Today, US President Joe Biden made two phone calls with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani met with the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, within the framework of the ongoing international movement regarding developments in the situation in Palestine.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a phone call Saturday from US President Joe Biden, the first between them since entering the White House, in the midst of the great escalation between Israel and the Palestinians, according to Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeinah.
Also, telephone talks took place Saturday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden about the Israeli strike that destroyed the Gaza tower, which houses offices for media outlets, including the Al Jazeera network and the American Associated Press, according to what the Israeli government announced in a statement.
While Abu Rudeinah did not reveal the content of the conversation, which came in the midst of the continuous aggression on the Gaza Strip six days ago, the White House said that Biden and Abbas expressed their concern that civilians had tragically lost their lives amid the ongoing violence, and they expressed their common desire for Jerusalem to be A place of peaceful coexistence.
He explained that Biden assured Abbas that Hamas must stop its missile attacks on Israel, and that he affirmed his strong commitment to the negotiated two-state solution as the best way to a just and lasting solution.
The White House said that Biden also shed light in the call on the US decision to resume aid to the Palestinian people, and on Washington’s commitment to strengthening the US-Palestinian partnership.
Contact between Biden and Netanyahu
The White House also said that Biden, in his call with Netanyahu, expressed his support for the two-state solution, and his support for steps that would enable the Palestinians to enjoy dignity, security and freedom.
He added that Biden also expressed during the call his grave concern about intercommunal violence throughout Israel, and renewed his strong support for Israel's right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Gaza.
According to a summary of a phone call released by Netanyahu's office, the latter told Biden today, Saturday, that Israel "is doing everything in its power to avoid harming" people who are not participating in its fight with Hamas and other groups in Gaza.
According to the same source, Netanyahu also informed Biden that "non-participants were evacuated" prior to the raid, from an apartment building in Gaza housing media offices as well as offices and apartments that was destroyed in an Israeli air strike earlier in the day.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the President (Biden) for the United States' support for our right to defend ourselves," the statement read.
In a speech a short while ago, Netanyahu said that he thanked President Biden and many of the countries that supported us in defending ourselves.
His mother assured that he would do everything required to restore calm to the streets of Israel, and "we will continue to respond to the attacks and protect our citizens from attacks by Hamas terrorists."
In another call between the US and Israeli defense ministers, the Israeli minister told his American counterpart that Israel's goal is to achieve a long-term calm, and that it is doing all it can to avoid prejudice to the uninvolved.
Talks between the Qatari foreign minister and the head of Hamas
On the other hand, the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani discussed with the head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Ismail Haniyeh of the recent Israeli attacks, starting from the events of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, through the attacks on worshipers in the Temple Mount. , Right up to the recent attack on the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs meets with the Head of the Political Bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, they discussed the recent Israeli attacks.
# Qena https://t.co/3adCNz31SP pic.twitter.com/vKU5yFmiKs
- Qatar News Agency (@ QatarNewsAgency) May 15, 2021
The Qatari Foreign Minister reiterated Qatar’s stand with the Palestinian brothers and its refusal to infringe on Islamic sanctities.
He stressed the need for the international community to move to stop the Israeli attacks in Gaza and Al-Aqsa.
An American concern
For his part, the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee declared his concern "about reports of civilian deaths in Gaza."
He also stressed his concern about Israel targeting buildings housing international media organizations.
He said that the strength of relations with Israel thrives when it is built on shared values.
Violence must end
In another development, the European Union said in a statement regarding the situation in Palestine, that "the violence must end now."
The Union stressed that there is a need to stop settlement activities and demolitions and evacuations, including in East Jerusalem, and stressed the urgent need to address the root causes of the conflict and find a political path for the return of negotiations for the two-state solution.
He added that the status quo of the holy sites must be respected and any acts of incitement around them should be avoided.
Everyone is looking for calm
In the same context, the representative of Norway at the Security Council told Al-Jazeera that she believes that everyone is working hard to ensure the possibility of reaching a calm, expressing her hope that a session of the Council will be held tomorrow to discuss the crisis in the Middle East.
She emphasized that the only fair solution to the Middle East crisis is the two-state solution. She believes that the only way to solve the two states is through the negotiation table.