Autonomous Administration Refuses to Implement Decisions of New Syrian Govt

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 30, 2025, shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (6th-R) and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sahibani (6th-L) posing for a picture with the new transitional government in Damascus. (SANA / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 30, 2025, shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (6th-R) and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sahibani (6th-L) posing for a picture with the new transitional government in Damascus. (SANA / AFP)
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Autonomous Administration Refuses to Implement Decisions of New Syrian Govt

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 30, 2025, shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (6th-R) and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sahibani (6th-L) posing for a picture with the new transitional government in Damascus. (SANA / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 30, 2025, shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (6th-R) and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sahibani (6th-L) posing for a picture with the new transitional government in Damascus. (SANA / AFP)

The Kurdish Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria criticized on Sunday the new Syrian transitional government, saying it does not reflect the diversity in the country.

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the new 23-minister government lineup on Saturday, vowing to rebuild a “strong and stable state” that was destroyed by years of war.

The cabinet included Yarub Badr, an Alawite who was named transportation minister, while Amgad Badr, who belongs to the Druze community, will lead the agriculture ministry.

Hind Kabawat, a Christian woman and part of the previous opposition to Assad who worked for interfaith tolerance and women's empowerment, was appointed as social affairs and labor minister.

The autonomous authorities said the new government failed in “providing fair and real representation” for all the Syrian people, saying it will not abide by its decisions.

In a statement, it said the new cabinet “was very similar to its predecessors in that it does not take into account the diversity in the country.”

“It won’t be able to run the country smoothly and help it end its crisis. Rather, it will deepen the crisis and fail in addressing the problems that caused it in the first place,” it charged.

“Insistence on repeating past mistakes will harm the Syrians and will not lead to the launch of a comprehensive political process that can reach solutions to pending problems,” it went on to say.

The statement called for an end to “policies of marginalization and elimination,” urging that Syrians of all segments, religions and sects be represented.

The government announcement was welcomed by the Syrian people, Arab and international community, which has offered to help the country in its reconstruction process.



Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the "weaponization" of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organization.

Over 410 people have been killed by gunshots or shells fired by the Israeli military while trying to reach distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since it began work in late May, UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.

The death toll has been independently verified by his office, he added.

"Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food," he said, describing the system as "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism".

"The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law."

Asked whether Israel was guilty of that war crime, he said: "The legal qualification needs to be made by a court of law."

Israel rejects war crimes charges in Gaza and blames Hamas fighters for harm to civilians for operating among them, which the fighters deny.