Latest news with #regionalpeace
Arab News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan condemns Israel's ongoing military actions against Syria
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has condemned Israel's ongoing military actions in Syria, calling them 'dangerous and deliberately destabilizing,' state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Friday. Israel has ramped up airstrikes over the past week against military and strategic sites in Damascus and southern Syria. According to Syrian and regional monitoring groups, these strikes have resulted in civilian casualties and extensive infrastructure damage. The intensifying campaign has prompted rebukes from Syria's government and other UN Security Council members. 'Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad called for the immediate cessation of all violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity,' Radio Pakistan reported after he addressed a national statement during the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in Syria, Violence in Syria pitting the Islamist-led government against members of the Druze community has put a spotlight on the small but influential minority. Straddling Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Druze occupy a special niche in the region's complex politics. Israel has cited protecting the Druze as a reason for attacking Syrian government forces this week. Ahmad described the strikes as 'repeated violations' that 'must be unequivocally condemned,' warning that they threatened regional peace . Israel bombed Syria frequently when President Bashar Assad was in power, seeking to roll back the influence established by Iran and Iran-backed groups that were deployed there to help him fight rebels. Israel has painted the new Syrian government as a jihadist threat, saying it won't allow it to deploy forces into southern Syria. Israel has said it wants to avoid any hostile build-up at its border, whilst also vowing to protect the Druze minority. Israeli troops have also seized Syrian territory adjoining the occupied Golan Heights since December. Syria's interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Thursday said Israel was promoting division among Syrians, accusing it of seeking to 'dismantle the unity of our people,' saying it had 'consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime' in December. With inputs from Reuters
National Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
Adam Zivo: Little love for Iran in the West Bank
As the Iran-Israel war raged last month, I visited Bethlehem in the West Bank, on behalf of the News Forum, to better understand how Palestinians coped with the conflict, which is now in a ceasefire. There, I spoke with several locals who, despite being deeply critical of Israel, called for regional peace and harboured little love for the Iranian regime. Perhaps the world would be a better place if more people — particularly anti-Israel activists in the West — listened to these voices. Article content Article content While Bethlehem is normally only a 20-minute bus ride away from Jerusalem, Israeli security forces locked down the West Bank at the beginning of the war with Iran. Checkpoints proliferated. Gates were closed. The city's main entrance (heavy iron doors flanked by armed soldiers) was shut on the morning of my visit, as were most of the inbound roads. Yet, after several failures, my taxi eventually found an open entry. Article content Article content Article content In more peaceful times, over 2.5 million tourists would come to Bethlehem each year, primarily to see the Church of the Nativity where Jesus Christ was born. But the October 7 massacre committed by Hamas in southern Israel, followed by the wars in Gaza and against Hezbollah, decimated Israel's tourism sector, leaving the West Bank bereft of visitors. Many of the city's districts were essentially empty — only thick quiet existed amid shuttered storefronts. 'Since the war against Gaza, the situation was horrible. We are isolated,' Jack Jackaman, a Christian Palestinian who owned a small woodworking shop near the church told me. He said that Israel's stricter use of gates and checkpoints made it near-impossible for Palestinians to travel within the West Bank. These restrictions had, furthermore, precipitated a fuel crisis: lines of cars jammed the roads near gas stations, awaiting their rations. Article content Article content 'We are not secure. No income. The family completely without income. My workers — everybody is not safe. We have nothing. No secure future,' he said. Article content Article content Although Jackaman blamed Israel for the war with Iran, he also believed that the Iranian regime is irrational and that neither Tehran nor Tel Aviv should have nuclear weapons. He was afraid of Iran's missiles, because, even if they were aimed at Israeli cities, they still flew over the West Bank and could malfunction and land on Palestinian communities. Article content While Jackaman believed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a warmonger, he considered Judaism a 'normal religion' that calls for 'peace and love,' much like Christianity and Islam. 'As Christians, we have to follow the teaching of our Jesus and to pray for peace and try not to make war. The war will not achieve peace,' he said. Article content Joseph Kaleel, an elderly Christian Palestinian woodworker, felt similarly: 'We just keep praying for peace of Jerusalem. For everyone. For everybody. Doesn't matter your religion, your race, your colour, your country. We want peace.' He had once employed half a dozen labourers at his workshop, but the tourism industry's wartime collapse had forced him to lay them all off. He sold his tools just to survive. The basement that once housed them was derelict and coated in dust. Article content When the Iran war erupted, Kaleel ran to the grocery store to buy food for his children and oil for his car. He sat in front of the television for the first few days, sleeplessly watching Al Jazeera 'from the morning till the morning,' and worried about errant Iranian missiles: 'They don't have eyes. They make mistakes.' Article content While Kaleel believed that the Iranian people are peaceful, he called their regime 'very crazy' but 'very strong.' He worried that hostilities could drag on, given that the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s had lasted for eight years. Article content When I told him that some Westerners glorify Iran's Islamic Regime because they believe this furthers the Palestinian cause, he seemed irritated. 'This is wrong. Brother, this is wrong,' he replied. He believed that Iran should abandon its militancy, not seek regional hegemony, and that this would stabilize the Middle East by neutralizing Tehran's proxies in Yemen and Lebanon (the Houthis and Hezbollah). Article content Kaleel's grandson Michael, who also worked in the family business, concurred with his grandfather: 'We need peace. We don't care about Iran and what they do.' Over a cup of mint tea, he described the unemployment and destitution that had befallen Bethlehem after October 7 which worsened amid the newest war. These troubles had left some locals, particularly orphans and widows, crushed 'like the grass between two elephants fighting.' Article content He said that an Iranian missile had recently landed near his home, shaking its walls. Yet, like most Palestinians in the West Bank, he had no bomb shelter to retreat to, so all he could do was pray to God for safety. 'You can't say Palestinian and Iran are the same. We are never the same,' he firmly asserted, noting that Iran had supported the 'bad' and 'crazy' people behind October 7. Article content In Aida Refugee Camp (which consists of run down low-rise apartments, not tents), I spoke with a Muslim vendor of ice cream and juice. He had once made a good income working in Israel, like many Palestinian labourers, but now, with the wars, that was no longer possible. Article content Article content 'All we ask for is to live in peace, raise our children, and live a dignified life. People have reached the point of despair. In mosques, the number of people begging is now greater than the number of people praying,' he said. 'It's a heartbreaking situation.' He, too, feared Iran's rockets: 'They don't distinguish between civilians and soldiers. Palestinians or Israelis. In the end, everyone loses in war.' Article content Ahmed Al-Sabba, another street vendor, was similarly anxious. His children couldn't sleep out of fear of Iran's missiles, whose explosions sounded 'terrifying,' so he would stay awake with them until the morning. 'We do not support Iran, or the Iranian government, or sectarianism or wars.' Article content He said that, though Israel's restrictions had made life much harder, he nonetheless wanted coexistence: 'We see what is happening in Gaza, we don't want to see it happen in the West Bank. Wars only grow bigger and destroy relationships. Our message is simple: we want to live in peace. We don't want wars.' Article content The following week, after the Israel-Iran war abruptly ended, I visited a Palestinian peace activist in his village near Bethlehem (disclosure: I paid him to act as my guide and translator on the previous trip; his name has been withheld for his safety). Sitting in his living room, he explained that it is unproductive for Westerners to conflate Palestinian and Iranian interests, partially because each nation belongs to a different branch of Islam. Article content Iranians are predominantly Shias. Palestinians are predominantly Sunnis. Historically, there has been a great deal of violence between these two sects, so, according to the peace activist, some Palestinians fear that they could be Iran's 'next target' should it defeat and occupy Israel. Article content Nonetheless, many of his neighbours climbed onto their roofs to watch the Iranian attacks. Some were curious spectators. Others wanted to witness the destruction of Israel, despite their misgivings about Iran. And then there were the parents 'who wanted to see if any missile was heading to their home so they could just collect their kids and say their final goodbyes.' Article content
Arab News
15-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
China's Xi, Pakistan's Dar pledge unity as SCO faces regional strains
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday highlighted his country's commitment to strengthening ties with China and reaffirmed a shared vision for regional peace and development during an interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the joint call of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers in Beijing. The interaction took place on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting, a key diplomatic gathering aimed at preparing the groundwork for the upcoming SCO Leaders' Summit later this year. The CFM convened to review progress on multilateral cooperation and set the agenda for endorsement by heads of state. 'Delighted to meet earlier today with President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing,' Dar said in a post on social media platform X. 'Conveyed the warm greetings of the leadership, government and people of Pakistan. As iron-clad brothers and All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners, we remain committed to deepening Pak-China enduring friendship and advancing shared regional goals.' Islamabad and Beijing are long-time allies and have been jointly working on multibillion-dollar infrastructure, energy and connectivity initiatives under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative. The corridor provides China direct access to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan's Gwadar port, while enabling Pakistan to modernize its infrastructure and strengthen regional trade links. The foreign office of Pakistan said in a statement released earlier today that President Xi emphasized the importance of regional cooperation under the SCO framework, an organization spanning the Eurasian landmass and representing a significant portion of the global population. Also present at the conference was India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The CFM conference comes nearly two months after a tense four-day military standoff between Pakistan and India, during which both sides exchanged missiles, drones and artillery fire before agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire.
Times of Oman
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
India can play enhanced role for peace, stability in West Asia: Iranian envoy
New Delhi: Iran's Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, on Wednesday urged India to play a more significant role in promoting regional peace. He made the remarks on the sidelines of the event, 'Voices of Conscience: A solidarity gathering for Palestine'. Speaking with ANI, Ambassador Elahi said India can play an enhanced role in the peace and stability of the region. "India as a big country, can play a more efficient role for the peace and stability of the region. We believe that there is a grand strategy from the US and Israel. They are going to change the maps of the region by different actions and plans. Any changes in the region, will not be for the benefit of the whole region. We believe that all countries have influence and potential and should do their best to keep the peace and stability of the region," he said. He also referred to Chabahar port, a collaborative project between the two countries. "Chabahar was active and operative during the war. The rate of transit from Chabahar is increasing yearly... Chabahar will be connected to the national railway network in the coming months," he said, underscoring its role as the "shortest, cheapest, and safest route" to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Eurasia. India has undertaken to develop the Shahid Beheshti Port at Chabahar, Iran, by equipping and operating General Cargo and Container Terminal for a period of 10 years, as per the Long Term Main Contract from May 13, 2024. The Iranian Envoy also talked about his country's conflict with Israel. "Iran did not request for any ceasefire. If you review the Iranian strike and the Iranian military operation to defend itself, the trend was increasing... We were ready to continue the war and defend ourselves. When they stopped their aggression, we also stopped our retaliation," he said. Iraj Elahi accused Israel of "breaking ceasefires". "Israel has broken the ceasefire in Gaza, and in Lebanon too many times.... This is why we are cautious and ready for any scenario," he said. Elahi also criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the US and his nomination of former US President Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize, calling it a "misuse of peace and stability." "The international community will not accept this propaganda... Netanyahu cannot do genocide in Gaza without the support of the US." He also talked of Iran suspending cooperation with IAEA. "The public opinion of Iran is not satisfied with what they have witnessed from IAEA... Iranian Parliament has passed a bill to stop any cooperation with IAEA," he said. Reaffirming Iran's support for the Palestinian cause, the envoy described the situation in Gaza as a "shameful". "The ongoing genocide in Gaza is shameful for all human beings. It is difficult and expressing grief is not enough. Those countries who have good influence and good relations with Israel should convince Netanyahu to stop this genocide," he said.
Reuters
09-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Top Turkish officials to visit Pakistan Wednesday, source says
ANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - Turkey's foreign and defence ministers will visit Pakistan on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss bilateral ties, regional issues, and defence industry cooperation, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Tuesday. Turkey has strong ties with Pakistan and expressed solidarity with it during its military conflict with India in May, angering India. During the visit, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will express Turkey's desire to deepen ties in every field and offer Ankara's support in taking steps toward regional peace, the source said. Fidan will stress the countries "need to strengthen their cooperation in the defence industry," the source said. Ankara also has cordial ties with India, but after its support for Pakistan, small Indian grocery shops and major online fashion retailers boycotted Turkish products, while New Delhi also cancelled Turkey-based aviation service provider Celebi ( opens new tab clearance over "national security" reasons.
