Israel’s Netanyahu is dragging region into war and must be stopped, Jordan says
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People and first responders stand on the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli air strike, in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sept 27.
PHOTO: AFP
UNITED NATIONS, United States - Jordan's foreign minister said on Sept 27 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to be stopped because he was driving the region to a full-fledged war.
"It is time to face the truth, and the truth is, unless Netanyahu is stopped, unless this government is stopped, war will encompass all of us," Mr Ayman Safadi told reporters, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.
Earlier on Sept 27, Israeli airstrikes shook Beirut, with the Israeli military saying it had targeted Hezbollah's central headquarters
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said ahead of the Security Council meeting that the airstrikes had increased the risk of the situation spiralling out of control.
"We believe very, very, very strongly that a ceasefire is necessary, that the guns are not going to solve anything, that we need to move towards a peace in our region, and that peace is firmly rooted in addressing the Palestinian issue," Prince Faisal said.
In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept 27, Mr Netanyahu spoke at length on his wish to make progress on normalising ties with Saudi Arabia, and said Israel was fighting on seven fronts.
"It was interesting to see that Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his words, in quite a lengthy statement about the issue, not once mentioned Palestine, not once mentioned the Palestinians," Prince Faisal said.
"This is exactly the problem. Without addressing the issue of Palestine, it will not be able, it will not be possible, to reach the dual potential of regional peace and stability," he said, adding that there would be no normalisation without a resolution of the Palestinian issue.
Mr Safadi echoed those comments.
"I can tell you here very unequivocally, all of us are willing to right now, guarantee the security of Israel in the context of Israel ending the occupation and allowing for the emergence of a Palestinian state, independent state," he said.
"(But) he (Mr Netanyahu) is creating danger because he simply does not want the two state solution," Mr Safadi said. REUTERS
