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Conference Proposing Gaza Settlements Rekindles Discord in Israel

Participants at the re-settlement conference in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
Participants at the re-settlement conference in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
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Conference Proposing Gaza Settlements Rekindles Discord in Israel

Participants at the re-settlement conference in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
Participants at the re-settlement conference in Jerusalem. (Reuters)

A conference advocating the re-establishment of settlements within the Gaza Strip convened on Sunday in Jerusalem, intensifying divisions in Israel and prompting scathing criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The gathering drew thousands of Israeli extremists and saw the participation of 12 cabinet ministers.
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid said the conference “is a disgrace on the head of Netanyahu and the party.”
He warned that the conference harms Israel’s standing internationally and gives the impression that it is planning to deport the Palestinians.
War cabinet member Benny Gantz said in a statement that the conference “harms Israeli society at a time of war, harms our international legitimacy, harms efforts to establish a framework for returning our hostages.”
Gantz snapped at Netanyahu over his public silence about the event. “Those who remain silent and are being led along, are not leaders,” he said, in apparent reference to Netanyahu.
“While troops are fighting shoulder to shoulder in a war of unparalleled justification, and while we are choosing to look for what unites us, even if there are disagreements... others are finding time for an event that sunders Israeli society, increases distrust in the government and its elected officials, and above all, sharpens divisions over that which brings us together,” said war cabinet observer Gadi Eisenkot.
Senior Likud officials criticized the participation of ministers and MPs from the party in the re-settlement conference, saying that this event undermines the international reputation of Israel.
Thousands of Israelis participated in a festival on Sunday when 12 cabinet ministers and 15 members of the Knesset pledged the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and the encouragement of the migration of the Palestinians after the end of the war with Hamas.
Speaking at the festival, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the ultranationalist Religious Zionism party, extolled the virtues of creating new settlements, declaring: “God willing, we will settle and we will be victorious.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the extreme-right Otzma Yehudit party, told Prime Minister Netanyahu, who was not present, and the audience that it was “time to return home to Gush Katif” — the name of the Israeli settlement bloc in Gaza that was evacuated in the 2005 Disengagement.
Smotrich and Ben Gvir, together with six coalition MKs, signed what was dubbed the “Covenant of Victory and Renewal of Settlement,” which pledged that the signatories would “grow Jewish settlements full of life” in the Gaza Strip.
Alongside them, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party also called for building settlements in Gaza and “encouraging voluntary emigration.”
A banner in the crowd said, “Only a transfer [of Palestinians from Gaza] will bring peace.”
Footage from the conference drew backlash on social media, with critics noting that government and coalition ministers were gleefully dancing while a war is raging, tens of thousands of Israelis are displaced, soldiers are being killed on a near-daily basis, and 136 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza, according to the Times of Israel website.
Netanyahu himself didn’t attend the conference and indicated Saturday night that he opposes resettling Gaza and that this wasn’t an accepted government policy.
Israel dismantled its 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip, and compelled their 8,000 residents to leave, when it unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005, pulling back to the pre-1967 lines.
In Ramallah, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs vehemently denounced what it termed a "colonial meeting."
The ministry asserted that the event laid bare "the true face of the Israeli ruling right-wing, showcasing its anti-peace stance and unwavering commitment to occupation, colonialism, and apartheid."

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Cairo May Request Extradition of Qaradawi’s Son from Abu Dhabi

Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
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Cairo May Request Extradition of Qaradawi’s Son from Abu Dhabi

Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)
Umayyad Square in Damascus (Reuters)

As Lebanese authorities proceed with the deportation of Egyptian activist Abdel Rahman al-Qaradawi, the son of the late cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, to the United Arab Emirates, an Egyptian source involved in the case told Asharq Al-Awsat that Cairo plans to formally request his extradition from Abu Dhabi once he arrives there.

Controversy has surrounded the case since Lebanon announced that the government had approved the deportation of Qaradawi to the UAE instead of Egypt, where he holds citizenship.

Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that citizenship is not an obstacle in extradition cases between countries, saying that a state may decide to extradite a person to another country even if they hold the nationality of a third state, as in the case of Qaradawi’s son.

According to Lebanese sources, the decision to extradite Qaradawi to the UAE is based on a warrant issued by the Council of Arab Interior Ministers. As a member of the council, Lebanon is obligated to comply with the UAE’s request, despite the absence of a direct bilateral extradition agreement between the two countries.

Additionally, the extradition decision was influenced by the fact that the charges against Qaradawi are criminal, not political, as political charges would prevent extradition and instead warrant protection under international conventions.

An Egyptian judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the International Cooperation Office of Egypt’s Public Prosecutor had prepared a comprehensive file containing all rulings issued against Qaradawi to ensure that the extradition request met all legal requirements. This file was sent to Lebanese judicial authorities through official channels. However, Egypt has yet to receive a response from Lebanon, though one is expected in the coming days.

Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud Mehran, a member of the American and European societies for international law, told Asharq Al-Awsat that international law generally allows extradition when the individual is either a citizen of the requesting state, has committed a crime on its territory, or when the requesting state has a direct legal interest in the case.

As Qaradawi is an Egyptian citizen, Egypt “has the legal right to request his extradition under international law and bilateral agreements, provided all legal conditions are met,” Mehran said.

Meanwhile, Qaradawi’s lawyer, Mohammed Sablouh, confirmed plans to file an urgent appeal in Lebanese courts to prevent his client’s extradition, according to Reuters. Mehran explained that extradition laws grant the individual the right to appeal in court, while the requesting states also have the right to challenge decisions.

Mehran suggested that if Qaradawi is ultimately handed over to the UAE, it is highly likely he will later be extradited to Egypt after procedural requirements in the Emirates are fulfilled. This is due to the strong bilateral relations and close security coordination between Egypt and the UAE.

Abdel Rahman al-Qaradawi, who holds dual Egyptian and Turkish citizenship, was arrested in Lebanon on December 28 after returning from Syria. His arrest followed an Interpol red notice issued based on an in absentia ruling by an Egyptian court sentencing him to five years in prison for spreading false news, inciting violence, and terrorism. Before his arrest, Qaradawi appeared in a video filmed at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, where he made remarks considered offensive to both Egypt and the UAE.