UAE foreign minister presses Palestinian cause during meeting with Israeli counterpart

DAMASCUS: A Syrian-Israeli ministerial meeting is set to take place on Thursday in Baku to discuss security matters in southern Syria, a diplomat told AFP.

The meeting between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer follows a similar meeting between the two ministers in Paris last week.

It will take place after an unprecedented visit by Shaibani to Moscow on Thursday, added the diplomat, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Russia was a key backer of former President Bashar Assad, overthrown in December.

Israel and Syria have technically been at war since 1948.

The meeting in Baku will focus on “the security situation, particularly in southern Syria.”

The Paris meeting focused mainly on “recent security developments and attempts to contain the escalation in southern Syria,” according to Syrian state television.

It came after deadly clashes in southern Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida province which killed hundreds of people.

The clashes initially pitted local Druze fighters against Bedouin tribes but soon saw the involvement of Syrian government forces and Israel, with the latter saying it wanted to protect the Druze.

Israel struck the Syrian presidential palace and the army headquarters in Damascus.

The United States, an ally of Israel that has also expressed support for Syria’s authorities, announced a ceasefire between the two sides overnight on July 18.

Before the violence in Sweida, Syrian and Israeli officials had met in Baku on July 12.

Russian bases in Syria

Israel has occupied Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967, annexing it in 1981 in a move not recognized by the international community.

The two signed a disengagement agreement a year after the 1973 war, establishing a UN-patrolled buffer zone between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

Since the fall of Assad, Israel deployed its troops to the buffer zone and has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria.

Damascus admitted to holding indirect talks with Israel to reduce escalations.

The diplomat said Shaibani will head on Thursday to the Russian capital, where Assad sought refuge, and will meet with Russian officials to discuss several issues, including Russian military bases in Syria, to negotiate “the terms of the bases’ continued existence and operating rights.”

Moscow wishes to keep its naval base in Tartus and its air base in Hmeimim.

It faced heavy criticism for its intervention into Syria’s civil war on Assad’s side in 2015, supporting the government militarily and conducting countless airstrikes on rebel-held areas.

The new authorities in Damascus did not break ties with Russia after taking over, and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Damascus in January.

According to the diplomat, Shaibani’s trip to Moscow will also include talks on “supporting bilateral cooperation and revitalising diplomatic and security relations” between the two countries, as well as discussing “steps regarding internal security and foreign fighters.”

LONDON: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his gratitude for a call by the foreign ministers of 15 Western countries for nations that have not yet officially recognized the State of Palestine to make moves to do so.

Their call came after the conclusion on Tuesday of a two-day, high-level international conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, that took place at the UN headquarters in New York with the aim of advancing efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia and Spain. Not all of these countries have officially announced recognition of Palestinian statehood as yet.

Abbas described the statement as courageous, the official Palestinian Wafa News Agency reported, and added that it “represents a historic step toward achieving a just and comprehensive peace and strengthens international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

He said these friendly nations had affirmed their commitment to the vision of a two-state solution and peace based on the rule of international law and relevant UN resolutions, and urged other countries to support their initiative to help ensure security and stability for all peoples in the region.

On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK would officially recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, unless Israel takes action to end the war and “the appalling situation in Gaza,” and commits to a long-term, sustainable plan for peace based on a two-state solution.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that France will officially recognize Palestinian statehood during the General Assembly.