Arab League Sec-Gen: No International Will to Stop Israel's Aggression on Gaza

The Arab League headquarters is seen in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)
The Arab League headquarters is seen in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)
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Arab League Sec-Gen: No International Will to Stop Israel's Aggression on Gaza

The Arab League headquarters is seen in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)
The Arab League headquarters is seen in Cairo, Egypt (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said it was shameful that the Security Council failed to vote in favor of the two resolutions on the situation in Gaza.

Aboul Gheit stressed that the failure embodies a lack of genuine international will to end the Israeli military operation in Gaza despite the flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the targeting civilians.

On Thursday, the Sec-Gen said the failure to reach a Resolution puts the Security Council's credibility and ability to maintain international peace and security to question.

He revealed that international forces reject a ceasefire and insist on giving Israel a license to destroy the Gaza Strip and target civilians claiming it was "right to self-defense."

Aboul Gheit warned that this situation contributes to the escalation of the conflict and expanding its scope.

The parties that insist on continuing this war, with all the tragedies and disasters it has produced, must review their positions and consider the consequences of granting Israel the green light to engage in killing and destruction, said the Sec-Gen.

The Arab League organized Thursday a session on "Arab Media in the Face of False Israeli Narrative about Gaza," asserting the need to strengthen media presence in support of the Palestinian cause, especially with "the increasing spread of violent speeches inciting hatred and ideological extremism.

The special session of the Arab Media Leaders Forum included the participation of several Arab media leaders and experts.

Speaking at the Forum, the Assistant Sec-Gen and Head of the Media and Communication Sector, Ahmed Rashid Khattabi, affirmed that the "destructive Israeli attacks" on the Gaza Strip have plunged the Palestinian-Israeli conflict into an extremely perilous state.

Khattabi asserted that the attacks underscored the urgent need to seek a political solution for this bitter conflict aimed at achieving a fair and sustainable resolution, the two-state solution, and the Arab Peace Initiative.

"Any delay or inaction in addressing the escalating tensions poses a significant threat to the security and stability of the Middle East region and global peace."

The forum aims to develop an Arab strategy to confront the Israeli narrative of the war.

The Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip has been ongoing since October 7.

"Beneath the tragic images of these brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip, a region already suffering from a severe blockade and ongoing Israeli incursions into the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, we are witnessing a media war, or more accurately, a propaganda battle waged through social media networks,” Khattabi stated.

He noted Israel's utilization of algorithms and application software to suppress Palestinian content on social media and hinder its dissemination in digital spaces, adding that these efforts extend to elements within Western media that support Israel at the expense of freedoms and rights.

Furthermore, Khattabi cautioned that the situation resulted in the imposition of sanctions or warnings against media figures, influencers, athletes, and artists who sought to make the Palestinian voice heard.

The recent period witnessed criticism of Western media outlets and social networking sites for adopting the Israeli narrative.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) even referred journalists for investigation for showing support for Palestine on their social media accounts.



Iraq Farmers Turn to Groundwater to Boost Desert Yield

Iraqi farmer Hadi Saheb says he is cultivating 20 times more land than before in the Najaf desert thanks to groundwater and a government initiative. Qassem al-KAABI / AFP
Iraqi farmer Hadi Saheb says he is cultivating 20 times more land than before in the Najaf desert thanks to groundwater and a government initiative. Qassem al-KAABI / AFP
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Iraq Farmers Turn to Groundwater to Boost Desert Yield

Iraqi farmer Hadi Saheb says he is cultivating 20 times more land than before in the Najaf desert thanks to groundwater and a government initiative. Qassem al-KAABI / AFP
Iraqi farmer Hadi Saheb says he is cultivating 20 times more land than before in the Najaf desert thanks to groundwater and a government initiative. Qassem al-KAABI / AFP

Farmer Hadi Saheb cannot wait to see his wheat fields flourish in the heart of the desert after he tapped into groundwater reserves in water-starved Iraq.

He is just one of many Iraqis who have turned to drilling wells in the desert to help sustain the country's agriculture, AFP said.

It is a risky move that threatens to deplete the groundwater in a nation already battered by frequent drought and scarce rainfall.

Although Iraq's fertile plains traditionally stretch along the once-mighty Tigris and Euphrates -- the two rivers whose levels have plummeted -- Saheb's vast lands lie in the heart of the southern Najaf desert.

"Year after year the drought worsens, and the desertification intensifies," said the 46-year-old, dressed in a white abaya as a duststorm swept through the area.

So he has turned to groundwater, taking advantage of a government initiative.

This leases desert land to farmers at a symbolic price of one dollar per dunum (0.25 hectares in Iraq's measurement), provides subsidized irrigation systems, and buys their harvest at a preferential rate.

Now that he doesn't have to rely solely on rainfall, Saheb said he cultivates 20 times more land than before, and his harvest has increased to 250 tons.

"It would be impossible to continue without groundwater, which we cannot extract without drilling wells," he said.

Like many other farmers, Saheb has upgraded his irrigation techniques.

'Strategic reserve'

He now relies on a center-pivot method involving equipment rotating in a circle to water crops through sprinklers.

This uses at least 50 percent less water than flooding -- the vastly more wasteful traditional way used for millennia, during which the land is submerged.

According to the agriculture ministry, Iraq cultivated 3.1 million dunums (775,000 hectares) this winter using groundwater and modern irrigation systems, while the rivers watered only two million dunums.

In Najaf, desert farming has expanded significantly.

According to Moneim Shahid from Najaf's agriculture authorities, crop yields have been boosted by new irrigation methods, tougher seeds and fertilizers suitable for arid soils.

Shahid said he expects a harvest in Najaf this year of at least 1.7 tons of wheat per dunum in the desert, compared with 1.3 tons in areas irrigated by rivers.

Last year Iraq had a very good harvest, exceeding self-sufficiency with a production of 6.4 million tons of wheat, according to agriculture ministry figures.

Religious institutions such as the Imam Hussein Shrine in the holy city of Karbala back the authorities and also support desert farming.

Qahtan Awaz from the shrine's agriculture department said the institution, which employs families to farm desert areas, is cultivating 1,000 hectares and aims to more than triple that amount.

Today, groundwater reservoirs help mitigate agricultural losses caused by drought, an already frequent phenomenon in Iraq that is worsened by a warming planet.

But preserving those resources is proving to be a challenge.

Shahid from Najaf's agriculture authorities, said "we should be vigilant" in protecting groundwater, calling it "a strategic reserve for future generations".

Its use "should be rationed ... and sprinklers could help regulate consumption", he said.

Depleting supplies

The Najaf desert lies above the Umm el-Radhuma and the Dammam aquifers.

Water levels in both aquifers have declined, according to the United Nations which has also voiced caution that aquifers worldwide are depleting faster than they can be replenished naturally.

Sameh al-Muqdadi, a water politics and climate security expert, warned that Iraq's groundwater levels have already dropped.

Water used to be found 50 or 100 meters deep (165-330 feet), but today wells are dug 300 meters deep, he said.

"People believe that these resources will stay forever... which is not true," Muqdadi warned.

Authorities have no estimates for Iraq's groundwater, and the most recent figures date back to the 1970s, he said.

"If you don't have any estimation, you cannot manage your resources."

"Groundwater is a contingency measure, and it should be used only in urgent cases" such as droughts "to sustain food security only", not to expand farmland for commercial purposes, Muqdadi said.

But unfortunately, "this is what we have nowadays".