https://arab.news/ysfmp
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday praised the thwarting of what he said was an Iranian attack against Israeli targets in Cyprus.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office did not give any more details, but Israeli news website Ynet, without disclosing its sources, said an attack had been planned against Israelis staying in the city of Limassol.
Cyprus declined to comment on whether an attack had been foiled.
“Israel welcomes the foiling of the Iranian terrorist attack in the territory of Cyprus against Israeli targets,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“Israel operates everywhere in a wide variety of methods in order to protect Jews and Israelis and will continue to act to sever Iranian terrorism wherever it raises its head, including on Iranian soil,” the statement said.
Asked about the Israeli statement, Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said: “We cannot comment on issues regarding national security.”
In 2021, Israel accused Iran of orchestrating an attempted attack against Israelis in Cyprus after police on the Mediterranean island said an armed individual had been arrested. Iran denied the accusation.
AMMAN: Jordan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday discussed with his British counterpart James Cleverly ways of boosting cooperation between the two countries, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The ministers spoke of their shared desire to broaden cooperation in the areas of economics, trade, tourism, investment, and the military, as well as continuing their countries’ efforts to resolve regional conflicts and achieve security and stability.
They also focused on efforts to stop the escalation of the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and progress toward achieving a just and lasting peace.
Safadi reaffirmed during the call that the only way to achieve peace was through a two-state solution, emphasizing the importance of halting illegal Israeli actions that undermined the prospects of such an eventuality.
Safadi and Cleverly discussed efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis and find the necessary conditions for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their country.
Safadi looked at the challenges Jordan faces as a country for Syrian refugees owing to diminishing international aid, and said that the burden of refugees was a worldwide obligation, not solely the responsibility of host countries. He praised his British counterpart for the UK’s ongoing support for Jordan’s development projects and help in response to regional crises.
Cleverly gave his appreciation of Jordan’s role as a key regional partner in efforts to strengthen security, peace, and stability.
Leaders of Russia and the United Arab Emirates held a phone call, the Kremlin and UAE’s state news agency said on Monday.
According to the Kremlin, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahayan was interested in hearing an assessment of the situation in Russia in connection with the Wagner group mutiny on June 24.
“Having received comprehensive information, the Emirati leader declared full support for the actions of the Russian leadership.”
UAE’s state news agency WAM said both leaders discussed bilateral relations and reaffirmed the need to preserve the stability of Russia and the safety of its people.
CHICAGO: The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee on Monday urged President Joe Biden to launch a criminal investigation into any American who participated in the wave of violent attacks that took place this past week against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
The ADC’s call followed an Arab News article detailing how Illinois State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid found himself in the middle of a wave of violence by Israeli settlers — many of whom are American citizens — last week in the West Bank village of Turmosaya, where his parents and family live.
Armed settlers, supported by Israeli soldiers, have rampaged through Turmosaya, which is located 25 miles north of Jerusalem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
One resident was shot dead and many others wounded as settlers set fire to cars, homes and olive farms.
ADC President Abed Ayoub said the organization “has demanded that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Attorney General Merrick Garland immediately investigate possible criminal involvement of US citizens in the recent violence targeting Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank.”
Since June 21, settler mobs have been terrorizing Palestinian villages in the West Bank daily, Ayoub added.
“They have destroyed homes, burned vehicles, and killed at least one Palestinian. For decades US citizens have moved to Israeli settlements, where they engage in violence against Palestinians, all with impunity.
“Many of these US citizens also take advantage of American non-profit tax laws to fund settlements and violence against Palestinians,” he said.
“We have strong reason to believe that American citizens are among the perpetrators of the most recent brutal and violent attacks. These US citizens are participating in the terrorizing of Palestinians and other US citizens.
“They must be held accountable for their actions, and the US must take measures to ensure that these individuals are brought to justice for what they have done.”
Rashid told Arab News: “I had to have the conversation with my kids that every Palestinian parent has — that the Israeli government doesn’t believe we deserve equal rights, that we have to be especially careful because we can be hurt or even killed with no accountability or consequences.”
The violence has been taking place for several months throughout the West Bank, resulting in the killing of nearly 200 Palestinians and some 40 Israelis.
Ayoub said ADC officials are seeking a meeting with the Department of State and Department of Justice to discuss what steps the US government is taking to protect its citizens.
“It is unconscionable that American families and elected officials are under attack by Israeli settler gangs that are given cover and outright protection by the Israeli government and its armed forces,” he added.
“The ADC expresses concern for the safety of Arab, Palestinian and Muslim Americans … and seeks assurances from the federal government that our communities would be protected.”
Ayoub told Arab News that the ADC has attorneys on the ground in the West Bank seeking to document evidence of settler violence.
Rashid sent a letter to his colleagues in the Illinois State General Assembly urging them to take action and be aware of what is happening on the ground.
“I was in the nearby city of Ramallah on Wednesday, June 21 running errands when I got a frantic call from my mom,” he wrote.
“She said the village was under attack by a mob of armed Israeli settlers. As we spoke, my phone was inundated with videos and pictures of the live attack.
“I got off the phone and began contacting the US embassy, the State Department and others. I felt incredibly guilty that I could not be there to help protect my parents.
“It soon became clear that hundreds of Israeli settlers invaded the village, torched dozens of homes and cars, burned agricultural land, and injured many villagers.
“One young man, Omar Quttain, was killed. His wife is an American citizen and they have two children.”
Rashid added: “The next day, Thursday, I’ll never forget the feeling I got when I saw a text message saying settlers were back — this time in my neighborhood.
“Within moments, I saw people running in the streets. One man was sprinting to each house yelling, ‘flee your homes!’
“Then the gunshots started and we knew we needed to stay inside. I ran outside yelling for my family to get inside.”
Rashid said he and his family “barricaded doors, closed windows, and started making a safety plan” as the settler violence escalated.
“My seven-year-old daughter held on to me tight and asked, crying: ‘What do we do if we get shot?’ I truly did not know during this period whether we would be killed.
“My eleven-year-old nephew was playing with his cousins down the street. My sister-in-law was hysterical. We had to stop her from running in that direction because she could be in the line of fire.”
State Department officials declined to respond to Arab News requests for comment.
CAIRO: Sudan’s RSF paramilitary commander announced on Monday a unilateral truce during Muslims’ Eid al Adha.
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, said in an audio recording aired on Al Arabiya TV the truce will be effective on Tuesday and Wednesday.
TEHRAN: Iran said on Monday it was hoping indirect talks with the US could lead to a “positive” outcome for a prisoner swap.
Iran announced earlier this month that it was engaged in Oman-mediated talks with the US over its nuclear deal and a possible prisoner exchange.
“We are negotiating for the release of Iranian citizens through parties who play a role in good faith,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said on Monday.
“We have to see if the American government is ready to make a final decision in this regard,” he told reporters, adding that Tehran hoped “to witness such a positive event.”
At least three Iranian-Americans are being held in Iran, including businessman Siamak Namazi, arrested in October 2015 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.
The other two are venture capitalist Emad Sharqi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on spying charges, and Morad Tahbaz, who also holds British nationality, and was jailed for 10 years for “conspiring with America.”
In the past two months, Iran released six European citizens and recovered an Iranian diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, who was convicted of terrorism and imprisoned in Belgium.
Kanani’s comment came following media reports that Washington and Tehran were close to an interim deal to replace the 2015 nuclear accord.
The two sides have denied these reports.
Known as the JCPOA, the accord granted Iran much-needed sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear deal before it collapsed in 2018 after Washington unilateral pullout.
In recent days, the two capitals have denied media reports that they were close to reaching an interim deal to replace the 2015 accord.
Efforts to revive the accord have so far failed to yield results.
Stop-start talks that began in April last year to restore the nuclear deal have yet to bear fruit.
Tehran and Washington cut diplomatic ties in 1980.