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🇦🇹 Austria /Elections & Politics

“Israel's prime minister is holding the Middle East hostage”

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of undermining a two-state solution and fueling conflict across the region.
  • Safadi described conditions in Gaza as inhumane and called the war a genocide, while rejecting claims that Jordan is a party to the conflict despite hosting about 4,000 US troops.
  • Safadi and Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger called for a return to diplomacy and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi arrived in Vienna with a blunt warning about the West Bank and an equally blunt accusation against Israel's leadership: "Netanyahu is holding the Middle East hostage."

We have no US bases.

· Ayman SafadiSafadi downplayed the US military presence in Jordan during discussions in Vienna.

Safadi said the region needs a return to diplomacy and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He also played down the US military presence in Jordan, where about 4,000 American troops are stationed. Bases including King Faisal Air Base and Muwaffaq air base have repeatedly come under the spotlight during Iranian attacks.

"We have no US bases," Safadi insisted, saying the troops were only "embedded" in Jordan. "We are not a party to the war." Iran has again focused on the kingdom since fighting resumed in the Persian Gulf, particularly as the United States moves military equipment from bases in Kuwait and Bahrain to Israel and Jordan. Washington provides Jordan with $1.6 billion a year in military and economic aid.

We are not a party to the war.

· Ayman SafadiHe described the status of US troops stationed in Jordan and rejected the idea that Jordan is a combatant.

In discussions at Vienna's foreign ministry and the packed Kreisky Forum, Safadi targeted Israel as an interventionist force in the Middle East. He said Benjamin Netanyahu's government was undermining the two-state solution, for which "there is no alternative," and fueling conflict in southern Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and the West Bank. He also criticized Israel's treatment of Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem.

Netanyahu is holding the Middle East hostage.

· Ayman SafadiSafadi accused Israel's prime minister of driving regional conflict.

Safadi called Netanyahu's administration "the most radical government in Israel's history" and accused it of warmongering and occupation. "This serves only Netanyahu's interests, not the national interest," he said. He described the postwar conditions in Gaza as inhumane and called the two-year war a "genocide." Safadi praised UNRWA as "essential." Meinl-Reisinger strongly rejected Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz's stated intention to relocate most Palestinians from Gaza and said she hoped for "substantial progress" after Israel's October 27 election.

This serves only Netanyahu's interests, not the national interest.

· Ayman SafadiHe criticized the Israeli government's conduct and said it did not serve Israel's national interest.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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