Iraqi PM, Jordanian speaker call for unified global action on Gaza
During a meeting at the prime minister's offices in Baghdad, the pair emphasized the importance of aligning global positions to end the violation of the Palestinian people, the Jordan News Agency reported.
They called for a concerted international response and unified regional efforts to restore stability and bolster security.
The officials also reaffirmed their commitment to closer relations between Iraq and Jordan, as well as advancing pan-Arab interests and confronting regional challenges.
Safadi stressed Jordan's commitment to enhancing ties with Iraq, particularly in the parliamentary and economic spheres, and highlighted the need to broaden cooperation in other sectors to serve mutual interests.
He expressed his pride in the deep-rooted ties between the two countries and their peoples, and reiterated the shared determination to continue engagement on key issues.
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Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
Sectarianism is in the eye of the beholder
I know it is never easy, but if we are about to have a reset then we should do the same with our perceptions of the region. Analysis of the Middle East has been dominated by two widely held beliefs: one is that conflicts are our fault because we are sectarian, and the other is that our problems are the West's fault because we have been divided into artificial states by colonialism. Both these myths belong to an era dominated by secular nationalist ideas that academia largely favored. For positive change to happen, we have to believe in ourselves and remind ourselves that, in our region, it is coexistence between sects that has been the norm and sectarian conflict the exception. We must also note that the Arab state system has been rather stable, especially if compared to that of Europe. Let me explain. First of all, sectarianism is often in the eye of the beholder. Some see it everywhere because they believe it is there. They look for it in situations that we consider mostly as normal politics. Of course, there are politicians who use sectarian speech and sometimes it works in their favor: they create the problems that they then offer to resolve. Some academics even study 'de-sectarianization' (my spellcheck insists that the word does not exist). It is as if there is a disease called sectarianism that can be treated by de-sectarianization. This blurred vision happens to people who expect complete homogeneity and do not understand coexistence. The Arab proverb that says 'me and my brother against my cousin and me and my cousin against the stranger' may be a source of confusion. This is often used to explain family and tribal solidarity, but in reality it is prescriptive rather than descriptive: it means you should stand by your brother against your cousin and stand by your cousin against a stranger, because it is often not the case. We all know that the most intense conflicts, since Cain and Abel, are between brothers. Family feuds or internal fights are driven by what Freud described as the narcissism of small differences. You do not really have to stand by your kin — in fact, this is how alliances and coalitions can develop across religious, tribal or ethnic boundaries. The debate over that proverb is also that, morally, you should stand by what is right, even if it is against your own kin. Moral sentiments, or what is culturally acceptable as a norm, are the product of numerous interactions between people. A feel for what is considered right in a society develops over time and through millions of daily exchanges. That is why societies differ — what is considered normal in one is an anomaly in the other. There are also traditional ways of resolving conflicts; sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. In a society where they do work, you will find a diverse population living together despite their sectarian, ethnic or tribal differences. They also share norms developed through long-term coexistence. In Europe, after centuries of conflict, it was resolved that people should adopt the religion of their prince, resulting in largely homogeneous divisions. In former Ottoman lands, it is diversity rather than homogeneity that is the norm — we are children of an empire that ruled over many nations. Someone coming from a society where homogeneity is the norm will find diversity abnormal and confusing; for them, everything becomes sectarian. We have to believe that diverse populations can coexist in states that cooperate, while respecting each other's sovereignty. Another misconception about the region is that the state system is artificial and therefore not viable — that we are not real nation states. This is based on the absurd notion that real states do exist and that there is a natural nation state. The whole idea of nationalism is in fact barely 150 years old and has been the cause of conflicts, rather than their solution. It is true that our borders were artificially drawn, mainly by Europeans, in the aftermath of the First World War. This was a messy affair and they did a bad job following a disastrous war and the collapse of three empires: Ottoman, Russian and Austro-Hungarian. The idea that the European state system is stable is even more of a myth than the one we are questioning about the Middle East. Nadim Shehadi The idea that three politicians, David Lloyd George of Britain, Georges Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson of the US, could get it right was absurd to start with. But they did a worse job in Europe and the result was another devastating war where the boundaries of Europe were again redrawn. They came to their senses after that and worked on creating what later became the EU, which now has 27 members. The idea that the European state system is a stable one is even more of a myth than the one we are questioning about the states of the Middle East being unstable. Since the rise of nation states in the 1870s, Europe has destroyed itself twice, while borders kept changing well into the end of the 20th century. By contrast, the borders of the Arab states have been far more stable. The League of Arab States was also created post-Second World War and it has now expanded to 22 members from the original seven signatories. The Alexandria Protocol of 1944 promised cooperation in economic and cultural matters, as well as respect for each other's sovereignty. The fall of the Assad regime promises that we can go back to that. A new beginning is possible thanks to the end of an era where Arab nationalist parties sought to suppress local identities, exploit tensions between them and claim an agenda of regional domination, while deriving legitimacy from their claim of leading the Arabs in the conflict with Israel.
Leaders
11 hours ago
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Portugal Weighs Recognizing Palestinian State in September: PM
Portugal is considering the formal recognition of Palestinian Statehood this September, joining a growing list of nations that plan to make the move. On Thursday, the office of Portugal's Prime Minister, Luis Montenegro, said that the government will hold consultations with the president and parliament to decide on the question of recognizing the State of Palestine at the UN in September, reported AFP. In a statement, the Prime Minister's office said: 'Portugal is considering recognition of the Palestinian state, as part of a procedure that could be concluded during the high-level week of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, to be held in New York in September.' Currently, 147 out of the 193 UN member states recognize the State of Palestine, which holds observer status at the UN. With this move, Portugal joins France, the UK, Canada and Malta, all of which announced they would formally recognize Palestine this September. France was the first major Western power to announce the recognition plan. Few days later, the UK, Canada and Malta made their announcements at the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France in New York. Britain's move is conditional on a ceasefire in Gaza by September, while Canada's decision hinges on political changes by the Palestinian Authority. Other European countries, such as Spain, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, Armenia, recognized the Palestinian State in 2024. These recent announcements are driven by Saudi Arabia's intensive diplomatic efforts and a growing frustration with Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, which has killed over 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and caused one of the world's most catastrophic humanitarian crises. Short link : Post Views: 22
Leaders
11 hours ago
- Leaders
Saudi Arabia Urges World to Back Two-State Solution Conference's Final Document
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, has endorsed the final document of the International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, on behalf of Saudi Arabia, France and countries leading the working groups. The Two-State Solution Conference's final document includes an agreement to work jointly to end the war in Gaza, reach a just, peaceful and lasting settlement for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution, and build a better future for Palestinians, Israelis, and all peoples of the region. On this occasion, the Saudi Foreign Minister said: 'These outcomes reflect comprehensive proposals across political, humanitarian, security, economic, legal, and strategic narrative tracks, and they form an integrated and actionable framework for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and security for all.' The endorsement took place at the conclusion of the conference's second day, held at the UN headquarters in New York under the joint chairmanship of Saudi Arabia and France, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Prince Faisal called upon all UN member states to support this document before the conclusion of the upcoming UN General Assembly session this September. Furthermore, he reiterated Saudi Arabia's condemnation of all attacks by any party against civilians, including indiscriminate attacks, all assaults on civilian infrastructure, provocative actions, incitement, and acts of destruction. The Two-State Solution Conference aimed to take concrete, time-bound and irreversible measures for a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian cause and move forward with the implementation of the two-state solution. It also aimed to ultimately realize – through accelerated concrete actions – an independent Palestinian State that guarantees the Palestinian people their legitimate right to live with dignity on their land. Short link : Post Views: 31
