F.P. Report
WASHINGTON: US State Department Spokesperson, Ned Price has said that the United States condemns in the strongest terms the barrage of rocket attacks fired into Israel in recent hours and adding that it is critical for all sides to ensure calm and de-escalate tensions and avoid violent confrontations.
He added that we’re also deeply concerned about the situation in Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, including violent confrontations in Jerusalem, particularly in the Haram al-Sharif Temple Mount that has resulted in at least 180 additional injuries, as well as the rocket fire from Gaza hitting houses in Jerusalem and the threat of further rocket attacks. The United States will remain fully engaged to promote calm in Jerusalem.
He added that U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland will now serve in the capacity of Special Envoy for Libya in addition to the Chief of Mission for Libya. In his role as Special Envoy, Ambassador Norland will lead U.S. diplomatic efforts to promote international support for a Libyan-led, inclusive, and negotiated political solution to the conflict, facilitated through the UN.
Ambassador Norland will work closely with key partners to strengthen efforts to keep the political process on track and to ensure the removal of foreign forces from Libya.
Ambassador Norland also will work closely with interagency colleagues in Washington, civil society, and humanitarian partners to further the U.S. role in actively supporting the Libyan people as they seek lasting peace, security, and prosperity in their country. The Special Envoy will also keep Congress closely informed of our efforts.
Ned Price also condemned the horrifying attack in Kabul on Saturday targeting an innocent Afghan girls’ school – innocent Afghan girls at their school – excuse me. The death toll in that attack is now over 80 individuals, most of them girls in their teens – killed for nothing more than pursuing an education and a brighter future. We wish a speedy recovery to the many wounded and grieve with the families of the victims. We are still looking into what or who is responsible, but I would note that ISIS has been responsible for similar attacks on Shia communities in Kabul in the past. We note the Taliban has denied involvement in the attack, and we welcome their announcement of a three-day ceasefire over the upcoming Eid holiday. We call on the Taliban and Afghan leaders to engage seriously in the ongoing peace process to ensure the Afghan people enjoy a future free of terrorism and of senseless violence.
He added that although the United States is withdrawing our troops, we are not disengaging from Afghanistan, and we will continue to use our diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian toolset to ensure that the gains of the past 20 years, particularly those made by women, girls, and minorities, are preserved.
Regarding Afghanistan, he said that as the President has said, we will be withdrawing our military forces, except those required for the protection of our embassy in Kabul. And that’s the other important point: We are going to retain an embassy in Kabul precisely though – so that we can continue to partner and to provide support for not only the Government of Afghanistan, but the people of Afghanistan. The circumstances of the bombing over the weekend, they are not yet crystal clear. As I said before, there are some indications that this may have been attributable to ISIS and not the Taliban. We don’t want to get ahead of information as it comes in.
But the President made very clear why he made the decision he did. We went into Afghanistan 20 years ago – just about 20 years ago – with a singular mission, and that was to go after the group that was responsible for the 9/11 attacks and to see to it that Afghanistan could not again be leveraged as a staging ground for attacks on the United States. We were able to achieve those goals. We believe that – and we will do everything we can to support those who have made the important gains over the past 20 years, including women and girls and minorities, in Afghanistan. That will not change even as our troops leave the country, and we will seek to find ways to continue to partner with the Afghan people going forward.
He said that we urge the Taliban to extend the ceasefire and order a significant reduction in violence. We all know that a return to violence would be senseless as well as tragic. We remind the Taliban that engaging in violence will not afford it legitimacy or durability. That has been our point all along. Engaging in serious negotiations to determine a political roadmap for Afghanistan’s future that leads to a just and durable settlement will.
A just and durable settlement has been at the center our – of our efforts. It’s in no one’s interest – we know this – for Afghanistan to once again devolve into civil war. It’s not in the Taliban’s interests, it’s not in the Government of Afghanistan’s interests, it’s not in the interests of Afghanistan’s neighbors, and it’s certainly not in the interests of the people of Afghanistan.
While answering to a question regarding US priority, Ned Price said that US continue to believe deeply in the principle of a two-state solution to this conflict. It is precisely why we have urged both sides not to take unilateral steps, because unilateral steps – whether it’s incitement of violence, whether it’s acts of terrorism, whether it’s demolition of homes, whether it’s expansion of settlements, or anything else – it moves – it has the potential to move a two-state solution further out of reach. And we all know that a two-state solution, it’s in the interest of Israelis, it’s in the interest of Palestinians, it secures Israel’s identity as a Jewish and democratic state while bestowing upon Palestinians their legitimate aspirations for statehood and dignity. And so, of course, we are continuing to do everything we can to support that outcome.
He added that our priority is on de-escalation. Our priority is on restoring calm. Our priority over the longer term may move towards playing some sort of mediating role between Israelis and Palestinians. But given circumstances on the ground right now, and even before this current flare-up, we’re just not in a position, I think, to see meaningful progress, and our policy has recognized that.
Price added that we have called on all sides to de-escalate. That includes Hamas. So that has been our message since late last week; it is our message now.
Regarding the Iran situation, Mr Price US have a clear idea of what Iran would need to do to resume its compliance with the nuclear deal. It would need to once again subject itself to the most stringent verification and monitoring regime ever negotiated. We also have a sense of what we would need to do, and put very simply, it is to remove sanctions that are inconsistent with the JCPOA.
Now, even if we were to get to a point where both sides would resume compliance and Iran would once again subject itself and permanently and verifiably bar itself from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon, and if we were to remove sanctions that were inconsistent with the JCPOA, we would still vigorously hold to account Iran for its behavior in other areas – its terrorism, its support for proxies, its human rights abuses. And among the policy tools that we would have in doing so are sanctions. There is nothing in the JCPOA that removes sanctions as a policy tool to address those specific areas, and we would continue to hold Tehran to account.
