Former Israeli diplomat calls on US to intensify role in fragile Gaza ceasefire efforts
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Alon Liel, a former senior Israeli diplomat, says he believes Israel is no longer under the same pressure it faced when senior US officials, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, visited the country in October.
“Nothing will move towards stage two – and certainly not stage three – of the Trump plan without American involvement on a daily, if not hour-by-hour, basis,” he said, warning that Israel showed little interest in advancing the ceasefire.
“International pressure is still very much needed,” he added.
More confrontation with Israel inevitable, says Houthi leader
The leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, has instructed the group to build up military preparedness for a future fight with Israel.
“We are inevitably heading towards more confrontation with the Israeli enemy,” he said during a televised speech.
“Our region cannot witness stability, security or peace as long as the Israeli enemy occupies Palestine and pursues its Zionist agenda against us as a Muslim nation.”
The Houthi leader said Israel continues to attack Gaza in violation of the ceasefire, and the US, as a guarantor of the agreement, “is a partner in Israel’s crimes in Gaza”.
He also once more criticised Islamic nations in the region for not strongly standing up to Israel, and said they are focused on Israeli demands to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon while the US “has provided full support to the Israeli enemy and is a complete partner in injustice, genocide, and aggression”.
Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a TV link before the fasting month of Ramadan, at a mosque in Sanaa, Yemen March 10, 2024
