
Human Rights Commission, King Khalid Foundation sign cooperation agreement
The agreement was signed by Hala Al-Tuwaijri, president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, and Princess Nouf bint Mohammed bin Abdullah, CEO of the King Khalid Foundation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The partnership is designed to strengthen coordination between the two organizations while making the most of their combined expertise to promote human rights initiatives throughout Saudi Arabia.
Under the terms of the agreement, the organizations will collaborate on joint research projects focusing on human rights issues, launch public awareness campaigns to foster a culture of human rights understanding, and develop community-based initiatives that align with their shared mission.
The partnership also aims to highlight Saudi Arabia's growing commitment to human rights and sustainable development on both the domestic and international stages.
The partnership comes as Saudi Arabia continues to prioritize human rights advancement through legislative reforms, public education programs, and enhanced community engagement.
The Kingdom has been actively working to elevate the profile of its civil society organizations and their contributions to human rights progress through joint community initiatives and collaborative projects.
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Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
EU and Gulf states aligned on path to peace in Palestine, top EU official tells Arab News
NEW YORK CITY: The EU and Gulf nations, led by Saudi Arabia, are increasingly aligned in their calls for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the provision of humanitarian relief, and a political path forward in Gaza and the West Bank, according to EU's commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica. Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of a high-level international conference at the UN in New York this week, Suica emphasized a shared interest in 'peace, security and prosperity' as the foundation for deeper EU-Gulf cooperation on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Formally titled the 'High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,' the two-day event, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, began on Monday. It brought together top global actors, including the EU, the UN and major Arab states, in what was described as a critical turning point in efforts to revive peace talks and lay the groundwork for post-conflict reconstruction in Gaza. 'This is a historic moment,' Suica told Arab News. 'We are mature enough, and seeing what is going on the ground, this conference might be the trigger to say enough is enough.' She was unequivocal in her support for the Saudi-led initiative and the Arab Peace Initiative, saying: 'We are aligned on that. We would like to follow, we would like to engage.' The EU and Gulf countries agree on the urgent need for a ceasefire agreement, she added, and a diplomatic track that guarantees security for both Israelis and Palestinians. Suica said the role of the EU extends beyond diplomacy to include direct financial support, particularly for efforts to strengthen the Palestinian Authority. 'We don't want to be only a payer, we want to be a player,' she added. 'We are financing the Palestinian Authority because we think we have to empower them to be our interlocutor on the ground.' While the lead diplomatic role lies with the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, Suica said her own focus is on the economic dimension, particularly reconstruction and institutional development in a postwar Gaza. She confirmed that the EU would launch a donors' platform in the fall to help coordinate international aid for rebuilding the territory and the long-term development of Palestinian institutions. This includes €1.9 billion ($ 2.2 billion) earmarked for Palestinian reforms between now and 2027, of which €150 million has already been disbursed. The EU is also supporting the UN Relief and Works Agency, the only organization currently able to provide services such as healthcare and education on the ground. 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'All member states are on board,' Suica affirmed, and she criticized Israeli authorities for the slow implementation of previous humanitarian agreements, including the limited opening of border crossings to allow aid to enter Gaza. Nor did she mince her words when discussing Israeli policies in the West Bank, noting that tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority — money that is crucial for maintaining public services and governance — have been withheld for the past three months. She also denounced a rise in settler violence, which she said undermines prospects for a two-state solution. 'Violent settlers on the ground is not acceptable,' Suica said. 'We've had one or two rounds of sanctions, but for more we need unanimity, and that's always a problem within the EU.' This week's conference in New York, she added, is a 'very good introduction' ahead of the UN's General Assembly week in September, when key announcements are expected, including official recognition of the State of Palestine by more countries. France has already declared its intent to do so, and Suica hinted that other European nations might follow suit. This aligns with a broader 'Peace Day Effort' launched by the EU, the Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. This aims to build a comprehensive 'peace-supporting package,' including economic, political and regional security cooperation mechanisms to help sustain peace once a final agreement is reached. 'This is not just about Gaza,' Suica said. 'This is about the future architecture of peace and security in the entire region. The Gulf countries are critical partners in this effort. We are aligned, and we are determined.' As the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues to unfold and violence spreads in the West Bank, the EU and its Arab partners are pushing for what might be the most coordinated international push for a two-state solution in more than a decade. With the clock ticking toward the UN's General Assembly in September, the pressure is therefore on all sides to turn diplomatic hopes into lasting results.


Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Landmark Saudi-French peace summit signals growing international consensus for Palestinian statehood
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Israel, which faces mounting international pressure over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza — where the UN says starvation is taking hold — also boycotted the meeting. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the wide attendance at the conference proved 'the consensus and the mobilization of the international community around the appeal for an end to the war in Gaza.' He urged participants to view the gathering as 'a turning point — a transformational juncture for implementing the two-state solution.' 'We have begun an unprecedented and unstoppable momentum for a political solution in the Middle East, which is already beginning to bear fruit,' Barrot said, citing tangible steps such as 'recognition of Palestine, normalization and regional integration of Israel, reform of Palestinian governance, and the disarmament of Hamas.' While the 1947 UN Partition Plan originally proposed separate Jewish and Arab states, Israel's far-right government continues to reject any form of Palestinian statehood, advocating instead for the permanent annexation of land and, in some cases, the expulsion of Palestinian residents. 'This conference does not promote a solution, but rather deepens the illusion,' said Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, on Monday, accusing organizers of being 'disconnected from reality' by prioritizing Palestinian sovereignty over the release of hostages and the dismantling of Hamas. The future of Hamas and Israeli settler violence dominated discussions on the first day and are expected to remain a focus throughout the conference. Juan Manuel Santos, the former Colombian president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, told the conference that the current Israeli government is 'pursuing a greater Israel through the destruction of Gaza, illegal settlement expansion and the annexation of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.' He called on nations to recognize the State of Palestine, saying it would send a clear message that Israel's 'expansionist agenda will never be accepted and does not serve their true interests.' Intervening on the issue, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa described Gaza as the 'latest and most brutal manifestation' of the crisis. 'The idea that peace can come through the destruction or subjugation of our people is a deadly illusion,' he said, arguing that the Palestinian people — and not Hamas — 'have demonstrated an ironclad commitment to peace in the face of brutal violence.' Israel has defended its actions as essential to national security and has signaled its intention to maintain military control over Gaza and the West Bank after the war. But on Monday, several speakers insisted that true security cannot exist without peace. 'Just as there can be no peace without security, there can be no security without peace,' said Italian representative Maria Tripodi. Participants proposed building an inclusive regional security framework modeled after the OSCE or ASEAN, focused on negotiations and policy rather than military control. Qatar's representative emphasized that while a ceasefire and increasing the flow of humanitarian aid remain the immediate goals, lasting peace requires a two-state solution, tackling root causes, protecting independent media, and countering hate speech. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Cairo has 'intensified efforts' to end the war, resume aid, and provide security training to forces that could help create the conditions for a viable Palestinian state. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza loomed large over discussions. With the territory's health and food systems in a state of collapse, the UN has warned that famine is already unfolding in parts of the enclave, where hundreds of thousands remain trapped. Despite mounting international pressure, Israel has maintained tight control over land access and aid convoys, increasing the allowance of humanitarian convoys entering the enclave on Sunday — efforts that humanitarian groups say are insufficient, erratic, and dangerous. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the Arab League, warned that 'a new Middle East will never emerge from the suffering of Palestinians.' Peace, he said, will not come through 'starvation, deportation or total suppression,' and cannot exist while occupation and apartheid persist. Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein, former UN high commissioner for human rights, urged the international community to define a clear and pragmatic plan for a new and independent Palestine. 'A vision is not for today's emotional audit,' he said, but for a new tomorrow for both Israel and Palestine. This is why, 'a two-state solution would have to be practical to gain support' and 'wholesale vagueness about the end game is not strategic; it is dangerous.' He advocated for a 'cleverly designed, regionally anchored security arrangement to prevent unilateral abrogation as a first urgent transitional step' in addition to a reconstruction and rehabilitation mission with an international mandate. Addressing delegates, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the conflict had reached a 'breaking point,' and urged a shift from rhetoric to concrete action. Nothing justifies 'the obliteration of Gaza that has unfolded before the eyes of the world,' he said, listing illegal settlement expansion, settler violence, mass displacement and the annexation drive as elements of a 'systemic reality dismantling the building blocks of peace.' He called for an immediate end to unilateral actions undermining a two-state solution, and reaffirmed the UN vision of two sovereign, democratic states living side-by-side in peace, based on pre-1967 borders and with Jerusalem as a shared capital. 'This remains the only framework rooted in international law, endorsed by this Assembly, and supported by the international community,' he said. 'It is the only credible path to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. And it is the sine qua non for peace across the wider Middle East.'


Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Saudi interior minister holds talks with French counterpart to enhance security, combat crime
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