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The National
05-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Arab League debuts for new Lebanon and Syria leaders reflect profound regional shift
The Arab League summit in Cairo concluded on Tuesday with a unified stance on Gaza's reconstruction, endorsing Egypt's $53 billion plan to rebuild the enclave, while rejecting any proposals that involve Palestinian displacement. Leaders from the Arab region came together to counter US President Donald Trump's suggestion that Palestinians should be forced out of Gaza so that it could be rebuilt as a US-run 'Riviera of the Middle East'. The summit saw the participation of two notable newcomers: Syrian interim President Ahmad Al Shara, amid Syria's full return to the Arab diplomatic fold, and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, attending his first regional summit since taking office in January. As the emergency summit began, Bahrain's King Hamad welcomed the Syrian and Lebanese presidents on behalf of all attendees. Both presidents brought priorities that diverge from their Tehran-aligned predecessors, reflecting the shifting dynamics in the Middle East. Syria and Lebanon are seeking to enhance their relations with Arab nations. Both countries' leaders chose Saudi Arabia as the destination for their first foreign visits. During Bashar Al Assad 's rule, Syria was suspended from the Arab League over his deadly 2011 crackdown on pro-democracy protests, which spiralled into civil war. Syria under Mr Al Assad was readmitted to the bloc in 2023 after years of regional isolation. But the regime of the former Syrian president fell in December at the hands of rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, under the leadership of Mr Al Shara. Mr Al Assad has fled to Moscow and a transitional government has been established in Syria. Since then, regional and global powers have re-engaged with Damascus, with its new leadership taking part in high-level international conferences. 'Syria is now in its rightful place – among its brotherly nations and within the Arab fold,' Mr Al Shara told Al Arabiya TV on the sidelines of the summit. Stability in Syria remains a priority for many in the region. Under Mr Al Assad, Syria served as a land corridor to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, anchoring Tehran's influence in the Levant. His ousting was a major blow to Iran, disrupting its regional strategy and weakening its 'Axis of Resistance'. Losing Syria meant Iran faced setbacks in supplying Hezbollah and maintaining a direct front against Israel. The Lebanese militant group is today weaker than at any point previously after a year-long war with Israel, which resulted in the destruction of its infrastructure, the elimination of its leadership and the infiltration of its security apparatus. Decades of military and economic investment in Mr Al Assad's survival were undermined, forcing Tehran to reassess its regional posture. Domestically, it fuelled debates over Tehran's costly foreign interventions, while externally, it emboldened its foe, Israel. In Lebanon, Hezbollah's military defeat enabled the election of a new president and the appointment of a prime minister who are more invested in strengthening relations with the US and neighbouring Arab states, while being far less constrained by Iranian influence. Since assuming leadership, Mr Al Shara has taken steps to address smuggling along the Syria-Lebanon border and said his country would not interfere in its neighbour's affairs. Mr Al Shara and Mr Aoun's participation in the Arab summit emphasised the profound shift taking place in the Arab region, Neil Quilliam, associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the UK-based Chatham House think tank, told The National. 'With Iran firmly on the back foot, Arab states recognise the need to step up and play a more dynamic role in supporting regional security and development,' he said. While Mr Aoun and Mr Al Shara had spoken by phone in February, Tuesday marked their first in-person meeting on the sidelines of the summit. 'President Aoun and Syria's President Shara tackled several issues,' the Lebanese presidency said on X on Tuesday, adding that they agreed on 'the need to control the border between the two countries.' Syria shares a 330km border with Lebanon, with no official demarcation at various points, rendering it porous and prone to smuggling. Assertive speeches At the summit, Mr Aoun said Lebanon 'has suffered greatly but has learnt from its sufferings'. 'It has learnt not to be at the mercy of other people's wars. It has learnt not to be a headquarters or a corridor for foreign policies. It is also not a stronghold for occupations, tutelage or hegemony,' he said. 'We, as Arabs, must all be strong for Palestine to be strong,' Mr Aoun added. 'When Beirut is occupied, Damascus is destroyed, Amman is threatened, Baghdad is in pain, or Sanaa falls, it becomes impossible for anyone to claim that this is in support of Palestine.' In October 2023, following Hamas' unprecedented attacks on Israel, Hezbollah opened what it called a 'support front' for its Palestinian ally by firing rockets into Israeli territory. This escalated into near-daily cross-border exchanges between the Lebanese group and the Israeli army before Israel launched a full-scale war on Lebanon in September 2024. Many in Lebanon accuse Hezbollah of advancing an Iranian agenda. Israel also sent troops into southern Lebanon. While most have withdrawn, a contingent remains stationed at five key positions across the border. These forces are unlikely to leave any time soon, sources have told The National, citing 'strategic reasons' as the rationale behind Israel's continued presence. 'In my country, just as in Palestine, there are still lands occupied by Israel. Lebanese prisoners are in its jails,' said Mr Aoun. 'We do not give up our land, we do not forget our prisoners and we do not abandon them.' Mr Al Shara equally called on the international community to pressure Israel to 'immediately' withdraw its troops from southern Syria. 'We urge the international community to uphold its legal and moral commitments by supporting Syria's rights and pressuring Israel to immediately withdraw from southern Syria,' said Mr Al Shara. Shortly after the fall of Mr Al Assad, Israel pushed through a buffer zone between the occupied Golan Heights and southern Syria, establishing military positions inside a UN-monitored demilitarised zone. Israeli forces have remained there since, despite protests by Syria's new government and the UN. Syria's new leadership has adopted a policy of regional non-aggression. Experts told The National that they are neither willing nor capable of responding militarily to Israel, instead prioritising diplomatic support from Arab nations. Mr Quilliam sees that the Trump administration's ambivalence to the region and Israel's penchant for acting with impunity has given Arab states a greater urgency to work together in pursuit of their collective interests. 'They can longer afford to sit back and let the US drive policy. The diminution of Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon presents Arab leaders with an opportunity to shape the regional security order,' he said.
Al-Ahram Weekly
15-02-2025
- Health
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Arab League pledges $400,000 in humanitarian aid for Gaza - Foreign Affairs
The Arab League has pledged $400,000 in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip and two ambulances, Egypt's Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar announced Saturday. Abdel-Ghaffar said Egypt would also provide ambulances to transport injured Palestinians and deliver urgent medical care, reiterating the Egyptian government's commitment to supporting Palestinians facing the current humanitarian crisis. "We must address the needs of the Palestinian people," he said, emphasising the importance of continued humanitarian and medical support for those in Gaza. Abdel-Ghaffar made the remarks during a tour of Egyptian Red Crescent warehouses in Arish, where relief supplies for Gaza are received and sorted. Social Solidarity Minister Maya Morsi and an Arab League delegation, including Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki and Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector, accompanied him. The delegation was briefed on how aid arrives – by land, sea to Arish port, and air to Arish International Airport – and how volunteers prepare and transport it by truck to Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Egypt has received 12,000 wounded and sick Gazans, including 2,500 children, since the ceasefire began on 19 January, North Sinai governor Khaled Megawer stated on Thursday. The 15-month war killed more than 48,000 Gazans and wounded over 110,000, most of whom were women and children, and left Gaza's healthcare system collapsed. Short link:
Asharq Al-Awsat
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Arab League Slams Trump's Plan to ‘Take Over' the Gaza Strip
The Arab League joined a chorus of rejections on Wednesday of President Donald Trump's plan to 'take over' the Gaza Strip. The 22-member regional grouping said in a statement that Trump's proposal 'represents a recipe for instability' that does not advance Palestinian statehood. It said it rejected the displacement of the Palestinians and that Gaza was an integral part of any future Palestinian state. Trump's suggestion came at a White House news conference on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who smiled several times as the president detailed a plan to build new settlements for Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, and for the US to take 'ownership' in redeveloping the war-torn territory into 'the Riviera of the Middle East.' 'The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,' Trump said. 'We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site, and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs.' His remarks drew swift opposition from allies and adversaries alike.
Khaleej Times
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Arab League rejects Trump Gaza proposal as 'recipe for instability'
The Arab League said on Wednesday that a shock suggestion by US President Donald Trump to take over Gaza and displace Palestinians would violate international law and cause further instability. While "confident in the United States and its president's desire to achieve a just peace in the region", the Arab League's secretariat said Trump's proposal promotes "the displacement of Palestinians, which is rejected on the Arab and international levels". The 22-member regional bloc said that such a move, after more than 15 months of devastating war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, was "a recipe for instability" and would be in "violation of international law". Trump, in a White House news conference on Tuesday with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had said the United States should "take over" the Gaza Strip, expelling its people to other countries. The announcement was met with audible gasps in the room, and has faced resounding rejection since from Palestinians, Middle East leaders and governments around the world. UN rights chief Volker Turk said international law was "very clear" that "any forcible transfer in or deportation of people from occupied territory is strictly prohibited". More than two weeks into a fragile truce in the Gaza war, the Arab League on Wednesday called for a push towards comprehensive peace. The secretariat's statement urged the implementation of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with "the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip together constituting the territory of the future Palestinian state" and "no separation or infringement on the rights of the Palestinians".
LBCI
27-01-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Arab League says Palestinian displacement would be 'ethnic cleansing'
The Arab League on Sunday warned against "attempts to uproot the Palestinian people from their land", after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested a plan to "clean out" the Gaza Strip and move its population to Egypt and Jordan. "The forced displacement and eviction of people from their land can only be called ethnic cleansing," the regional bloc's general secretariat said in a statement. AFP
