Egypt, Jordan condemn political assassinations in Middle East

AMMAN, Jordan

Egypt and Jordan condemned political assassinations in the Middle East and called on the UN Security Council to issue a resolution obligating Israel to cease its aggression against the Gaza Strip.

This came in a joint statement released Wednesday by the foreign ministries of both countries following a phone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atti and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

The statement came hours after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, in Tehran, an attack for which Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel. It occurred a day after Tel Aviv announced the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

The statement noted that Abdel Atti and Safadi held "Israel responsible for the dangerous escalation in the region due to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, violations of international law, illegal practices in the West Bank, and political assassinations."

The two ministers called on the UN Security Council to "take binding action to compel Israel to halt its aggression against Gaza and its continued violations of international law."

They emphasized "the need to work towards de-escalation to prevent the region from slipping into a comprehensive regional conflict that threatens stability in the Middle East, especially following the recent Israeli escalation," said the joint statement.

The ministers stressed that "the first step towards de-escalation is to stop the aggression on Gaza and end the humanitarian disaster it has caused."

They condemned "the severe Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law and violations of state sovereignty."

They reiterated the "necessity to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, address the root causes of the conflict in the region, restore the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights and establish an independent sovereign state based on the June 4, 1967 borders."

On Tuesday evening, Israel assassinated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on a southern suburb of Beirut.

On Wednesday morning, Hamas and Iran announced the assassination of Haniyeh in an Israeli airstrike targeting his residence in Tehran, a day after he attended the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

While Israel has claimed responsibility for Shukr's assassination, it has remained silent on Haniyeh’s death. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted at Tel Aviv's involvement in his assassination.

Both Hamas and Iran have vowed retaliation for Haniyeh’s assassination, and Hezbollah has vowed to respond to Shukr’s killing. Meanwhile, international efforts and contacts continue to seek de-escalation to prevent the expansion of the conflict in the region.

The assassinations of Shukr and Haniyeh occurred amid an ongoing war that Israel has been waging on Gaza with US support.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

At least 39,445 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Nearly 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul