessed that Israel breached the human rights clause of its trade agreement with the bloc. Brussels may propose some economic measures against Israel in response, though they're unlikely to be significant, according to officials with knowledge of the matter. US President Donald Trump said negotiators were 'very close' to securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, though that was played down by a senior Israeli official who asked not to be named. The official, speaking on Wednesday, indicated a truce could be agreed to in a week or two but may not mean a de facto end to the war. 'Israel is serious in its will to achieve a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, and I believe it's achievable,' Sa'ar told reporters in Vienna on Thursday. 'If the temporary cease fire will be achieved, we will negotiate on a permanent cease fire.' The EU deal will reopen several aid routes into Gaza through Egypt, according to a statement published by the bloc. Several other crossing points are expected to resume in the northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip that border Israel. Bakeries and public kitchens will also be allowed to distribute food, according to the statement. Fuel deliveries for humanitarian facilities should also resume. The EU said it stands ready to coordinate with United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations. 'Following our dialog with the EU, our security council made further decisions last Sunday to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza,' said Sa'ar. 'They include more trucks, more crossings and more routes for the humanitarian efforts.' Germany foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, speaking alongside Sa'ar, expressed concern about 'the hunger and death in Gaza, that people are being killed while trying to access aid.' Israel suspended aid flows into Gaza from March until late May, saying that Hamas was stealing it to bolster its war effort. As international criticism increased, Israel allowed a new organization, backed by the US and called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to begin distributing supplies. The new system's been dogged by controversy, with the UN and others saying nowhere near enough aid is getting to Gaza's roughly 2 million people. More than 57,000 have been killed since the war began in October 2023, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Palestinian territory. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and EU, triggered the conflict when it attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 250. Of those, 50 hostages are still in Gaza, with roughly 20 thought by Israel to be alive. Separately, Kallas told Bloomberg TV the EU may reconsider the tens of millions of dollars in aid it provides to Laos if the Southeast Asian nation is found to be assisting Russia in its war against Ukraine. Ukraine's military intelligence has accused Moscow of requesting up to 50 Lao military engineers for mine clearance in Russia's Kursk region, under the guise of humanitarian work. Lao officials have denied the allegations, according to local media. With assistance from Dan Williams, Marton Eder and Philip J. Heijmans. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
