Blinken said the United States has told the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham it wants Syria’s government to respect the rights of women and minorities and be intolerant of terrorist groups in the country. The United States considers HTS a terrorist organization but has signaled it would recognize a future Syrian government under certain conditions.
Jordan hosted eight Arab foreign ministers Saturday plus Blinken to discuss Syria’s political transition.
Safadi also condemned recent Israeli airstrikes on Syria. In the week since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, Israel launched hundreds of strikes on Syrian territory destroying weapons stores, but also targeting communications equipment and government buildings in the capital Damascus. “Unless Israel respects and observes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, they will add fuel to the fire,” Safadi said. “It will undermine the stability of the entire region.”
Here’s what else to know:
- The “moment is ripe” for a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of hostages, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview Friday with Israel’s Channel 13. He argued that Hamas began “getting much more serious” about negotiations after a ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon in late November, and said the militant group had also seen the fall of Assad and Iran “weakened and distracted.”
- The Palestinian Authority launched a major security operation in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, a spokesperson for its security forces said in a statement. Reuters news agency reported that at least one person was killed during clashes between militants and PA security forces in the city of Jenin.
- A Dutch court rejected a request from 10 pro-Palestinian groups to halt the Dutch government’s export of military goods to Israel. The court said the government “in principle has assessment and policy leeway.”
- The European Commission, the European Union’s executive branch, said Friday it would transport close to 100 metric tons of humanitarian aid supplies to Syria and mobilize about $4.2 million “to ensure critical aid is provided swiftly.”
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Other Middle East leaders wait with an eye on their own countries…
The renewed revolutionary fervor, in a region still ruled by autocrats, has unsettled Arab leaders, many of whom had recently resumed ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The leaders — from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — are worried that Assad’s ouster could stir unrest at home, say analysts, officials and diplomats. They are also concerned that Syria could plunge into chaos and are watching warily as Islamist rebels, led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, gain power in Damascus….
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