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Taliban Agrees to Reset Cease-Fire as Talks Continue
United States Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad on Thursday revealed that he and General Scott Miller, the commander of US forces in the country, had reached a renewed agreement with the insurgent Taliban group, by which the terrorist organization would commit once again to hold its fire for the duration of the peace talks currently under way in Doha.
Representatives of the Taliban and Afghan government have in recent weeks conducted on and off negotiations over a power-sharing formula, after the U.S. agreed earlier this year to gradually withdraw all of its troops from the war-torn nation.
Yet, repeated attacks by Taliban fighters on Afghan troops and civilians, last week centered in the southern province of Helmand, have threatened to derail the peace efforts.
“We agreed to reset actions by strictly adhering to implementation of all elements of the U.S.-Taliban Agreement and all commitments made,” Zalmay said.
Saudi FM Says Israeli-Palestinian Peace Must Come Before Further Normalization
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Thursday skirted the question of an impending Israeli-Saudi normalization deal similar to the recently signed accords between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, instead stressing the importance of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
In a virtual address to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Prince Faisal expressed his belief that “the only thing that can deliver lasting peace and lasting stability is an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis.”
Earlier on his Washington tour, bin Farhan was urged by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider following his Gulf neighbors’ footsteps in normalizing relations with Israel.
Saudi Arabia has remained ambivalent about the Abraham Accord signed last month, refraining from condemning them but at the same time indicating that the kingdom would not follow suit anytime soon.
Lockdown Partially Lifted in Israel After Virus Slows
Israelis on Friday entered the weekend in a state of confusion and uncertainty, after the government announced it would lift some – but not all – of the restrictions imposed on the nation as part of the total lockdown implemented last month for the second time because of the spread of coronavirus.
While the cabinet authorized the education ministry to reopen kindergartens and pre-schools on October 18, parents and teachers are complaining that the guidelines regarding mask-wearing, classroom sizes and quarantine timelines remain muddled.
Local school authorities threatened not to open on Sunday if the rules were not made clear in time.
Israel registered another positive day on Thursday, as the numbers of infections, serious cases and deaths continued their week-long decline.
A total of 2130 people have died from the virus so far, with just under 750 currently in serious condition.
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