“Violence is not the answer, and we are not going to get drawn into this cycle of threat and counter-threatened violence and counter violence,” Farhan said when asked if Arab countries would consider threatening Israel with military intervention in Gaza.
The minister, who was speaking at a discussion hosted by the Wilson Center, led an Arab delegation that met in Washington on Friday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the Gaza conflict. Farhan was joined by his counterparts from Jordan, Qatar, and Egypt.
Farhan emphasized the need for a cessation of hostilities and immediate access for humanitarian aid.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi during the panel discussion stressed Israel has suffered a strategic defeat in the Gaza war.
“Israel is defying the whole world including the United States of America. Even Israel’s allies are saying abide by international law. It is not. It’s indiscriminately killing civilians. It’s denying people their right to food and water and medicine. It is taking 2.3 million Gazans hostage,” the minister emphasized.
The West’s position in the Gaza conflict, including of the United States, have been inadequate, Safadi stressed, adding that Arab countries disagree over the issue of not calling for a ceasefire.
The Joe Biden administration has repeatedly said it does not support a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict but backs humanitarian pauses. The United States has provided Israel with security assistance as it conducts military operations in Gaza to weed out Hamas following the October 7 attacks.
