Mauritanian President Urges ‘Joint Arab Action’ Against Terrorism

The Mauritanian President in front of the permanent delegates to the Arab League. (Mauritanian Presidency) 
The Mauritanian President in front of the permanent delegates to the Arab League. (Mauritanian Presidency) 
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Mauritanian President Urges ‘Joint Arab Action’ Against Terrorism

The Mauritanian President in front of the permanent delegates to the Arab League. (Mauritanian Presidency) 
The Mauritanian President in front of the permanent delegates to the Arab League. (Mauritanian Presidency) 

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani said Monday before the Arab League in Cairo that the development of the joint Arab action is essential to restore security and stability in the Arab region and defeat terrorism and extremism.

Ghazouani was on a visit to Egypt where he held discussions with his Egyptian counterpart President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

"If we want to restore security and stability in the Arab arena, defeat terrorism and extremism, and lay the foundations for sustainable and comprehensive development, then the Arab League and the development of joint Arab work are essential," the President stressed.

The first step on this path is to end the conflicts in the Arab world, said Ghazouani, adding that his country backs all international and Arab efforts aiming at resolving the current conflicts in Yemen, Syria, Sudan, and Libya, in a way that guarantees these countries’ territories integrity and unity and their people’s right in stability, security, and development.

He noted that the security, environmental, and economic crises affect the Arab countries’ social and economic fabric.

The Mauritanian President showcased his country’s strategy in fighting terrorism and the joint action among the Sahel countries in combating extremism and uprooting poverty.

Commenting on the President’s call to reinforce joint Arab action, Abdel Samad Mubarak, President of the Atlas Center for Development and Strategic Research and Professor at Nouakchott Modern University, said that these calls are essential at a time when there is a deterioration in the joint Arab action.

Mubarak told Asharq Al-Awsat that the President’s speech before the AL came from the Mauritanian tripartite approach to tackle the security and developmental issues.

He added that his speech indicates that he has decided to use his power and Mauritania’s diplomatic and political status for the sake of a joint Arab framework.



UN: Almost No Food Has Reached Northern Gaza for More than 40 Days Because of Israeli Siege

 Displaced Palestinians fleeing Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip walk on the main Salah al-Din road on November 17, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas . (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip walk on the main Salah al-Din road on November 17, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas . (AFP)
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UN: Almost No Food Has Reached Northern Gaza for More than 40 Days Because of Israeli Siege

 Displaced Palestinians fleeing Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip walk on the main Salah al-Din road on November 17, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas . (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip walk on the main Salah al-Din road on November 17, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas . (AFP)

The UN humanitarian office says thousands of Palestinians in areas of northern Gaza under siege by Israeli forces are struggling to stay alive because there have been virtually no food or humanitarian aid deliveries for more than 40 days.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric delivered the grim report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs known as OCHA on Tuesday.

“OCHA reports that all attempts by the UN to support people in Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and parts of Jabaliya – all of which remain under siege – have been either denied or impeded,” he said.

So far in November, Dujarric said OCHA reports that 27 out of 31 planned humanitarian missions were rejected by Israel and the other four were severely impeded. That means they were prevented from accomplishing all the critical work they set out to do, he said.

“The result is that bakeries and kitchens in North Gaza governorate have shut down, nutrition support has been suspended, and the refueling of water and sanitation facilities has been completely blocked,” Dujarric said.

An Israeli ground and air offensive in the north has severely restricting access to its three hospitals which are desperately short of medical supplies, blood and fuel, he said.

Israel blocked attempts by UN partners to send in an international emergency medical team to help, he said.

On Sunday, Dujarric said, OCHA supported a mission led by the UN World Health Organization that was able to deliver 10,000 liters of fuel to Kamal Adwan Hospital and transfer some 17 patients, three unaccompanied children and nearly two dozen caregivers to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Food and medical supplies were also supposed to be delivered to Kamal Adwan but Dujarric said, “our partners say the team was forced to offload the food at an Israeli military checkpoint before reaching the hospital, and only some of the medical supplies could be delivered to the facility.”

Asked whether the UN believes Israel is trying to force the estimated 75,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza to move south by denying the aid deliveries, Dujarric replied: “I can’t speak to the intentions of the Israeli government and the Israeli policy. We’re just seeing the result of it and trying to deal with it.”