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Arab World

Palestinian Factions Discuss Formation of Govt of Technocrats

Abbas meets with a delegation from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on Saturday. (AFP)
Abbas meets with a delegation from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on Saturday. (AFP)
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Palestinian Factions Discuss Formation of Govt of Technocrats

Abbas meets with a delegation from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on Saturday. (AFP)
Abbas meets with a delegation from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on Saturday. (AFP)

Palestian factions kicked off in Egypt’s city of el-Alamein on Sunday a meeting aimed discussing the latest developments in the occupied territories and ways of restoring national unity and ending division.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas chaired the talks.

He had arrived in Egypt on Saturday night on an official three-day visit. He is set to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Monday for talks on the latest Palestinian developments and the peace process, said the Palestinian embassy in Cairo in a statement.

An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abbas is keen on pushing forward a proposal to form a government of technocrats that could handle the administrative affairs of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

All factions, including Gaza rulers Hamas, would be represented in the government, it added on condition of anonymity.

Speaking at the el-Alamein meeting, Abbas said the new government would also “launch the international battle to place the occupied Palestinian Territories under international protection.” This would be an amended form of the mandate that Palestine was under prior to 1948.

The suggestion is aimed at “confronting Israeli attempts to seize the remaining Palestinian Territories and at placing an international mechanism that would monitor Israeli practices against the Palestinian people.”

The source revealed that Hamas was “receptive” of Abbas’ proposal, but demanded an amendment to the electoral law before it could join the national unity government. It also demanded that a timeframe be set to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections.

On Saturday, Abbas met with several of the secretary generals of the Palestinian factions, including a delegation from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Political Science Professor at al-Quds University Dr. Ayman al-Raqab said: “Egypt had sensed real danger facing the Palestinian cause, prompting it to host a meeting at such a senior level.”

The el-Alamein meeting is a sign that Cairo may be sensing that a major negative development is in store for the Palestinians, he explained.

He noted to Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo had called for a Palestinian conference in 2005, which was followed by the Palestinian division in Gaza in 2007. It called for a conference in 2016 before the American administration declared its so-called “Deal of the Century” in 2017.

Al-Raqab ruled out the possibility that the factions would agree on holding the elections, but he did not rule out the opportunity that they may reach an understanding over the issue in the future.

Political Science Professor at Cairo University Dr. Tariq Fahmy expected the el-Alamein meeting to yield “positive results” in spite of the division between Palestinians.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting reflected Cairo’s “ability to contain all parties and refocus their attention on the Palestinian cause when necessary.”

Furthermore, the absence of the Islamic Jihad and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command from the talks will not impact the meetings because the parties that control the West Bank and Gaza – Fatah and Hamas respectively – are there, he stated.

Hamas is usually able to rein in the Jihad in Gaza, he added, while ruling out that the factions would reach an agreement over a “comprehensive reconciliation” at the moment.

After the conclusion of the el-Alamein meetings, Egyptian authorities will likely kick off contacts with Israel to ensure that calm is restored in the Palestinian Territories and to put an end to Israeli raids and forced evictions in Jerusalem.

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Arab World

Deadlock in Second Phase of Ceasefire Puts Gaza on Brink of Renewed War

A Palestinian man speaks to a boy sitting on an unexploded rocket in Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood on Wednesday. (AFP)
A Palestinian man speaks to a boy sitting on an unexploded rocket in Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood on Wednesday. (AFP)
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Deadlock in Second Phase of Ceasefire Puts Gaza on Brink of Renewed War

A Palestinian man speaks to a boy sitting on an unexploded rocket in Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood on Wednesday. (AFP)
A Palestinian man speaks to a boy sitting on an unexploded rocket in Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood on Wednesday. (AFP)

Efforts to move into the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip remain stalled, heightening fears of renewed fighting.

Israel is insisting that Hamas hand over the remaining bodies of four Israeli hostages, take clear steps on governing the enclave, disarm Palestinian factions, and start reconstruction only in areas under Israeli control. These demands are closely tied to Israel’s full withdrawal behind what it calls the “yellow line.”

In response, sources from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said the impasse was pushing events toward what Israel wants, a resumption of war, particularly as Israeli forces still control more than 53 % of Gaza’s territory, the area lying behind the yellow line seen as an initial withdrawal boundary.

Israel also continues to keep the Rafah crossing closed and strictly limits the entry of humanitarian aid.

Body recovery dispute

Field sources from Palestinian factions told Asharq Al-Awsat that major difficulties have hampered the search for the remaining bodies, a process that could take considerable time.

One source said that at least one body was in the custody of the Islamic Jihad, while another was believed to be held by Hamas’s military wing, al-Qassam Brigades.

The sources said the two remaining bodies “could be found if search operations were intensified without Israeli restrictions, especially since they are believed to be in areas east of the yellow line.”

During the ceasefire negotiations, Hamas had already warned that returning the bodies would be a complicated process requiring time, a position that several sources said mediators understood.

On Wednesday, Israel allowed a joint team from Hamas and the International Committee of the Red Cross to enter the center of the Shujaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza to search for the bodies of Israeli hostages.

Two bodies had been recovered in recent days during separate operations in the same residential block where Israel had previously assassinated senior commanders of the Shujaiya Battalion during the war.

‘Target bank’

Hamas sources believe Israel is deliberately obstructing the implementation of the remaining clauses of the truce agreement, despite Trump’s public and private assurances through mediators that progress need not be strictly sequential and that certain steps could be completed while others were delayed.

According to Hamas and other Palestinian faction sources, Israel has intensified its intelligence surveillance, using drones to track leaders and activists in the resistance, compiling a “target bank” in preparation for potential violations of the ceasefire, as it did twice within two weeks of the truce taking effect.

“These operations aim primarily to disrupt the agreement and block the transition to the second phase,” one source said. “Israel’s focus is to resume the war, whether by the same methods or through new ones.”

‘Israel won’t operate freely’

A Hamas political source said any response to Israel’s refusal to implement the truce would be made “by consensus through a unified Palestinian position,” adding that “we will not allow Israel to remain inside the Gaza Strip and act with unchecked security freedom.”

The source said Israel has yet to honor all provisions of the first phase of the deal, continuing to restrict the entry of basic goods, heavy engineering equipment for clearing rubble, and construction materials needed to repair hospitals, schools, and key infrastructure.

It has also blocked fuel shipments for Gaza’s only power plant and for municipalities to provide essential services.

Hamas, the source added, is monitoring these developments with mediators, “but Israel sees itself above everyone and acts accordingly,” while Palestinian factions remain committed to fulfilling their side of the agreement “to deny Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu any pretext to restart the war.”

Pressure on civilians

Mustafa Ibrahim, a political analyst and writer, said Israel’s policy of restricting food and fuel supplies was aimed at reminding civilians that “the war has not truly ended and will not stop unless Hamas leaves Gaza.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel was complicating the situation by rejecting several options proposed by mediators.

Ibrahim said Netanyahu and some of his ministers were trying to evade the ceasefire’s political implications for domestic reasons by reigniting tensions in Gaza.

“They are doing this through daily killings of Palestinians under weak pretexts, as well as the two major bombardments that hit various parts of the Strip since the truce took effect, and by escalating on the Lebanese front,” he said.

“These are clear indicators of Israel’s intentions.”

He predicted that the situation in Gaza would likely remain unchanged as Israel continues using these pretexts to stall progress on the second phase of Trump’s plan.

“Mediators now face a major test to prove they can compel Netanyahu’s government to comply,” he said. “Only the US administration has the power to make that happen.”

Arab World

Israel’s President Says ‘Shocking’ Settler Violence Against Palestinians Must End

Palestinians and journalists survey damage in an industrial zone following an attack by Israeli settlers the previous day in the West Bank village of Beit Lid, near Tulkarm, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians and journalists survey damage in an industrial zone following an attack by Israeli settlers the previous day in the West Bank village of Beit Lid, near Tulkarm, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP)
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Israel’s President Says ‘Shocking’ Settler Violence Against Palestinians Must End

Palestinians and journalists survey damage in an industrial zone following an attack by Israeli settlers the previous day in the West Bank village of Beit Lid, near Tulkarm, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians and journalists survey damage in an industrial zone following an attack by Israeli settlers the previous day in the West Bank village of Beit Lid, near Tulkarm, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP)

The president of Israel on Wednesday condemned what he called a "shocking and serious" attack by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to a growing wave of settler violence in the occupied territory.

President Isaac Herzog's comments added a rare and powerful voice to what has been muted criticism by top Israeli officials of the settler violence. Herzog's position, while largely ceremonial, is meant to serve as a moral compass and unifying force for the country.

Herzog said the violence committed by a "handful" of perpetrators "crosses a red line," adding in a social media post that "all state authorities must act decisively to eradicate the phenomenon."

His remarks came after dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Beit Lid and Deir Sharaf in the West Bank on Tuesday, setting fire to vehicles and other property before clashing with Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli army's chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, echoed Herzog, saying the military "will not tolerate the phenomena of a minority of criminals who tarnish a law-abiding public."

He said the army is committed to stopping violent acts committed by settlers, which he described as contrary to Israeli values and that "divert the attention of our forces from fulfilling their mission."

The chief of the military's Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, said responding to an "anarchist fringe" requires the use of significant resources that could otherwise be focused on bolstering security and conducting counterterrorism operations.

The army said the settlers who attacked the villages fled to a nearby industrial zone and attacked soldiers responding to the violence, damaging a military vehicle. Police said four Israelis were arrested, while the military said four Palestinians were wounded.

On Wednesday, police said three of the suspects were released and that one, a minor arrested on suspicion of arson and assault, will remain in custody for six more days, as ordered by a judge. Police said the actions of the three who were released are still under investigation "with the goal of bringing offenders to justice, regardless of their background."

Settler violence has surged

Tuesday's violence in the West Bank was the latest in a series of attacks by young settlers that have surged since the war in Gaza erupted two years ago. The attacks have intensified in recent weeks as Palestinians harvest their olive trees in an annual ritual.

The UN humanitarian office last week reported more Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank in October than in any other month since it began keeping track in 2006. There were over 260 attacks, the office said.

Palestinians and human rights workers accuse the Israeli army and police of failing to halt attacks by settlers. Israel’s government is dominated by far-right proponents of the settler movement including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who formulates settlement policy, and Cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees the nation's police force.

Muayyad Shaaban, who heads an office in the Palestinian Authority that is tracking the violence, said the settlers set fire to four dairy trucks, farmland, tin shacks and tents belonging to a Bedouin community.

He said the attacks were part of a campaign to drive Palestinians from their land and accused Israel of giving the settlers protection and immunity. He called for sanctions against groups that "sponsor and support the colonial settlement terrorism project."

Palestinians react angrily

In Beit Lid, residents said they don't want their lives ruled by fear of settler violence.

Mahmoud Edeis said the violence is undermining his family's right to live in safety.

"To feel that my children are safe, that when I go to sleep I can say, ‘Okay, there’s nothing (to worry about),’" he said. "But at any moment something could happen ... This can’t go on. It can’t be that we keep living our whole lives in a state of fear and danger."

Amjad Amer Al-Juneidi, who works at a dairy factory that was attacked Tuesday, said the "fully organized" attack saw one person carrying gasoline-filled cans, another prying open the factory door with a crowbar and a third individual igniting the fuel.

"Their entry into the company wasn’t random. It was organized, and they had a fully organized tactic for how to carry out the burning," Al-Juneidi said.

Arab World

Lebanese Say Israel Preventing Post-war Reconstruction

Israel says it is striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon to prevent the group from rebuilding its strength in breach of a ceasefire, but local people complain it is destroying civilian reconstruction efforts (AFP/MAHHMOUD ZAYYAT)
Israel says it is striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon to prevent the group from rebuilding its strength in breach of a ceasefire, but local people complain it is destroying civilian reconstruction efforts (AFP/MAHHMOUD ZAYYAT)
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Lebanese Say Israel Preventing Post-war Reconstruction

Israel says it is striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon to prevent the group from rebuilding its strength in breach of a ceasefire, but local people complain it is destroying civilian reconstruction efforts (AFP/MAHHMOUD ZAYYAT)
Israel says it is striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon to prevent the group from rebuilding its strength in breach of a ceasefire, but local people complain it is destroying civilian reconstruction efforts (AFP/MAHHMOUD ZAYYAT)

When engineer Tarek Mazraani started campaigning for the reconstruction of war-battered southern Lebanon, Israeli drones hovered ominously overhead -- their loudspeakers sometimes calling him out by name.

Despite a ceasefire struck last November aiming to put an end to more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah, Israel has kept up near-daily strikes on Lebanon.

In addition to hitting alleged militants, it has recently also targeted bulldozers, excavators and prefabricated houses, often saying they were part of efforts to restore Hezbollah infrastructure.

The bombing has prevented tens of thousands of people from returning to their homes, and has made rebuilding heavily-damaged border villages -- like Mazraani's Hula -- almost impossible.
"For us, the war has not ended," Mazraani, 61, told AFP.

"We can't return to our villages, rebuild or even check on our homes."

In cash-strapped Lebanon, authorities have yet to begin reconstruction efforts, and have been hoping for international support.
They have also blamed Israeli strikes for preventing efforts to rebuild, which the World Bank estimates could cost $11 billion.

Eager to go back home, Mazraani established the "Association of the Residents of Border Villages" to call for the return of displaced people and the start of reconstruction.

He even started making plans to rebuild homes he had previously designed.

But in October, Israeli drones flew over southern villages, broadcasting a message through loudspeakers.

They called out Mazraani by name and urged residents to expel him, implicitly accusing him of having ties with Hezbollah, which he denies.

Asked by AFP, the Israeli army would not say on what basis they accuse Mazraani of working with Hezbollah.

"They are bombing prefabricated houses, and not allowing anyone to get close to the border," said Mazraani, who has moved to Beirut for fear of Israel's threats.

"They are saying: no reconstruction before handing over the weapons," he added, referring to Israel's demand that Hezbollah disarm.

Amnesty International has estimated that "more than 10,000 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed" between October of last year -- when Israel launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon -- and late January.

It noted that much of the destruction followed the November 2024 truce that took effect after two months of open war.

Just last month, Israeli strikes destroyed more than 300 bulldozers and excavators in yards in the Msaileh area, one of which belonged to Ahmed Tabaja, 65.

Surrounded by burned-out machinery, his hands stained black, Tabaja said he hoped to repair just five of his 120 vehicles destroyed in the strikes -- a devastating loss amounting to five million dollars.

"Everyone knows there is nothing military here," he insisted.

The yards, located near the highway, are open and visible. "There is nothing to hide," he said.

In a nearby town, Hussein Kiniar, 32, said he couldn't believe his eyes as he surveyed the heavy machinery garage his father built 30 years ago.

He said Israel struck the family's yard twice: first during the war, and again in September after it was repaired. The first strike cost five million dollars, and the second added another seven million in losses, he estimated.

"I watched everything burn right before my eyes," Kiniar said.

The Israeli army said that day it had targeted "a Hezbollah site in the Ansariyah area of southern Lebanon, which stored engineering vehicles intended to rebuild the terrorist organization's capabilities and support its terrorist activity."

Kiniar denied that he or the site were linked to Hezbollah. "We are a civilian business," he said.

In October, Israel killed two engineers working for a company sanctioned by the United States over alleged Hezbollah ties.

Under US pressure and fearing an escalation in strikes, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, a plan the movement and its allies oppose.

But Israel accuses Beirut of acting too slowly and, despite the stipulation in the ceasefire that it withdraw, it maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, insists Israel pull back, stop its attacks and allow reconstruction to begin before it can discuss the fate of its weapons.

In the aftermath of the 2006 war with Israel, Hezbollah spearheaded rebuilding in the south, with much of the effort financed by Iran.

But this time, the group's financial dealings have been under heightened scrutiny.

It has insisted the state should fund post-war reconstruction, and it has only paid compensation for its own associates' rent and repairs.

For three long seasons, olive grower Mohammed Rizk, 69, hasn't been able to cultivate his land.

He now lives with his son just outside the city of Nabatiyeh, having been forced out of his border village where his once-vibrant grove lies neglected.

"The war hasn't ended," he said. "It will only be over when we return home."