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Arab World

Two-State Solution Conference Prepares Roadmap with International Backing

Foreign ministers of France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan preparing for the New York conference on the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (AFP)
Foreign ministers of France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan preparing for the New York conference on the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (AFP)
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Two-State Solution Conference Prepares Roadmap with International Backing

Foreign ministers of France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan preparing for the New York conference on the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (AFP)
Foreign ministers of France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan preparing for the New York conference on the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (AFP)

Preparations are underway for the “Two-State Solution Conference,” scheduled from June 17 to 20 and co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The conference aims to produce a final document serving as a “roadmap” for establishing a Palestinian state. This roadmap will draw on the work of eight expert groups tasked with offering practical proposals on various dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including statehood, security, economics, humanitarian concerns, and sustaining any future peace agreement.

Key group chairs include Jordan and Spain on statehood, Italy and Indonesia on security, Norway and Japan on economic foundations, while the EU and the Arab League are overseeing proposals on the durability of peace. The structure reflects a broad international effort to tackle every major aspect of the conflict.

According to French diplomatic sources, the conference is driven by the urgency of reviving the two-state solution, now under severe threat due to the war in Gaza, the acceleration of Israeli settlement expansion, and the stated intentions of some Israeli leaders to reoccupy Gaza and displace its population.

France argues that the idea of indefinitely freezing or postponing the conflict is no longer viable. With military solutions failing, only a political resolution centered on mutual recognition and the creation of a Palestinian state offers a sustainable path forward.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently reaffirmed in Indonesia that the political route is the only path to lasting peace. He announced the conference as a platform to renew international momentum for recognizing both Palestine and Israel and affirming their right to coexist in peace and security.

The event operates on a principle of mutual recognition. It invites Western nations that have not yet recognized Palestine to do so, while also encouraging Arab and Islamic countries that have yet to recognize Israel to take steps toward normalization.

This approach recalls the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which proposed normalized relations with Israel in exchange for withdrawal from occupied territories and Palestinian statehood within 1967 borders.

The sources said that while full normalization is seen as unlikely in the short term, France views it as a process, not a one-time event. Recognition of Palestine is not presented as conditional on normalization with Israel but may come alongside statements of intent from Arab nations signaling readiness for future steps.

The sources added that the French government stresses that the conference is a starting point rather than a definitive solution. The goal is to reintroduce momentum for peace and back it with concrete proposals. Paris also emphasizes the need for Palestinian Authority reform and the disarmament of Hamas, aiming to ensure a credible Palestinian leadership.

Although Israel has threatened to annex parts of the West Bank in response to the growing recognition of Palestine, France remains firm in its belief that diplomatic recognition is a reward for peace-seeking actors, not for extremists, the diplomatic sources underlined.

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Arab World

US Asks Iraq to Shut Most Iran Border Crossings, Iraqi Foreign Minister Says

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq June 4, 2023. (Reuters)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq June 4, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Asks Iraq to Shut Most Iran Border Crossings, Iraqi Foreign Minister Says

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq June 4, 2023. (Reuters)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad (not pictured), in Baghdad, Iraq June 4, 2023. (Reuters)

The US Treasury has asked Iraq to close all border crossings with Iran except for two as part of Washington's policy of ‌increasing economic ‌pressure on Tehran, Iraqi ‌Foreign ⁠Minister Fuad Hussein ⁠said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

One of the exceptions is in the Kurdistan region.

"There ⁠are many official ‌and ‌unofficial border crossings with Iran, ‌and closing all ‌of them would be difficult and would affect our economy. The Americans ‌are still demanding the closure of the crossings, ⁠and ⁠we are currently in discussions with them," Hussein said.

Last month, Iraq closed the busy Sheeb border crossing with Iran to review security and install detection equipment to stop smuggling.

Arab World

Yemen Army Makes New Gains on Battlefronts

A Yemeni soldier in battle in Taiz. (AFP)
A Yemeni soldier in battle in Taiz. (AFP)
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Yemen Army Makes New Gains on Battlefronts

A Yemeni soldier in battle in Taiz. (AFP)
A Yemeni soldier in battle in Taiz. (AFP)

The Yemeni arena has witnessed a coordinated military escalation across multiple fronts over the past few hours, stretching from the southwestern governorates of Lahj and Taiz to Marib and Al-Jawf in the north.

The flare-up coincided with a wave of Houthi missile and drone strikes targeting Saudi Arabia, including the capital, Riyadh, alongside the Eastern and Southern Regions, as ongoing Yemeni government military operations point toward a broadening confrontation.

Yemeni military sources said that the air force executed a precision airstrike targeting a meeting of prominent Houthi field commanders in the Al-Maqatirah district of northern Lahj. The strike was launched after intelligence assets tracked the commanders' movements and pinpointed the meeting location.

The final toll of human casualties resulting from the strike, as well as the identities of the commanders present at the targeted site, remain unclear.

The strike took place amidst escalating military operations across the Lahj fronts, particularly in areas intersecting the Al-Maqatirah, Al-Mudharabah, and Tur Al-Baha districts.

Over recent days, these zones have witnessed intense clashes and retaliatory attacks, driven by Houthi attempts to advance toward strategic positions and supply routes linking the Lahj and Taiz governorates.

Government forces had previously announced the recapture of strategic positions on the Al-Mudharabah front following fierce clashes with the Houthis. The fighting involved intensive attacks launched by members of the militia against military sites before government forces managed to repel them and force the attackers to retreat.

On Saturday, the Yemeni army carried out 875 military operations against the Houthis, encompassing artillery strikes, ambushes, and targeted attacks on positions, gatherings, and reinforcements.

The campaign resulted in the neutralization of 130 Houthi members and the destruction or damage of some 50 military vehicles and equipment, including rocket launchers.

The attacks were executed across multiple fronts, focusing on the group's positions, reinforcements, and combat capabilities with the participation of ground units supported by air and artillery assets.

Meanwhile, government forces continued their maneuvers in Al-Jawf and other areas as part of ongoing confrontations to recapture military sites and secure liberated zones.

The escalation extended to the Marib fronts, where government forces announced the downing of a Houthi reconnaissance drone, coinciding with the thwarting of simultaneous ground attacks launched by the group against military positions in the Taiz and Lahj governorates.

Yemeni army artillery targeted Houthi military vehicles and barracks on the northern front of Marib following the downing of a drone on the Mas front. Military sources stated the operations are intended to curb the group's surveillance, reconnaissance, and troop-monitoring capabilities.

Arab World

Al-Zaidi Intensifies Confrontation with Armed Factions

Iraqi PM Ali Al-Zaidi in Sadr City on Saturday. (INA)
Iraqi PM Ali Al-Zaidi in Sadr City on Saturday. (INA)
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Al-Zaidi Intensifies Confrontation with Armed Factions

Iraqi PM Ali Al-Zaidi in Sadr City on Saturday. (INA)
Iraqi PM Ali Al-Zaidi in Sadr City on Saturday. (INA)

The Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah, one of the armed factions that still refuses to disarm, responded to Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's announcement regarding its possession of investments worth billions of dinars and millions of dollars.

The premier has launched what political observers in Baghdad view as an "open battle" against the armed factions, vowing that he "will not let them remain."

Over recent days, Al-Zaidi canceled multi-million dollar contracts across various locations, ranging from Baghdad Airport and the Ministry of Transport to Mosul Airport. Websites close to the government circulated the names of the armed factions that had control of those contracts.

Al-Zaidi dismissed statements issued against him and his associates, including his own brother, by Kataib Hezbollah, choosing Sadr City in eastern Baghdad to assert his firm stance.

Visiting the popular district late Saturday night, he met directly with citizens at a local restaurant and delivered a clear message to armed factions, signaling the start of an open and uncompromising confrontation.

In his most critical message directed at the factions, he declared: "I will absolutely not let weapon holders remain," adding, "If others allowed them to remain, it was because they were benefiting from them."

Al-Zaidi's response to the armed factions came a day after accusations were leveled against his brother by Kataib Hezbollah, which said in a statement: "We address our remarks directly and explicitly to Hassan Al-Zaidi, the media and security official in the Prime Minister's office. All your allegations regarding investments, companies, and the like - whether accurate or completely fabricated slanders - we consider entirely, along with all their dependencies, a 'gift' to you from the Brigades, to be added to your assets."

On Saturday, Al-Zaidi directed the cancellation of contracts for three companies at Mosul Airport due to their links to armed groups, ordering their referral to international firms.

It has become clear that the initiative to restrict weapons to state control is facing growing setbacks, following announcements by armed factions such as Kataib Hezbollah, Al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada of their refusal to surrender their arms.

This contrasts with other factions, most notably Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali, which complied and secured ministries, agencies, and embassies in exchange for their stance.

The current truce remains tied to the potential military confrontation between the US and Iran, amid leaks that the Americans delivered a warning to Al-Zaidi regarding potential strikes on those factions should they move against neighboring countries or US bases in the region.

Meanwhile, political forces, particularly certain factions represented by the Coordination Framework, have kicked off efforts to prevent the confrontation between the government and the factions from widening because it has started to impact upon "one of the most critical areas that everyone was keen to avoid over the past years: economic committees and investments," said a well-informed Iraqi politician and lawmaker close to both sides.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to Asharq Al-Awsat, the Iraqi lawmaker and politician noted that "certain forces within the Coordination Framework, during talks between some of its factions and the armed groups, have begun leaning toward the factions' refusal to disarm under Al-Zaidi's vision.”

“This shift follows Al-Zaidi's understandings with the US and President Donald Trump, whom he met twice - first during a visit to Washington last July, and second in New York during the UN General Assembly meetings last September - as it became clear to some Framework leaders that the Al-Zaidi-Trump agreement might not stop at the weapon, but could extend to other factions within the Shiite political structure,” he added.