Arab League Calls for Immediate, Permanent End to Israeli War on Gaza 

Israeli army tanks drive in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Israeli army tanks drive in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Arab League Calls for Immediate, Permanent End to Israeli War on Gaza 

Israeli army tanks drive in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Israeli army tanks drive in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The Arab League called on Wednesday for the immediate and permanent cessation of Israeli war on Gaza, ensuring the entry of humanitarian aid, immediately starting efforts to rebuild the coastal enclave, and creating an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On the 57th anniversary of the Naksa, the General Secretariat of the Arab League (Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Sector) said this year's commemoration comes amid a destructive war by Israel on the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, where more than 2.3 million people are “subjected to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, in full view of the world.”

It noted the “unceasing settlement policies, killings, arrests, house demolitions, and desecration of religious sanctities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” It condemned “Israel's refusal to comply with international law and resolutions that ask it to end the occupation and withdraw from all occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories, and allow the creation of an independent Palestinian state” in accordance with international resolutions and the 2002 Arab peace initiative.

The Arab League called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to assume its responsibility and enforce its relevant resolutions.

It welcomed “the positive and constructive stances of all peace-loving countries and peoples, especially those that have recognized the State of Palestine” as a prerequisite to implementing the two-state solution. It urged countries that have not yet taken this decision to follow suit, “as it is a step toward security, peace, and stability in the region.”

The Arab League stressed “its solidarity with and support for the Palestinian people’s struggle to defend their land, homeland, and sanctities,” reiterating the “continued commitment of Arab nations and peoples to the Palestinian cause.”



Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
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Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

Iraq's population has risen to 45.4 million, according to preliminary results from a national census, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday.
The census, conducted on Nov. 20, was Iraq's first nationwide survey in more than three decades, marking a crucial step for future planning and development.
Prior to the census, the planning ministry estimated the population at 43 million.
The last census, conducted in 1997, did not include the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which has been under Kurdish administration since the 1991 Gulf War.
It counted 19 million Iraqis and officials estimated there were another 3 million in the Kurdish north, according to official statistics.