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The National
2 days ago
- Business
- The National
Towards a peaceful and stable Middle East
Throughout the Middle East, pundits and public alike are wondering how the changes that the region is witnessing may affect the fragile existing balance of power and whether they can open the door, finally, for an era of peaceful co-existence and prosperity. It is well established that the strategic weight of our region is not confined to politics or security. It also lies in its increasingly pivotal role in the global economy. Key maritime routes, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal, serve as vital arteries of global trade and energy supplies. At the same time, many Arab Gulf states are investing heavily in emerging industries such as renewable energy and advanced technologies. It is clear that bringing peace and stability to the Middle East is no longer a regional aspiration, but a global imperative intertwined with international prosperity. For the Arab League, a new strategic reality in the Middle East can only come about when a true vision for peace is implemented. The vision we have in mind is one based on the two-state solution: restoration of Palestinian rights for independence and dignity, followed by the implementation of the engagement of peace outlined in the Arab Peace Initiative, thus opening the door for an era of true peace and stability in the region. But regional security has been viewed differently by various parties in the region. For the Arabs, based on Arab Summit resolutions, the notion of regional security has always been based on five major pillars: a) An end to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the emergence of an independent contiguous Palestine, b) Respect of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of States, c) The establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region, d) Relentless combatting of terrorism and the preservation of nation-states, and e) Security guarantees for all and shared interests as applicable. From an Arab perspective, while all these elements are essential for reaching a viable and sustainable formula for regional security, we view this equation as a win-win for all parties. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same about the perspective offered by other parties in our region, such as Israel. For years, and in particular after the '93 Oslo accords, the concept of regional security for Israel was based primarily on achieving military and security superiority while 'postponing indefinitely' any viable solution for the Palestinian question and without producing any real vision for achieving just and comprehensive peace. Since October 7, 2023, it appears that 'postponing indefinitely' a solution to the Palestinian question was replaced by 'eliminating' it altogether. Achieving a sustainable peace requires addressing broader geopolitical dynamics, particularly those involving Iran Driven by its extreme right-wing forces and its advancement in the past two decades, such a vision is a considerable impediment for peace and prosperity in the region. Enabling those forces to continue on such a path is nothing but a recipe for continued conflict and instability. Such a zero-sum equation with no room for a win-win formula is no salvation for our region and certainly meets no aspiration for peaceful co-existence in it. At the same time, achieving a sustainable peace requires addressing broader geopolitical dynamics, particularly those involving Iran. Over the past few years, several Arab countries have taken steps toward de-escalation and restoring dialogue with Tehran, aiming to establish a framework of mutual respect and non-interference. This approach must be preserved and reinforced, as it offers the potential to reduce tensions and prevent wider regional confrontation. For peace to take root, all regional actors must abandon policies of provocation and ideological dominance, and instead commit to principles of co-existence and balanced co-operation. I acknowledge that in my numerous encounters throughout the Arab World, and in particular after witnessing the horrors committed by Israel in Gaza through 21 months of genocidal war, I often reach the unhappy conclusion that many Arabs, in particular the youth, have ceased to believe that peace will be the order of the day in our region in the foreseeable future and that it is somehow condemned to perpetual instability and turmoil. The brief moments of peace of the 1990s seem like such distant memories. It's impossible to envisage any possibility of reliving them. All powerful players, in the region and outside it, should try and change such desperate views, if we are to seek a better and more prosperous future for the coming generations. To my understanding, a number of Arab countries who play a major role in the region have expressed readiness to engage in meaningful discussions on the matter. However, in the absence of an Israeli willingness to engage on a viable path for peace, it can be an exercise in futility. The hope remains that an active and motivated US president may intervene to tip the balance not only for the sake of morality and law, but also for shared interests and a win-for-all formula which addresses the concerns of all parties. It is still possible. Let us not waste the opportunity.
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
‘Why are you not preventing settler terrorism': Palestinians call out IDF following American citizen beaten to death by Israel settlers
Saif Musallet was just weeks away from celebrating his 21st birthday, and as he visited his family here, the Florida native's thoughts began to turn toward marriage. 'I think it's time for me to get married,' Musallet told his father, Kamel, during a phone call last week. 'Hopefully while I'm here, I'm able to find a future spouse to get engaged to.' That phone call would be Kamel's last conversation with his son. Days later, Saif was beaten to death by Israeli settlers, according to his family and eyewitnesses. Musallet was one of two men killed that day by settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, while they were in the neighboring town of Sinjil, where their families own farmland. Hundreds turned out on Sunday, braving the afternoon sun, for the funeral processions of the two men, carrying their bodies to their final resting place. Some mourners openly wept, burying their faces in the Palestinian flags wrapped around the bodies. They are among nearly 1,000 Palestinians who have been killed by the Israeli military or settlers since the region erupted into war on October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations. Their deaths mark the latest escalation in settler attacks in Sinjil, where Palestinian residents say settlers have encroached on their land over the last two months and terrorized Palestinians. Musallet was among dozens of Palestinians who drove to Sinjil together after Friday prayers seeking to reach their land. They say they were attacked by settlers wielding rocks, clubs and guns. Amid it all, a group of settlers came down on Musallet, beating him with sticks or clubs, eyewitnesses told CNN. Musallet's younger brother managed to reach him and called for help. He said Musallet was unconscious, but still breathing and needed an ambulance. But for at least two hours, no ambulance could reach him. Settlers were still roaming the area and had already shattered the windshield of an ambulance that day. On the other side, the Israeli military was firing tear gas to disperse the crowd of Palestinians and refusing to allow the ambulances to pass for hours. By the time the ambulance reached Musallet, his face was blue, and he had stopped breathing. 'Nobody could get to him,' Musallet's father, Kamel, said. He now says he holds the Israeli military just as responsible for his son's death as the settlers who beat him. 'They prevented the ambulance and allowed the settlers to do what they do anytime they want to,' Kamel Musallet said. 'I hold the Israeli military just as responsible as the settlers and the American government for not doing anything about this. You know, why are you not telling the IDF? Why are you not preventing settler terrorism?' The Israeli military has said it is investigating Musallet's death but did not respond to allegations that it prevented ambulances from reaching him. The Musallet family has called on the United States to investigate Musallet's killing. Beyond a condolence call from the US consulate, Kamel Musallet said he has heard nothing more from the Trump administration, which earlier this year lifted sanctions on Israeli settlers imposed by the previous administration. Saif Musallet was born and raised in Port Charlotte, Florida and owned an ice cream shop with his father in Tampa, where his father said Saif's 'gentle soul' shone through. 'Everyone loved him. Everyone loved Saif,' his father said. But Kamel Musallet says he believes there is a double-standard – that the US government would be taking his son's killing more seriously if he were American-Israeli. 'We want justice. We want the American-Israeli and the American-Palestinian to be in the same class,' Kamel Musallet said. 'These are Americans. But for some reason, the American-Palestinian is differentiated from the American-Israeli.' Hafez Abdel Jabbar, who is also a US citizen, was among the Palestinians on the scene that day. He said settlers and soldiers prevented ambulances from reaching Musallet for hours, until a vehicle with officers from COGAT, Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, showed up and agreed to escort him through. Abdel Jabbar believes Musallet could have been saved had they been allowed through earlier. 'Oh yes, of course,' Abdel Jabbar said. 'From the first minute, from the first call … he was breathing.' CNN witnessed settler violence in Sinjil first-hand on Sunday, when we came under attack from a group of settlers who smashed the window of our vehicle. As Abdel Jabbar drove CNN to the site where he found Musallet's unconscious body, a white car began following the team. Inside were a group of at least four settlers, who covered their faces as they began pursuing our vehicle. As we approached a nearby intersection, the settlers got out of their car and tried to pelt our vehicle, but then turned around as CNN approached a nearby Israeli border police vehicle. The border police unit immediately headed out to search for the settlers after being alerted by CNN. But minutes later, our team was ambushed. The settlers had hidden out of sight of the border police and attacked. One assailant wielding some sort of club or mallet struck CNN's vehicle, shattering the rear window as our team sped off. Israel police said they opened 'a proactive investigation in pursuit of justice' into the attack and that such incidents are treated 'extremely seriously.' 'If it would've taken us five more seconds, we all would've been beaten,' Abdel Jabber said. But for Abdel Jabber, it is just a taste of the grim reality he is forced to face in the West Bank. His son, Tawfic, was killed in January 2024 by an Israeli settler. 'You scream to the whole world and the whole world is watching – simply silent – seeing all these mothers put their sons that they worked so hard to raise them up for 20 years,' Abdel Jabbar said. 'And you pick them up when you put them in the ground, under the sky. And the silence goes on and on and on.' 'What hurts you deeply is the silence of the whole world.'
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Rights defenders denounce US sanctions on UN expert
GENEVA: Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the US imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel. Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues. She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work that had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course. 'Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures,' he said. Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to 'refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal' against the body's experts. Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead. 'This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same,' she said. 'It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this.' Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list. Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide. Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023. 'The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely,' said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch. The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt 'to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza.' The US, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians
Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel. Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues. She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course. "Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said, Reuters reported. Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts. Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead. "This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this." Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list. Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide. Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023. "The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch. The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza". The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.
Zawya
09-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt, Qatar mull boosting joint investments
Arab Finance: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, where they discussed enhancing bilateral investments, as per a statement. At the start of the talks, Madbouly reaffirmed historical ties between Egypt and Qatar, underlining Egypt's interest in strengthening bilateral relations across various sectors, in line with the directives of the political leadership in both countries. He expressed hopes for greater Qatari investment in promising sectors of the Egyptian economy, particularly tourism, and stressed Egypt's readiness to offer a range of incentives and facilities to Qatari investors. For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani confirmed Qatar's interest in deepening economic relations with Egypt. He also referred to existing cooperation across several sectors, emphasizing the importance of expanding Qatari investments in the country. The two leaders also discussed coordination efforts with the US to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Both sides reiterated their commitment to ending the suffering of the Palestinian people and supporting their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state along the June 4th, 1967, borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. © 2020-2023 Arab Finance For Information Technology. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
