2023-10-07 21:43:17
The world is observing the clashes that broke out this Saturday, October 7, between Hamas and Israel, with attacks by the Palestinian armed movement at the start of the day and reprisals by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip. The Americans quickly expressed their unwavering support for their Israeli ally, while Egypt and Turkey see themselves more as mediators.
The latest reports show more than 200 deaths on the Israeli side and at least 232 deaths on the Palestinian side, while fighting is still going on in the evening of this October 7. Faced with this outbreak of violence between Hamas and Israel, the international community is reacting. The UN Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting on Sunday. And throughout the day on Saturday, while rockets rained down on both sides, each side was able to count its support.
Washington, « unwavering support » from Israel
A long-time ally of Israel, Washington recalled that its support was “ carved in stone and unshakable “. In a statement, Joe Biden said that “ the United States stands firmly with Israel “, explain Loubna Anaki At New York. The American president denounced the attacks carried out by Hamas and wrote, in a press release, that “ terrorism is unjustifiable “. Later, in a short solemn speech from the White House, the American head of state verbally assured a “ unwavering support » to Israel.
Joe Biden also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to whom he promised “ all the help needed “. Support affirmed a little earlier by the spokesperson for the National Security Council; Adrienne Watson said Washington unequivocally condemns attacks targeting Israeli civilians.
American officials say they are in constant contact with their Israeli counterparts. The American Secretary of Defense wrote that, in the coming days, the Pentagon will ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself. As a reminder, the United States is the primary supplier of military aid to Israel.
Also read: Israel: “We are at war,” says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Egypt increases contacts to ease the crisis
Within the European Union, the Hamas offensive is vigorously condemned. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, condemned attacks under the terrorism in its most despicable form “. Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, denounced the hostage-taking “ appalling » of Israeli civilians and renewed the “ solidarity » of the European Union with Israel. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, “ strongly condemns the terrorist attacks » you Hamas.
Egypt, for its part, adopts a measured attitude. As a traditional mediator between Palestinians and Israelis, she has initiated a series of regional and international contacts to seek to contain the current crisis, says Alexandre Buccianti from Cairo. Egyptian efforts aim, firstly, to stop the escalation of violence and the dangers it poses to civilians. The Egyptian foreign minister contacted the vice-president of the European Commission, as well as his Gulf Arab counterparts.
Other contacts are planned with the Americans, Israel’s main supporters, in order to convince the Jewish state to show restraint. During a telephone conversation between the heads of Egyptian and American diplomacy Sameh Choukri and Antony Blinken, the American Secretary of State underlined “ the urgency of achieving an immediate end to the appalling assault by Hamas terrorists once morest Israel said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Egypt has, moreover and for the same reasons, contacted financial supporters of Hamas such as Qatar. Direct contacts with Iran, which supports Hamas in arms – and which welcomed the “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation – are for the moment excluded, even if a slight rapprochement has been initiated between Cairo and Tehran. Finally, it is estimated, in the Egyptian capital, that the presence of Israeli prisoners in Gaza is a new element which will have to be taken into consideration in mediation.
Also read: Hezbollah and Iran support Hamas following the offensive launched once morest Israel
Saudi Arabia calls for conducting a “ credible peace process »
In Saudi Arabia, the Foreign Ministry called for a “ immediate end to violence between Palestinian factions and Israeli occupying forces “. An a priori temperate reaction on the part of the kingdom compared to some of its Gulf neighbors, but which must be read between the lines, analyzes our regional correspondent, Nicolas Keraudren. Even though Saudi Arabia does not explicitly name Israel, the kingdom reiterated its “ repeated warnings once morest the dangers of an explosion of the situation “. Which he explains by “ the continuation of the occupation, but also the deprivation of the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights and the repetition of provocations once morest the holy places “. Riyadh also called in the same press release to carry out a “ credible peace process » to achieve a two-state solution.
This situation might therefore put on hold a potential normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and the Jewish state. Recently, two Israeli ministers publicly traveled to Riyadh for meetings organized under the auspices of the United Nations. Which was still unthinkable a few months ago.
In the rest of the Gulf, reactions were less intense. Qatar says it holds Israel as sole responsible for the ongoing escalation “. The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with the Jewish state in 2020, are calling for “ to relaunch the Israeli-Arab peace process ».
Russia calls for negotiations to create Palestinian state
Condemn without taking sides: this is Russia’s attitude towards Hamas attacks on Israeli territory, reports Jean-Didier Revoin in Moscow. The Kremlin expressed its very serious concern regarding this escalation while reaffirming its principled position, according to which this conflict, which has lasted for 75 years, has no solution by force and can only be resolved by political means. -diplomatic.
Russian diplomacy therefore calls for an immediate ceasefire and the parties to reestablish a process of negotiations with a view to the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and security with Israel.
For Moscow, this new outbreak of violence stems from the non-implementation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. Russia also accuses the West of blocking the work of the quartet of international mediators for the Middle East, made up of Russia, the United States, the European Union and the UN.
A reality that Russia will face this Sunday, during the extraordinary meeting of the United Nations Security Council which is to take place in New York.
Turkey adopts a precarious balancing act
Turkey, which maintains good relations with Hamas, does not support the offensive once morest Israel led by the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement. Ankara condemns the deaths of civilians and calls on all parties to exercise restraint, reports our correspondent Anne Andlauer in Istanbul.
While the Turkish political class unanimously displays its support for the Palestinians, the initial reaction of the Ankara authorities is that of rather unusual caution. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “ called on all parties to act with restraint » and « refrain from impulsive actions that would increase tensions ».
In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeats these terms and affirms that Ankara “ conducts intensive contacts with relevant parties “. Turkey emphasizes that the violence “ serves no one’s interests » and says to himself “ ready to do what you can » to prevent tensions from increasing and spreading.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan therefore chooses for the moment to pose not as a fervent defender of the Palestinian cause – as he did in the past – but as a possible mediator, since Turkey has recently moved closer to Israel while now maintains close ties with Hamas.
But the attack risks complicating its efforts to develop Turkish-Israeli relations, particularly in the energy sector. Tayyip Erdogan and Benyamin Netanyahu met for the first time in New York in September, and the Israeli Prime Minister was expected in Turkey in the coming months.
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