Syria to help locate missing Americans: US envoy
Syria's new authorities have agreed to help the United States locate and return Americans who went missing in the war-torn country, a US envoy said on Sunday.
'The new Syrian government has agreed to assist the USA in locating and returning USA citizens or their remains. The families of Austin Tice, Majd Kamalmaz, and Kayla Mueller must have closure,' US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack wrote on X.
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an hour ago
- Arab News
Palestinian nationalism must be saved
When the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the UAE wanted to visit the Palestinian city of Ramallah last weekend, their goal was not a photo op in the city's Al-Manara Square. It was a clear show of support for Palestinian nationalism. As preparations for the June 17-20 Saudi-French high-level conference on the two-state solution in New York accelerate, Israel is intensifying its efforts to delegitimize Palestinian nationalism. Behind its campaign against Hamas lies a deeper strategy to deny Palestinians their inalienable right to self-determination. The Arab-Muslim ministerial visit to Ramallah was not simply about bolstering an unpopular Palestinian president. Its genuine purpose was to express solidarity with the Palestinian presidency. To be fair, President Mahmoud Abbas has undertaken modest reforms that deserve public support. While insufficient, these reforms should not be dismissed outright, especially not by an Israeli government that works relentlessly to undermine the very existence of the Palestinian Authority. Ironically, Israel transmitted its rejection of the visit by way of Hussein Al-Sheikh, the new Palestinian vice president, who has been a supporter of security cooperation with Israel. The Israelis are engaging in a one-way process in which they gain security cooperation while failing to reciprocate by respecting the very institution that is providing this cooperation. Unilateral Israeli attacks and permanent occupation of Palestinian refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nablus are not the way to encourage two-way cooperation. Behind Israel's campaign against Hamas lies a deeper strategy to deny Palestinians their inalienable right to self-determination. Daoud Kuttab Furthermore, Israel continues to withhold Palestinian tax revenues it collects under the Israel-Palestine Memorandum of Understanding. While this agreement, often referred to as the Oslo Accords, allowed a 3 percent administrative handling fee, Israel is legally obligated to transfer the remainder of the monies collected to the Palestinian government. Instead, it is unjustifiably holding 7 billion shekels, roughly $2 billion. President Abbas and his newly appointed deputy, Al-Sheikh, have bent over backward to address Israeli objections, including the unpopular cessation of stipends to families of prisoners and martyrs. But even this painful concession has not resulted in the release of funds. As a consequence, Palestinian public servants have been forced to accept a fraction of their salaries just ahead of the Eid Al-Adha holiday. The multifaceted Israeli campaign — against refugee camps, the Palestinian government and any role for Ramallah in postwar Gaza — is aimed at crippling, if not eradicating, the Palestinian national entity centered in Ramallah. Arab and Muslim leaders, along with the global community, must persist in upholding Palestinian national rights. Daoud Kuttab By the end of 2024, the state of Palestine had been recognized by 146 countries, with several others, including Western nations, preparing to follow suit. The international community must do far more to uphold Palestinian nationalism and the right of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem to live in freedom, free of occupation, settlements and colonial control. The plans for Arab and Muslim leaders, traveling by Jordanian military helicopter, to visit the Palestinian presidency in Ramallah were blocked by the Israeli occupying powers. This unprecedented move — targeting officials from countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Israel — was a grave insult to those who defied public opinion at home to sign peace treaties and normalize ties with Israel, even while it occupied Palestinian and Arab lands. The response should not be limited to a video call with Abbas. It must include intensified political and economic support for Palestine. Countries capable of investing trillions globally must step up to support the Palestinian people and critical UN agencies like UNRWA. The Palestinian leadership, for its part, must exceed the bare minimum reforms that are being asked of it. Abbas must lead the effort to reunite Palestinians under the Palestine Liberation Organization umbrella and renew his legitimacy through an inclusive process involving both Palestinians in the Occupied Territories and the diaspora. While national elections are essential, immediate steps can be taken to heal divisions and rebuild the Palestinian national movement. This will require compromise, including a strategic shift by armed factions from military struggle to unified political and popular resistance. Arab and Muslim leaders, along with the global community, must persist in upholding Palestinian national rights. The denial of the foreign ministers' entry to Ramallah should not be forgotten but rather serve as a reminder that this conflict did not begin in October 2023. And that the fate of detainees on both sides is not the only barrier to a just and lasting peace. Palestinian statehood is the most logical and lasting solution to the decades-long conflict in the Middle East.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Iraq frees Australian, Egyptian engineers after four years, but keeps travel ban
BAGHDAD: Iraq has released an Australian mechanical engineer and his Egyptian colleague who were detained for more than four years over a dispute with the central bank, authorities said Friday, though the two remain barred from leaving the country. Robert Pether and Khalid Radwan were working for an engineering company contracted to oversee the construction of the bank's new Baghdad headquarters, according to a United Nations report, when they were arrested in April 2021. A report from a working group for the UN Human Rights Council said the arrests stemmed from a contractual dispute over 'alleged failure to execute certain payments.' Both men were sentenced to five years in prison and fined $12 million, the working group said. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Pether, in his fifties, was released 'due to his poor health.' Australian media have previously reported that the family suspected Pether had developed lung cancer in prison and that he had undergone surgery for skin cancer. A second Iraqi official confirmed the release of Radwan, adding that he was not allowed to leave the country until a 'final decision' was made regarding his case. Australia's ABC broadcaster quoted the country's foreign minister, Penny Wong, as welcoming the release and saying the Australian government had raised the issue with Iraqi authorities more than 200 times. Simon Harris, foreign minister for Ireland, where Pether's family lives, posted on X: 'This evening, I have been informed of the release on bail of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a case of great concern. 'This is very welcome news in what has been a long and distressing saga for Robert's wife, three children and his wider family and friends.' Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE, Pether's wife, Desree Pether, said her husband was 'not well at all' and 'really needs to just come home so he can get the proper medical care he needs.' 'He's completely unrecognizable. It's a shock to the system to see how far he has declined,' she said.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Syrian leader makes first visit to cradle of country's uprising
DAMASCUS: Syrian Arab Republic's interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Friday visited the southern city of Daraa, the cradle of the country's uprising, for the first time since ousting longtime ruler Bashar Assad almost six months ago. State news agency SANA published footage showing a cheering crowd greeting Sharaa, who was seen waving and shaking hands with people during the visit, which came on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha. Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited Daraa's historic Omari mosque during the trip, the presidency said in a statement, releasing images of the visit showing the leader among the crowd. SANA also said he met with local civil and military officials, as well as a delegation from the Christian minority. Provincial governor Anwar Al-Zoabi said in a statement that the visit was 'an important milestone in the course of national recovery.' In 2011, young boys who had scrawled graffiti against Assad were detained in Daraa, sparking nationwide protests. After the war erupted following the brutal repression of protests, rebels seized control of Daraa and hung on until 2018, when the city returned to Assad under a deal mediated by Russia that allowed former fighters to keep their light weapons. On December 6, as Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) led a lightning offensive on Damascus from the country's northwest, a coalition of armed groups from Daraa province was formed to help oust Assad, who was toppled two days later. The province was plagued by unrest in recent years.
