US blocks UNSC rebuke of Israeli crimes
The United States prevented the UN Security Council from issuing a statement against the crimes of the Zionist regime during Wednesday emergency meeting.
Erdogan: International community needs to stop Israel
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday discussed the recent Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people, Daily Sabah has reported.
Erdoğan stated that Turkey voiced its strong opposition to the Israeli regime’s attacks on Jerusalem al-Quds, Gaza, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Palestinians and that the international community needed to stop Israel and teach it a stern lesson.
Erdoğan added that the intervention of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) before tensions escalate further is vital and that the council must issue a clear and decisive statement regarding Israel.
Saying that sending international peacekeeping forces to protect Palestinians is an issue that has to be considered, Erdoğan said that he believed Turkey and Russia would display close cooperation in the UN in this regard.
Iraqi President calls for joint practical action in support of Palestine
In a telephone call with the head of the Palestinian Authority, the Iraqi president stressed the need for joint practical action to end the suffering of the Palestinian people and protect their rights.
During the phone call, the Iraqi president stressed the need to stop provocative actions and targeting Palestinian citizens that are in violation of human rights and international law.
Pakistan
Pakistan demonstrators burn Israeli flags
The supporters of Palestine and the Resistance Front held a rally in the Pakistani capital on Wednesday, during which the protesters burned the flag of the fake regime of Israel and condemned the Zionist occupation forces' attacks on Gaza.
Protesters chanted “Death to Zionist regime and the United States”, and called for liberation of Palestine and declared their support for the Palestinian resistance.
Similar rallies were also held in Karachi.
Pakistan is scheduled to declare this Friday, which is Eid al-Fitr, as "Palestine Day" to express its support for the Palestinian people and condemn the Israeli aggression.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed Pakistan’s solidarity with Palestine and Gaza in a post on his Twitter account.
The ICC reaction
According to New York Times, the International Criminal Court’s main prosecutor said on Wednesday that she was closely watching Israel and Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, for potential new war crimes in the current conflict.
“I note with great concern the escalation of violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as in and around Gaza, and the possible commission of crimes under the Rome Statute,” the prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in a statement. She was referring to the court’s statute on crimes against humanity and war crimes.
People throughout the world condemned the Israeli atrocities
Demonstrations are held across the world to condemn the Israeli regime's crimes against Palestinians amid a new round of escalation of a conflict between the resistance forces in Gaza and the Israeli military.
Thousands of people in New York, London, Karachi, Istanbul and other cities across the world gathered to protest against Israeli attacks on Gaza and the regime’s use of force against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to the Press TV website.
Protesters in big cities and on social media alike carried banners and used hashtags such as “Free Palestine” and “Gaza under Attack” to condemn Israeli atrocities.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the Israeli regime’s attacks against Palestinians and renewed its pledge to support the Palestinian people.
The Arab Parliament is also slated to hold an emergency meeting hosted by the UAE on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Jerusalem al-Quds and al-Aqsa Mosque.
Representatives of Arab parliaments will give speeches during the virtual meeting.
US reiterates support for the Israeli regime
As the world awakens to the Israeli regime’s acts of savagery, Washington has sustained its full support for Israel, condemning Palestinians defending their land in an asymmetrical war waged by the regime in Tel Aviv.
According to Press TV, in a tweet on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to the exchange of fire, saying he spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, about the “ongoing situation in Israel including rocket fire emanating from the Gaza Strip.”
Blinken, however, failed to condemn the Israeli airstrikes targeting civilians in Gaza.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price underlined Israel’s “right to defend itself” and called on Israelis and Palestinians to exercise restraint in order to reach a state of calm.
“Israel has the right to defend itself and to respond to rocket attacks,” Price said at the beginning of a press briefing on Tuesday.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan conveyed US President Joe Biden’s “unwavering support for Israel’s security and for its legitimate right to defend itself and its people, while protecting civilians”, during a conversation with his Israeli counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat.
As expected, White House press secretary Jen Psaki also condemned the “ongoing rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups” and called for de-escalation.
Meanwhile, US congresswomen Rashida Talib and Ilhan Omar – among others – have voiced their concern over Israel’s use of force against Palestinians and the regime’s heavy bombardment of Gaza.
Iran slams US for shielding Israel
Top officials in Iran have also strongly condemned the Israeli regime’s continuous acts of aggression, while also hinting at the regime’s desperation in the face of Palestinian people’s resistance.
Iranian Ambassador to the UN Majid Takht Ravanchi said the “racist nature” of the Apartheid regime amounts to continued injustice.
He railed against the United States for shielding Israel at the UN and urging the UN Security Council to not remain indifferent to the atrocities.
Iran’s chief security official, Ali Shamkhani, likened Israel’s so-called Iron Dome to a spider’s web that collapsed as soon as the Palestinian resistance groups fired their rockets at the regime.
United Nations
Meanwhile, the UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland warned of a “full-scale war,” urging both sides to work for de-escalation.
Furthermore, the United Nations Security Council will meet for the second time in 3 days on news escalating the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
The first UNSC meeting ended on Monday without a result due to US opposition to a final statement.
Washington has claimed that a final statement could hamper efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Iraq
Iraq Iraqi top Shia cleric declared firm support for Palestinians. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in a statement on Wednesday emphasized firm support for the Palestinian nation against occupying regime of Israel.
The Iraqi president and Saudi Arabia's deputy defense minister met in Baghdad to discuss the latest developments in the region.
Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Al-Fatah faction in Iraqi Parliament, who is the head and secretary general of the Badr Organization said in a meeting with the Palestinian ambassador to Iraq that the Palestinian resistance have made progress from “stone throwing” to “rocket launching.”
According to Al-Ayyam News Network Al-Amiri also said that that the time of bullying for the Zionist regime is over, adding that the resistance is the solution of brave people.
The Iraqi official also called on the Arab states to join freedom-seeking nations and not be fooled by the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime.
The Palestinian ambassador for his part, expressed appreciation to Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani and the Iraqi Shiite Marja for their support for the Palestinians.
Hamas
The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas has said that it is ready for a war if the Israeli regime seeks escalation.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said that the group told mediators it is “ready” if Israel increases its attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip.
“If they (Israel) want to escalate, the resistance is ready; and if they want to stop, the resistance is ready,” Haniya, who currently lives outside the strip, said in a televised address late on Tuesday, according to al-Jazeera
Meanwhile, Khaled Mashal, one of the Hamas leaders described the current conflict between the Palestinian resistance and the Zionist regime as a real Intifada, adding that the Zionist regime will be wiped out.
Russia expresses concern
Russia called for restraint as the conflict between the Palestinians and the Zionist regime escalated.
The Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday that Moscow was deeply concerned about the escalated conflict between Palestinians and Israel and called for restraint.
She also condemned the attacks on civilians.
Turkey slams US for calling Israeli attacks "self defense"
Turkey’s communications director criticized the US early Wednesday for considering Israeli attacks on Palestinians self-defense.
"Massacring civilians. Forcing Palestinians to leave their homes and occupying their lands. Attacking mosques. Murdering innocent children. Since when are all those atrocities considered self-defense?" Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter, according to Anadolu news agency.
UK calls for restraint
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday called for Israel and Palestinians to step back from the brink and for both sides to show restraint.
“The UK is deeply concerned by the growing violence and civilian casualties and we want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions,” Johnson said on Twitter, according to Reuters.
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