Gideon Sa'ar meets with UAE officials, discusses Gaza ceasefire
Emirati counterpart 'emphasized the urgent importance of pushing towards finding a serious political horizon to resume negotiations to achieve comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution'
The Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar visited the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, discussing with his counterpart in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Gazan humanitarian crisis and ways to reach a sustainable ceasefire.
The UAE's Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of working towards a permanent ceasefire, and avoiding the expansion of conflict in the region. He pointed out that the priority is to end tension and violence, protect civilian lives, and make all efforts to facilitate the flow of urgent humanitarian aid, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The agency said that "Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, during his reception of his Israeli counterpart in Abu Dhabi, emphasized the urgent importance of pushing towards finding a serious political horizon to resume negotiations to achieve comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which contributes to consolidating the pillars of stability and achieving sustainable security in the region and ending the escalating violence."
At a press conference in Algeria on Tuesday, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said that the group's "experience of negotiating with Israel has proven that the only solution to reclaim the rights of the Palestinian people is to clash with the Israeli enemy, and force him to back down."
"The occupation is always derailing the negotiations at every moment," he said, "affirming that the position of the movement is clear in the negotiations, and that it consists in a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the occupation. Our clear position in negotiations is a ceasefire, withdrawal of the occupation, prisoner exchange, and reconstruction of Gaza, without Israeli conditions."
Hamdan promised that US President-Elect Donald "Trump was hasty in saying there would be a heavy price unless the hostages were released by his inauguration date."
Hamdan's statements come as Israel asserted that it "will not end the war until Hamas is eliminated and all hostages are released."