BAGHDAD, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) --U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's fifth trip to the Middle East since the outbreak of the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the 8th did not achieve tangible results in promoting a ceasefire, and only ended hastily with the statement that the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) reached an agreement with Israel that "there is still space".
At the same time, the United States has recently carried out a series of military strikes in many countries in the Middle East, triggering tensions in the region.
Analysts believe that Blinken's five visits to the Middle East have yielded little results, highlighting that the US Middle East policy violates justice and is unpopular. In particular, how can the hypocritical tactics of the US side in talking and bombing expose its superstitious power logic of using force and wantonly trampling on the sovereignty of other countries.
Coming for peace talks?
During Blinken's visit to the Middle East, Israel rejected Hamas's proposed terms for a ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the 7th that Hamas's demands are "delusional" and that it is necessary for Israel to continue to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to rescue the detained Israeli personnel. At a separate press conference on the same day, Blinken said that while Hamas's demands were "unrealistic," there was "still room" for a deal with Israel. Qatar's Al Jazeera TV pointed out that Blinken's visit did not achieve tangible results.
Blinken has also tried to push for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as a bargaining chip to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. However, Saudi Arabia issued a statement on the 7th, saying that Saudi Arabia will not consider establishing diplomatic relations with Israel unless it agrees to establish a Palestinian state based on the 1967 border and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
In addition, following a drone attack on a U.S. military unit stationed in northeastern Jordan on January 27 that killed three soldiers, the U.S. military subsequently retaliated in several countries in the Middle East, sparking regional tensions and growing fears of a localized hot war.
During his visit, Blinken pledged the "precision" and "degree of restraint" of the US military's actions in an attempt to reassure regional countries. However, Tawfik, a visiting professor at Egypt's Suez Canal University, pointed out that Blinken visited the Middle East for the fifth time, and when he left, the US military airstrikes became more fierce and the regional situation became more tense. This begs the question of whether Blinken is really here for peace talks. "This at least proves that the so-called 'peace path' of the US side has failed. ”
"Add firewood under a powder keg".
Yemeni political analyst Rabhag pointed out that in the past week, the frequency of US military air strikes on targets in Syria, Iraq and Yemen has increased significantly. Talking and bombing will only further undermine the diplomatic credibility of the United States.
According to the Masira TV channel controlled by Yemen's Houthi rebels, US and British warplanes launched three airstrikes on the northern Yemeni city of Saada in the early hours of the same day. Hussein Izzi, the senior Houthi in charge of foreign affairs, said the United States and Britain had launched more than 300 airstrikes against the Houthis since January.
Blinken had a phone call with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hussein on the 6th, and the two sides exchanged views on the previous US airstrikes on military facilities and residential areas by Iraqi security forces.
At midnight on the 7th, a US drone attacked a car in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, killing three people, including a senior commander of the Iraqi armed organization "Allah Brigade". The United States, citing information from the United States, reported that the attack would not be the end of a series of "retaliatory actions" authorized by Biden.
Yahya Rasul, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said in a statement on the 8th that the US military once again carried out reckless assassinations in residential areas of Baghdad, which will further push Iraq to end the presence of the US-led international coalition in Iraq.
Egyptian commentator Salam believes that the continued air strikes by the US military will only further exacerbate the contradictions and expand the scope of the conflict. "The Middle East is like a powder keg, and the US airstrikes are like adding firewood to the powder keg. ”
"The Middle East is not a gladiatorial arena for great powers."
According to data released by the Palestinian health department in the Gaza Strip on the 7th, Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused more than 2770,000 deaths, more than 670,000 people were injured. The war is spreading to neighboring countries. In the eyes of the local people, the "mediation" of the United States has aggravated the turbulence in the Middle East.
Zarka, a history student at the University of Damascus in Syria, told Xinhua News Agency that the war in Gaza has dragged on for more than four months, and Blinken has visited the Middle East five times, but the war continues to spread. The Syrian people have suffered from war and hegemonic interference for more than a decade, and "we want to live in peace and safeguard a bright future for ourselves, for future generations and for our country."
In the northern Yemeni city of Saada, resident Hassan told Xinhua that the air strikes by US and British warplanes in the past few days have made life more difficult for the Yemeni people. He believes that the root cause of the Palestinian-Israeli problem lies in the fact that the Palestinian people have suffered injustice for a long time and that their right to an independent state has been repeatedly undermined. If the United States fails to face up to this problem, its so-called "good offices" efforts will hardly bear fruit. "The U.S.'s reckless use of force against targets in Yemen will only increase tensions in the Red Sea and deepen the stalemate." ”
Kharif, a citizen of Baghdad, Iraq, said that over the past 20 years and more, the United States has brought wars and "color revolutions" to the Middle East under the pretext of promoting so-called "American-style democracy," causing long-term turmoil in many countries, and the Iraqi people are still "bleeding" to this day. "The Middle East is the home of the people of the Middle East, not the gladiatorial arena of great powers. ”
**: Xinhua News Agency
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