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Arab World

UK Quietly Hosts Talks on Gaza Reconstruction

Palestinians walk among destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a pause in their war and the release of the remaining hostages. (AP)
Palestinians walk among destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a pause in their war and the release of the remaining hostages. (AP)
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UK Quietly Hosts Talks on Gaza Reconstruction

Palestinians walk among destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a pause in their war and the release of the remaining hostages. (AP)
Palestinians walk among destroyed buildings in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a pause in their war and the release of the remaining hostages. (AP)

Dozens of top officials from Middle East and European nations huddled Monday with leading global financial institutions for talks in the UK on rebuilding the devastated Gaza Strip.

Far from a high-profile Gaza summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the UK's foreign ministry quietly brought together Middle East and European officials at an isolated mansion deep in the southern English countryside.

The aim of the three-day conference was to start the "crucial planning and coordination efforts for postwar Gaza" which would be Palestinian-led, the UK prime minister's office said in a statement.

"We must be ready to act -- to clear rubble, rebuild homes and set up infrastructure, restoring access to education and healthcare," junior foreign minister Hamish Falconer added in a statement.

"We know the scale of the task. We know how urgent it is, and how complex it will be," he added, highlighting it "will take years and cost billions".

The Israeli assault on Gaza -- triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel -- has left much of the Palestinian territory in ruins and most of its population displaced.

The UK government said the talks in Wilton Park, West Sussex, which is managed by the Foreign Office, brought together "representatives from businesses, civil society and governments, to convene crucial planning and coordination efforts for postwar Gaza".

The Palestinian Authority was represented along with officials from countries such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Italy, the UK prime minister's office said.

Officials from the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development were also attending to support what Falconer called an Arab Reconstruction Plan.

"We must also lay the groundwork for long-term economic development," Falconer said, insisting that "Gaza and Palestine more broadly, has real economic potential".

The talks aimed to examine how to "unlock the vast resources needed, not just through traditional donor finance, but by thinking creatively to bring in private capital", he said.

The UK was well-placed to help, with "deep expertise in private investment and strong links to the City of London", he added.

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Arab World

China, Jordan Call for Maintaining US-Iran Ceasefire

China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)
China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)
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China, Jordan Call for Maintaining US-Iran Ceasefire

China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)
China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)

China and Jordan on Monday said the ceasefire between the US and Iran should be maintained, and that the normal passage through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz should be restored, ⁠the two countries said in a jointed statement, according to China's Xinhua ⁠news agency.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Jordan's King Abdullah in Beijing on Monday.

China and Jordan said "a comprehensive solution capable of eliminating the root causes" of regional tensions should be reached through dialogue and negotiations.

The two ⁠also expressed "deep ⁠concern over Israel's dangerous escalatory actions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem."

China's President Xi Jinping, left, and King Abdullah II of Jordan review the honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)

Xi told King Abdullah that China values Jordan's "unique and important role in the region,” which was thrown into crisis after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28.

"China has always advocated for a comprehensive ceasefire (and) resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means," Xi said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

"(China) believes the sovereignty and security of regional countries including Jordan should be respected," Xi said.

The Chinese president also urged on Monday a "comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue,” the foreign ministry statement said.

China supports "promoting the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks anchored on the correct direction of the 'two-state solution'," Xi said.

The two sides also signed several agreements on diplomacy, trade and supply chains, China's foreign ministry said.

Arab World

Iraq Pushes Back Deadline for Factions to Disarm

This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)
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Iraq Pushes Back Deadline for Factions to Disarm

This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)

A senior Iraqi official pushed back a September 30 deadline for pro-Iran factions to hand over their weapons, without offering an explanation for the move or providing a new date.

Iraq has come under pressure from the United States to rein in armed factions, particularly those close to Iran.

The US and Iran have been at war since February 28, drawing in other countries in the region as well as non-state groups backed by the Islamic republic.

For several months, Iraq's government has stood by its deadline, but on Sunday, the security adviser to the prime minister, Qasim al-Araji, told state media the process would only begin at the end of next month.

"September 30 is the date for the international coalition to depart, not the deadline to hand over weapons," Araji told the Al Iraqiya broadcaster, referring to the coalition of US-led forces.

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi had made a similar announcement to local media on Friday, despite announcing in June that factions had until the end of September to disarm.

September 30, he said, was "the date for the international coalition to end its presence, not the deadline for armed factions... Perhaps people are confusing the two."

Since taking office in May, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has pledged to ensure the armed factions that emerged in the years that followed the US-led invasion hand over their weapons to the state.

While some factions have in recent weeks said they would join state institutions, others, in particular those closer to Iran, are refusing.

"The situation is extremely complicated," a government official told AFP, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.

"The government is insisting on closing the weapons file; but faction leaders are determined to hold onto their weapons because they believe disarming would serve Israel and the United States."

The most powerful armed factions in Iraq include Kataib Hezbollah, a part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" against the US and Israel.

Another Iraqi source told AFP that Iran views its proxies in the region, "especially in Iraq, as a source of strength it refuses to give up".

Arab World

Syria Sentences Assad-Era Top Muslim Cleric to Life Imprisonment

Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)
Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)
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Syria Sentences Assad-Era Top Muslim Cleric to Life Imprisonment

Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)
Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)

A Syrian court on Monday handed a life sentence to Ahmed Hassoun, the country's former grand mufti under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, convicting him of crimes including inciting sectarian strife and exploiting his position. 

Hassoun, the 10th Assad-era figure to be sentenced under the new authorities, was Syria's top Muslim cleric for 16 years. 

He was known for his close ties to the former president and frequent appearances alongside him on religious occasions. 

Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Hassoun, 77, was guilty of a raft of charges including "inciting civil war and sectarian strife", for which he was jailed for life. 

The cleric was also convicted of "incitement to intentional homicide", "principal complicity in intentional homicide", and "inciting sectarian and racial strife", for which he was handed additional terms ranging from three to 20 years. 

The court also decided to confiscate Hassoun's assets and hand them to the public treasury. 

His sentencing is the first against a religious figure since Syrian authorities began trying Assad-era officials in April. 

On August 11, Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and five other security officials to death in absentia for atrocities committed during Syria's civil war, the first such ruling under the new authorities. 

The former president fled Syria as his government fell in December 2024 and is believed to be in Russia. 

Authorities have also handed death sentences to Atif Najib and Wassim al-Assad, cousins of the former ruler who were tried in person. 

Hassoun, a native of Aleppo whose late father was also an important religious figure, was arrested at Damascus airport in March last year as he tried to flee the country. 

Though he held the post of grand mufti for more than a decade, Hassoun lost the title in 2021 when Syria abolished the position. 

Syria began legal proceedings in April against Bashar al-Assad and other officials accused of atrocities during the civil war, which erupted in 2011 with brutal repression of pro-democracy protesters. 

More than half a million people were killed and millions displaced during the conflict, while tens of thousands disappeared.