RSF Delegation Discusses Peace Strategies with Mediators

Saudi Ambassador to Sudan, Ali bin Jaafar Hassan, with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) delegation in Geneva (RSF)
Saudi Ambassador to Sudan, Ali bin Jaafar Hassan, with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) delegation in Geneva (RSF)
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RSF Delegation Discusses Peace Strategies with Mediators

Saudi Ambassador to Sudan, Ali bin Jaafar Hassan, with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) delegation in Geneva (RSF)
Saudi Ambassador to Sudan, Ali bin Jaafar Hassan, with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) delegation in Geneva (RSF)

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reported that their delegation held “crucial” talks late Saturday and into Sunday in Geneva about the “escalating situation in Sudan and the strategies for peace and stability.”
The RSF delegation met separately with the African Union, led by Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and with Saudi Arabian representatives.
They expressed “deep appreciation” for international efforts to promote peace in Sudan, emphasizing that their presence in Geneva shows the RSF’s “sincere commitment to ending the conflict and easing the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.”
The RSF also accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of refusing ceasefire talks and prolonging the conflict, citing internal divisions and influence from remnants of the former regime.
As for peacemaking efforts, the RSF delegation thanked Saudi Arabia for its “persistent efforts to promote peace and stability in Sudan” and for playing a key role in the Jeddah talks that led to the Geneva negotiations.
The delegation also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s substantial humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict, delivered through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.
The RSF reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the “unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid across Sudan.”
US Special Envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, stated that discussions with the RSF are ongoing.
Meanwhile, Washington continues to engage in phone talks with Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman and Army Chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in an effort to encourage his participation in the negotiations.
Talks are scheduled to resume on Monday after a two-day pause, though mediators have yet to receive confirmation of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ participation.



Israeli Defense Minister Says He Will End Detention without Charge of Jewish Settlers

Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Defense Minister Says He Will End Detention without Charge of Jewish Settlers

Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)
Palestinians look at damaged cars after an Israeli settlers attack in Al-Mazraa Al-Qibleyeh near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 20, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel’s new defense minister said Friday that he would stop issuing warrants to arrest West Bank settlers or hold them without charge or trial — a largely symbolic move that rights groups said risks emboldening settler violence in the Israeli-occupied territory.

Israel Katz called the arrest warrants “severe” and said issuing them was “inappropriate” as Palestinian militant attacks on settlers in the territory grow more frequent. He said settlers could be “brought to justice” in other ways.

The move protects Israeli settlers from being held in “administrative detention,” a shadowy form of incarceration where people are held without charge or trial.

Settlers are rarely arrested in the West Bank, where settler violence against Palestinians has spiraled since the outbreak of the war Oct. 7.

Katz’s decision was celebrated by far-right coalition allies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. National Security Minister and settler firebrand Itamar Ben-Gvir applauded Katz and called the move a “correction of many years of mistreatment” and “justice for those who love the land.”

Since Oct. 7, 2023, violence toward Palestinians by Israeli settlers has soared to new heights, displacing at least 19 entire Palestinian communities, according to Israeli rights group Peace Now. In that time, attacks by Palestinian militants on settlers and within Israel have also grown more common.

An increasing number of Palestinians have been placed in administrative detention. Israel holds 3,443 administrative detainees in prison, according to data from the Israeli Prison Service, reported by rights group Hamoked. That figure stood around 1,200 just before the start of the war. The vast majority of them are Palestinian, with only a handful at any given time Israeli Jews, said Jessica Montell, the director of Hamoked.

“All of these detentions without charge or trial are illegitimate, but to declare that this measure will only be used against Palestinians...is to explicitly entrench another form of ethnic discrimination,” said Montell.