Ƶ

US remains committed to Syria, will not withdraw its forces to prevent Daesh resurgence, Ethan Goldrich tells Asharq Al-Awsat

US remains committed to Syria, will not withdraw its forces to prevent Daesh resurgence, Ethan Goldrich tells Asharq Al-Awsat
Ethan Goldrich, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. (Reuters file photo)
Short Url
Updated 05 September 2024

US remains committed to Syria, will not withdraw its forces to prevent Daesh resurgence, Ethan Goldrich tells Asharq Al-Awsat

US remains committed to Syria, will not withdraw its forces to prevent Daesh resurgence, Ethan Goldrich tells Asharq Al-Awsat

DUBAI: The US remains committed to its partnership with local forces in Syria to prevent Daesh’s resurgence and does not plan to withdraw from the country’s northeast region anytime soon, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs has said.

, Ethan Goldrich said: “I know there have been reports, but I want to make clear that we remain committed to the role that we play in that part of Syria, to the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with, and to the need to prevent that threat from reemerging.”

“So right now, our focus is on the mission that we have there to keep ISIS from reemerging. So I know there have been reports, but I want to make clear that we remain committed to the role that we play in that part of Syria, to the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with, and to the need to prevent that threat from reemerging,” Goldrich said.

The official said that while there have been a lot of accomplishments since taking on the post three years ago, there was still a “lot that we have left to do.”

“At the beginning of a time I was here, we had just completed a review of our Syria policy, and we saw that we needed to focus on reducing suffering for the people in Syria. We needed to reduce violence. We needed to hold the regime accountable for things that are done and most importantly, from the US perspective, we needed to keep ISIS from reemerging as a threat to our country and to other countries,” he said.

“At the same time, we also realized that there wouldn’t be a solution to the crisis until there was a political process under Resolution 2254, so in each of these areas, we’ve seen both progress and challenges, but of course, on ISIS, we have prevented the reemergence of the threat from northeast Syria, and we’ve helped deal with people that needed to be repatriated out of the prisons, and we dealt with displaced people in Al-Hol to reduce the numbers there. We helped provide for stabilization in those parts of Syria.”

Goldrich also said that the US remains committed in its humanitarian role for Syria, noting the $593 million Washington has pledged during a fundraising conference in Brussels recently.

“Since the beginning of the conflict, have provided $18 billion both to help the Syrians who are inside of Syria and to help the refugees who are in surrounding countries. And so we remain committed to providing that assistance, and we remain keenly aware that 90% of Syrians are living in poverty right now, and that there’s been suffering there.”

“We’re doing everything we can to reduce the suffering, but I think where we would really like to be is where there’s a larger solution to the whole crisis, so Syrian people someday will be able to provide again for themselves and not need this assistance,” he added.

Goldrich also reiterated the US’s position regarding President Bashar Assad – with some countries signaling a possible reopening of ties with the Syrian regime – that “we will not normalize with the regime in Syria until there’s been authentic and enduring progress on the goals of Resolution 2254, until the human rights of the Syrian people are respected and until they have the civil and human rights that they deserve.”

“We know other countries have engaged with the regime. When those engagements happen, we don’t support them, but we remind the countries that are engaged that they should be using their engagements to push forward on the shared international goals under 2254, and that whatever it is that they’re doing should be for the sake of improving the situation of the Syrian people.”

“The US will remain true to our own principles and our own policies and our own laws, and the path for the regime in Syria to change its relationship with us is very clear, if they change the behaviors that led to the laws that we have and to the policies that we have, if those behaviors change and the circumstances inside of Syria change, then it’s possible to have a different kind of relationship, but that’s where it has to start,” he added.

If there is one thing that Goldrich wants to happen in Syria, he said that it was “to hold people accountable in Syria for things that have happened... and we’re trying to draw attention to the need to account for the missing people.”

“I’d like to see some peace for the families of the missing people. I’d like to see the beginning of a political process, there hasn’t been a meeting of the constitutional committee in two years, and I think that’s because the regime has not been cooperating in political process steps. So we need to change that situation.”

“The Syrian people deserve all aspects of our policy to be fulfilled and for them to be able to return to a normal life,” Goldrich said.


Five killed in courthouse attack in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, Iranian media report

Five killed in courthouse attack in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, Iranian media report
Updated 6 sec ago

Five killed in courthouse attack in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, Iranian media report

Five killed in courthouse attack in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province, Iranian media report
  • Jaish Al-Adl took responsibility for the attack and urged “all civilians to immediately evacuate the area of clashes for their safety”

An armed attack by the Sunni Jaish Al-Adl Baluch group on a courthouse in Iran’s restive southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province killed at least five people and injured 13, Iranian media reported.
Three assailants were also killed in the ensuing clashes with security forces, a senior police official told the state news agency IRNA.
He said a mother and child were among those killed by the gunmen who threw a hand grenade into the building in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan.
In a statement posted on its Telegram account, Jaish Al-Adl took responsibility for the attack and urged “all civilians to immediately evacuate the area of clashes for their safety.”
The Baluch human rights group HAALVSH, quoting eyewitnesses, said several judiciary staff members and security personnel were killed or wounded when the assailants stormed the judges’ chambers.
Sistan-Baluchestan province, near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, is home to Iran’s Sunni Muslim Baluch minority, who have long complained of economic marginalization and political exclusion.
The province frequently sees clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy. The Iranian government accuses some of them of ties to foreign powers and involvement in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.


Israeli military says ‘projectile’ fired at Israel from Gaza Strip

Israeli military says ‘projectile’ fired at Israel from Gaza Strip
Updated 26 July 2025

Israeli military says ‘projectile’ fired at Israel from Gaza Strip

Israeli military says ‘projectile’ fired at Israel from Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said a “projectile” was fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israel on Saturday.
“A projectile was identified crossing the Gaza Strip from the south and most likely falling in an open area,” the military said in a statement, adding that there were no injuries reported.


UN gathering eyes solution to deadlocked Palestinian question

UN gathering eyes solution to deadlocked Palestinian question
Updated 26 July 2025

UN gathering eyes solution to deadlocked Palestinian question

UN gathering eyes solution to deadlocked Palestinian question
  • In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, into two independent states — one Jewish and the other Arab
  • But with the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements and Israeli plans to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could be geographically impossible

UNITED NATIONS: Fired by France’s imminent recognition of Palestinian statehood, UN members meet next week to breathe life into the push for a two-state solution as Israel, expected to be absent, presses its war in Gaza.
Days before the July 28-30 conference on fostering Israeli and Palestinian states living peacefully side-by-side to be co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September.
His declaration “will breathe new life into a conference that seemed destined to irrelevance,” said Richard Gowan, an analyst at International Crisis Group.
“Macron’s announcement changes the game. Other participants will be scrabbling to decide if they should also declare an intent to recognize Palestine.”
According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states — including France — now recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988.
In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two independent states — one Jewish and the other Arab.
The following year, the State of Israel was proclaimed, and for several decades, the vast majority of UN member states have supported the idea of a two-state solution: Israeli and Palestinian, living side-by-side peacefully and securely.
But after more than 21 months of war in Gaza, the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and senior Israeli officials declaring designs to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could be geographically impossible.
The war in Gaza started following a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel, which responded with a large-scale military response that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.
The New York conference is a response to the crisis, with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several dozen ministers from around the world expected to attend.

The meeting comes as a two-state solution is “more threatened than it has ever been (but) even more necessary than before, because we see very clearly that there is no alternative,” said a French diplomatic source.
Beyond facilitating conditions for recognition of a Palestinian state, the meeting will have three other focuses — reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from Palestinian public life, and normalization of relations with Israel by Arab states that have not yet done so.
The diplomatic source warned that no announcement of new normalization deals was expected next week.
Ahead of the conference, which was delayed from June, Britain said it would not recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally and would wait for “a wider plan” for peace in the region.
Macron has also not yet persuaded Germany to follow suit and recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.
The conference “offers a unique opportunity to transform international law and the international consensus into an achievable plan and to demonstrate resolve to end the occupation and conflict once and for all, for the benefit of all peoples,” said the Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, calling for “courage” from participants.
Israel and the United States will not take part in the meeting.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon “has announced that Israel will not be taking part in this conference, which doesn’t first urgently address the issue of condemning Hamas and returning all of the remaining hostages,” according to embassy spokesman Jonathan Harounoff.
As international pressure continues to mount on Israel to end nearly two years of war in Gaza, the humanitarian catastrophe in the ravaged coastal territory is expected to dominate speeches by representatives of more than 100 countries as they take to the podium from Monday to Wednesday.
Gowan said he expected “very fierce criticism of Israel.”
abd-gw/aks


Israel says it is considering alternatives to ceasefire talks with Hamas, deepening uncertainty

Israel says it is considering alternatives to ceasefire talks with Hamas, deepening uncertainty
Updated 26 July 2025

Israel says it is considering alternatives to ceasefire talks with Hamas, deepening uncertainty

Israel says it is considering alternatives to ceasefire talks with Hamas, deepening uncertainty
  • Israeli and US delegations have pulled out of the talks in Qater, accusing Hamas of showing “lack of desire” to reach a truce
  • Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the US, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume

ICAIRO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering “alternative options” to ceasefire talks with Hamas after Israel and the US recalled their negotiating teams, throwing the future of the negotiations into further uncertainty.
Netanyahu’s statement came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the United States, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume, though they did not say when.
The teams left Qatar on Thursday as President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas’ latest response to proposals for a deal showed a “lack of desire” to reach a truce. Witkoff said the US will look at “alternative options,” without elaborating.

 

In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu echoed Witkoff, saying, “Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal.”
“Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region,” he said. He did not elaborate. Israel’s government didn’t immediately respond to whether negotiations would resume next week.
Stall in talks comes as hunger worsens
A breakthrough on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded the Trump administration as experts warn Gaza is being pushed closer to famine, after months of Israel entirely blocking food or letting in only limited amounts. This month, deaths related to malnutrition have accelerated.
More then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel’s blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine as a state. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved,” he said.
Jordan has requested to carry out airdrops of aid into Gaza “due to the dire situation,” a Jordanian official said. The official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula.
An Israeli security official said the military was coordinating the drops, which were expected in the coming days. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the yet-to-be-finalized plans.
Desperate Palestinians gathered at a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Friday, clutching empty pots waiting for a share of watery lentil soup. Such kitchens distributing cooked meals have been a main source of food for many Palestinians, but the number of meals they produce every day has plummeted to 160,000 from more than a million in April, according to the UN
“We’ve been living three months without bread,” said one woman in line, Riham Dwas. “We’re relying on charity kitchens, surviving on a pot of lentils and there are many times when we don’t even have that.”
When she can’t find food, she takes her children to a hospital to be put on saline IV drips for sustenance.
Mourners carry the bodies of strike victims
An Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter for displaced people in Gaza City, killing at least five people, including an 11-year-old boy, according to hospital officials. Afterwards, dozens of mourners marched carrying the bodies from Shifa Hospital as women nearby screamed and wept.
“Enough!” screamed Taraji Adwan, whose son and grandson were among the dead. She said the strike hit as she was filling up water jugs.
“Stop the war! Our children are dying from starvation, malnutrition, dehydration, lack of food, strikes, and dying from fear and destruction. Enough, Hamas! Enough, Israel! Enough, world!” she said.
The Gaza Health Ministry said around 80 people were killed since Thursday night, mostly in strikes but including nine killed while seeking aid.

 

 

Talks have struggled over issue of ending the war
Hamas official Bassem Naim said Friday that the group was told that the Israeli delegation returned home for consultations and would return early next week to resume ceasefire negotiations.
Hamas said that Witkoff’s remarks were meant to pressure the group for Netanyahu’s benefit during the next round of talks and that in recent days negotiations had made progress. Naim said several gaps had been nearly solved, such as the agenda of the ceasefire, guarantees to continue negotiating to reach a permanent agreement and how humanitarian aid would be delivered.
In a joint statement, Egypt and Qatar also said progress had been made. “It is a natural to pause talks to hold consultations before the resumption of the dialogue once more,” they said.
The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs. Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops from positions in Gaza after any ceasefire takes place.
The deal under discussion is expected to include an initial 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up, and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting ceasefire.
The talks have been bogged down over competing demands for ending the war. Hamas says it will only release all hostages in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and end to the war. Israel says it will not agree to end the conflict until Hamas gives up power and disarms. The militant group says it is prepared to leave power but not surrender its weapons.
Hamas is believed to be holding the hostages in different locations, including tunnels, and says it has ordered its guards to kill them if Israeli forces approach.
Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza but fewer than half are believed to be alive. Their families say the start-stop talks are excruciating.
“I thought that maybe something will come from the time that the negotiation, Israeli team were in Doha,” said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is being held hostage. “And when I heard that they’re coming back, I ask myself: When will this nightmare end?”
 


Gaza civil defense says Israeli forces kill 28 people

Gaza civil defense says Israeli forces kill 28 people
Updated 26 July 2025

Gaza civil defense says Israeli forces kill 28 people

Gaza civil defense says Israeli forces kill 28 people
  • The toll includes at least eight people killed by Israeli fire while waiting to collect humanitarian aid, Bassal said

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza’s civil defense agency said Israeli military operations killed at least 23 people on Friday across the Palestinian territory, with another five killed in an overnight air strike.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five people were killed in a strike on Gaza City that hit a school building sheltering Palestinians displaced by the war, now in its 22nd month.
Bassal said five others were killed when an Israeli strike hit a tent used by displaced Palestinians also in Gaza City, in the territory’s north.
The Israeli military said that strike was carried out late Thursday, targeting “a key terrorist in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization,” a militant group that has fought alongside Hamas in Gaza.
According to the civil defense agency, more than a dozen other Palestinians were killed in several strikes in Gaza’s north, center and south on Friday.
The toll includes at least eight people killed by Israeli fire while waiting to collect humanitarian aid, Bassal said.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military did not comment on the agency’s reports.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency and other parties.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after a deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli campaign has killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.