Israel’s Prime Minister toughened his stance Wednesday by declaring that his country is in charge of its own security and isn’t an American protectorate as he prepared to discuss progress on Gaza’s fragile ceasefire agreement with US Vice President JD Vance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks ahead of his meeting with Vance appeared aimed easing public concerns that the presence of an envisioned international security force in Gaza could limit Israel’s ability to strike in the devastated territory to thwart future threats.
“We are not a protectorate of the United States. Israel is the one that will decide on its security,” Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office as he headed into the meeting. Speaking to reporters before the meeting’s start, Vance acknowledged that the road to peace is strewn with huge hurdles but at the same time tried to maintain the buoyant tone he sounded Tuesday on his arrival to Israel.
“We have a very, very tough task ahead of us, which is to disarm Hamas but rebuild Gaza to make life better for the people in Gaza, but also to ensure that Hamas is no longer a threat to our friends in Israel. That’s not easy,” Vance said. “There’s a lot of work to do, but I feel very optimistic about where we are.” Vance is also meeting Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday. He is accompanied by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Uncertainty remains over the deployment of an international security force in Gaza and who will govern the territory.
Vance said Tuesday officials are brainstorming on the composition of the security force, mentioning Turkiye and Indonesia as countries expected to contribute troops. Britain is also sending a small contingent of military officers to Israel to assist in monitoring the ceasefire. As Vance’s meetings got underway, Israel said it completed the identification of the bodies of two more hostages that were handed over by the Red Cross to the Israeli military in Gaza on Tuesday. Authorities identified the deceased hostages as Arie Zalmanovich and Tamir Adar who were killed in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants, which triggered the two-year war.
Since the ceasefire began on October 10, the remains of 15 hostages have been returned to Israel. Another 13 still need to be recovered in Gaza and handed over, a key element to the ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, the burial of 54 Palestinians is set for Wednesday at a cemetery in Deir al Balah, Gaza. The bodies were displayed outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis ahead of the burial. Dozens of people, some carrying Palestinian flags, gathered outside the Nasser Hospital in
Khan Younis for funeral prayers over the bodies of 54 Palestinians clad in white shrouds. The unidentified bodies were among 165 that Israel sent back to Gaza last week. They will be transported to Gaza’s central city of Deir al-Balah for burial. A senior health official in Gaza said some bodies bore “evidence of torture” and called for an investigation. Israel has not provided identification for the bodies or explained their origins.
They could include Palestinians who died during the October 7 attacks, detainees who died in custody or bodies that were taken from Gaza by Israeli troops during the war. So far, authorities in Gaza have identified 52 of the returned bodies, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A top Palestinian non Governmental organisation that offers mental health services to people in Gaza said Wednesday that there had been an “armed raid and brutal takeover” of one its facilities in the territory ast week.
First EU-Egypt summit to focus on economic ties, migration, Gaza
Brussels: Egypt and the European Union will hold their first bilateral talks Wednesday in Brussels where leaders will discuss security, trade and migration as well as stability in Gaza. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are expected to announce increased European economic assistance to Egypt and Egypt’s admission to the EU’s Horizons research incubation programme.
The summit comes as the 27-nation bloc has sought to forge new trade and security deals amidst geopolitical tumult sparked by the combative policies of US President Donald Trump and export controls from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Part of its approach is a so-called Pact for the Mediterranean in which the EU seeks deeper integration with countries from Morocco to Turkiye, including offering European aid in exchange for efforts to slow migration to Europe. Egypt is weathering soaring inflation, as well as instability from the still-smoldering war in neighbouring Gaza.
El-Sissi told Costa and other world leaders last week that Trump’s Mideast proposal represents the “last chance” for peace in the region and reiterated his call for a two-state solution, saying Palestinians have the right to an independent State. The EU is Egypt’s largest trading partner. During the signing of a joint declaration last year, Brussels announced a 7.4 billion euros ($8.6 billion) aid package for cash-strapped Egypt in the form of loans, investment and support for specific programmes like migration.
