US seeks solution as China sides with its ‘Arab brothers’
Diplomatic efforts to avoid all-out war in the Middle East were under way on Tuesday night, with calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and demands that Israel hold fire on a feared ground offensive.
Diplomatic efforts to avoid all-out war in the Middle East were under way on Tuesday night, with calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and demands that Israel hold fire on a feared ground offensive.
As world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly, Biden administration officials were preparing for a global diplomatic effort to ease the crisis.
“We’ve got some concrete ideas we’re going to be discussing with allies and partners to try to figure out the way forward on this,” one senior US official said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US wanted to find an “off-ramp that will first and foremost prevent further escalation in the fighting”.
He voiced hope that the US proposals would “reduce tensions and segue into a diplomatic process that allows communities on both sides of the border … to safely return home in the near future”.
The official renewed the administration’s opposition to a ground invasion by Israel, which has been pounding Hezbollah sites in Lebanon.
“We obviously do not believe that a ground invasion of Lebanon is going to contribute to reducing tensions in the region, to preventing an escalatory spiral of violence, and that’s in part why we are so focused on utilising this week to explore these ideas and see if we can develop this off-ramp,” he said.
France requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the crisis, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot calling on all sides to “avoid a regional conflagration that would be devastating for everyone”.
Also in New York, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel wanted to drag the Middle East into a full-blown war by provoking Tehran to join the conflict. “It is Israel that seeks to create this all-out conflict,” he said after arriving for the General Assembly.
China was quick to take sides in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, expressing support for Lebanon and condemning what he termed “indiscriminate attacks against civilians”.
Meeting his Lebanese counterpart in New York, Mr Wang said: “We will always stand on the side of justice, on the side of our Arab brothers, including Lebanon.
“Armed force does not represent truth, and might only undermines peace.
“Countering violence with violence will not solve the problems in the Middle East and will only lead to an even greater humanitarian disaster.”
An outspoken critic of Israel’s offensive in response to the attack by Hamas militants that sparked the war in Gaza, Turkey urged the international community to intervene.
“It is imperative that all institutions responsible for maintaining international peace and security, especially the UN Security Council, as well as the international community, take the necessary measures without delay,” the Turkish foreign ministry said.
“The countries that unconditionally support Israel are helping (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu shed blood for his political interests.”
A spokeswoman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely alarmed by the escalating situation … and the large number of civilian casualties, including children and women”.
AFP
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