
UAE foreign minister welcomes UK's decision to recognise Palestinian state
Keir Starmer recently announced he would recognise Palestine as a separate state during the United Nations General Assembly meetings in September.
He took this step to strengthen the international community's efforts to achieve the two-state solution and establish a just and lasting peace in the region.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed the UAE's appreciation for this important decision, which comes at a pivotal moment that requires the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and work collectively to activate the political process and end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
This will contribute to enhancing security and stability in the region, while simultaneously supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among which is the establishment of an independent, sovereign state, in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions and international agreements.
The minister also also reiterated the UAE's unwavering commitment to supporting the aspirations of the Palestinian people, safeguarding their rights, and continuing to work with regional and international partners to achieve a just and sustainable solution that ends the conflict and paves the way for a more stable and prosperous future for all peoples of the region.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The National
an hour ago
- The National
Hamas open to shift by Israel and US towards comprehensive Gaza deal, sources say
Hamas is open to negotiating a comprehensive Gaza deal that would end the war in the Palestinian enclave and free all the hostages it holds, sources told The National on Monday. They said the blueprint for a comprehensive deal was being discussed between Israel and the US on one hand and the US and mediators from Qatar and Egypt on the other. The contacts are conducted both remotely and through physical meetings in Cairo and Doha. However, the sources did not disclose the content of the discussions except to say they are expected to be finalised during a proposed 60-day truce in the nearly 22-month war. US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday told families of hostages held by Hamas he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war. Mr Trump himself has said ending the conflict is a priority for his administration. However, months of negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt have failed to reach a deal as Israel's government faces mounting pressure over humanitarian conditions in the enclave. 'We have a very, very good plan that we're working on collectively with the Israeli government, with Prime Minister Netanyahu ... for the reconstruction of Gaza. That effectively means the end of the war,' Mr Witkoff is heard saying during his meeting with the hostages' families. He also said Hamas was prepared to disarm to end the war, a claim that has since been denied by the militant group. Though militarily battered in the war, Hamas has said it will not end its 'armed resistance' unless an 'independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital' is established. The pursuit of a comprehensive plan to end the war and free the hostages presents a shift of focus from the last bid to reach a Gaza deal, when Israel and Hamas were offered a 60-day truce, the release of 10 hostages along with the remains of 18 others and the redeployment of Israeli forces in Gaza to allow for humanitarian aid to flow. Hamas is believed to be still holding about 50 hostages, of whom 20 are believed to be alive. Long-term end to war The deal was derailed when Hamas suggested amendments to the final proposals, mainly on the extent of the Israeli redeployment and its insistence that high-profile Palestinians serving long jail terms in Israeli prisons are included among the hundreds to be freed by Israel as part of a deal. The sources said Hamas believed the search for a comprehensive deal would open the door to negotiations on its long-standing demands for an Israeli withdrawal and a long-term end to the war. Additionally, they said, Hamas hope the discussions will touch on Gaza's postwar future and its plans to ensure its survival by morphing into a political force after a gradual, internationally supervised process in which it will lay down and store its arms. 'Hamas wants to hold out for as long as it can,' said one of the sources. 'It wants to stay in the picture until the last possible moment to safeguard its existence and ensure the safety of its fighters and leaders.' Hamas is also hoping a long-term ceasefire will allow it to save the lives of scores, if not hundreds, of operatives trapped inside its elaborate network of underground tunnels in Gaza, and to ensure the safety of its leaders, who will leave Gaza with their families to live in temporary exile, said the sources. The sources, however, warned that Israel was showing no signs that it had abandoned its military and security plans for Gaza. Israel has already taken concrete steps to force a large segment of Gaza's population to move south to near the Egyptian border, and to carve much of the tiny territory into no-go security zones and what it calls humanitarian areas. 'The grand plan remains for Israel to create conditions on the ground that leave the Palestinians little choice but to seek a dignified and secure life elsewhere,' said another source. 'Forced evictions also remain on the table.' The Gaza war was sparked by a surprise, Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities in October 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 more taken hostage. Israel's response has been a military campaign that has to date killed more than 60,000 and wounded more than twice that number, according to figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry. The UN deems the figures reliable. The war has also displaced most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents, more than once in many cases, and razed most of its built-up areas.


Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Kuwait Amir accepts Finance Minister's resignation, assigns Al-Mukhaizeem as acting
KUWAIT -His Highness the Amir assigned Minister of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy Dr. Sabeeh Al-Mukhaizeem as Acting Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Investment Affairs after accepting the resignation of Minister Al-Fassam. His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah is assigned with implementing the decrees, which take effect upon their publication in the official gazette. All KUNA right are reserved © 2025. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (


The National
2 hours ago
- The National
UK to recruit hundreds of officers to smash Kurdish smuggling gangs
Hundreds of new law enforcement officers are to be recruited by the UK in a bid to tackle people smuggling gangs based in the Middle East, including in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, who are bringing migrants across the English Channel in small boats. The Home Office has announced a £100 million ($133 million) spending package which will also fund the start of the new 'one-in, one out' agreement with France to deport migrants who come by boat in return for allowing those with an approved asylum claim to enter Britain. The National Crime Agency will see an additional 300 officers who will target smuggling kingpins and aim to disrupt their criminal operations across the Middle East, as well as Africa and Europe, said the Home Office. These new resources will partly go towards work being done in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region − an area where the NCA has been active − a Home Office source told The National. It comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government is grappling with the charged issue of migration, as protests continue outside hotels in central London and elsewhere that are housing asylum seekers. The announcement is part of the pledge by Mr Starmer to 'smash the gangs' of people smugglers to deal with record numbers of migrants arriving by small boats, a figure that has already topped 25,000 this year. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper signed an agreement with the government of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region at the end of last year which has seen NCA officers operating for the first time in an area that has become a centre for the people smuggling industry. NCA officers were involved in an operation to arrest suspected people smugglers allegedly linked to the same network as Amanj Hassan Zada, a UK-based human trafficker who was sentenced to 17 years in jail in November. A Home Office source told The National the funding and officers will 'absolutely' go towards the work being done in the region. which is a 'big part of the NCA's work'. Announcing the new officers and measures, Ms Cooper said: 'For six years, the small boat smuggling gangs were allowed to embed their criminal trade along our coast, and have shown a ruthless ability to adapt their tactics and maximise their profits, no matter how many lives they put at risk. 'They must not be allowed to get away with this vile crime. Now this additional funding will strengthen every aspect of our plan, and will turbocharge the ability of our law enforcement agencies to track the gangs and bring them down, working with our partners overseas, and using state-of-the-art technology and equipment.' The new money will be spent on hi-tech surveillance capabilities and AI-assisted intelligence and data analysis tools. It will also go towards funding police powers to seize digital devices and download data to gather evidence and intelligence, which was announced as part of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill. Anyone who advertises small boat crossings or fake passports on social media could be face up to five years in prison under a new offence to be introduced under the legislation. As part of the drive to reduce migration, the UK is also to clamp down on foreign students claiming asylum as their visas come to an end. An announcement is expected in the coming weeks regarding a clampdown on universities accepting foreign students who are using the study visa route as a way into the UK but then claim asylum or fail to take up their place. In its work tackling smuggling gangs the NCA has also been working to disrupt the supply of small boats coming from Turkey to the shores of northern France. Working with local law enforcement, its officers seized 25 boats capable of carrying 1,500 people at a border crossing in Bulgaria, which is on the major route used to transport the vessels. NCA director general of operations Rob Jones Director General of Operations Rob Jones said the organisation is focused 'on making the biggest impact on organised crime groups behind these lethal crossings'. 'We currently have 91 investigations continuing into the most dangerous people smuggling networks impacting the UK, and are working with partners at home and abroad to target, disrupt and dismantle them,' he said. But the opposition Conservatives described the new funding announcement as a 'desperate grab for headlines which will make no real difference'. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: 'Labour has failed and their laughable claim to smash the gangs lies in tatters. They have no serious plan, just excuses, while ruthless criminal gangs flood our borders with illegal immigrants.' 'The British public deserves real action, not empty slogans and tinkering at the edges. Immediate detention, rapid removal and shutting down these illegal networks for good.' Meanwhile, the government has moved to reduce the number of 16,000 asylum claims made by foreign students who had come to the UK legally on a study visa. Universities will be penalised if fewer than 95 per cent of international students accepted on a course start their studies or fewer than 90 per cent continue to the end.