Egypt Seeks to Accelerate Implementation of ‘Strategic Partnership’ with EU

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in Brussels on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency) 
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in Brussels on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency) 
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Egypt Seeks to Accelerate Implementation of ‘Strategic Partnership’ with EU

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in Brussels on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency) 
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, in Brussels on Thursday (Egyptian Presidency) 

Egypt seeks to accelerate the implementation of the axes of strategic partnership with the European Union, and bolster the Egyptian-European parliamentary dialogue as a bridge of communication between the peoples of the two shores of the Mediterranean.

On Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held talks with President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, as part of his visit to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in the first Egypt-EU summit.

The President reviewed Egypt's efforts to consolidate security and stability in the Middle East, including the mediation that, in cooperation with other countries, led to an agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip, in addition to Egypt's hosting of the Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit with high-level international participation.

Both sides emphasized the necessity of underpinning the ceasefire in Gaza, allowing sufficient humanitarian aid into the Strip, and providing the necessary medical care for the injured.

Metsola said the EU is pushing towards the implementation of the two-state solution.

The meeting then touched on Egypt's efforts to resolve regional crises. Metsola expressed her great appreciation for the pivotal role played by Cairo in this regard.

In return, al-Sisi expressed his country’s appreciation for the honorable position adopted by the European Parliament in support of the Palestinian cause, embodied in the demand to stop the war and end the suffering of the people in the Gaza Strip.

He stressed the need for integrated efforts between Egypt and European countries during the next phase to ensure the full implementation of the agreement to end the war, provide humanitarian aid, and begin the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

The two sides then welcomed Egypt's hosting of the Gaza Reconstruction and Recovery Conference, scheduled for November 2025.

Also, the officials addressed the issue of illegal immigration. Egypt's efforts that have resulted in halting the departure of illegal immigration boats from its shores since September 2016 were commended, according to presidential spokesperson Mohamed El-Shennawy.

The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening European cooperation by providing job opportunities for skilled Egyptian workers and facilitating studying and training in European countries, as well as the need to strive for development and consolidate stability in the relevant countries.

 

 



Israel Adds Tender for 2,167 Housing Units to Settlement Expansion Plan

Israeli bulldozers level land at the evacuated Israeli settlement of Sanur, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 23 December 2025. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Israeli bulldozers level land at the evacuated Israeli settlement of Sanur, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 23 December 2025. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
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Israel Adds Tender for 2,167 Housing Units to Settlement Expansion Plan

Israeli bulldozers level land at the evacuated Israeli settlement of Sanur, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 23 December 2025. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH
Israeli bulldozers level land at the evacuated Israeli settlement of Sanur, near the West Bank city of Jenin, 23 December 2025. EPA/ALAA BADARNEH

Israel has added ‌a tender for 2,167 housing units to its E1 settlement expansion plan, Israeli rights groups said of a project that critics say endangers a future Palestinian state.

The project would bisect the Israeli-occupied West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, fragmenting the land Palestinians hope will form the heart of a state, said Reuters.

The tender for 2,167 units is in addition to a tender for 1,234 units announced at the end of August, ‌bringing the ‌total number of housing units to 3,401, ‌Israeli ⁠rights group Ir ⁠Amim said in a statement issued late on Wednesday.

The decision was condemned by a representative for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday who said the E1 tenders were in violation of international law.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist in the governing right-wing coalition, has said ⁠the plan would "bury" a Palestinian state.

The ‌tender is scheduled to ‌open for bidding on October 25, two days before Israel is ‌due to hold a parliamentary election.

Ir Amim ‌said the bidding date showed the government's resolve to push ahead with the E1 project and "create an increasingly irreversible reality on the ground ahead of the elections."

The Prime Minister's Office did ‌not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Many Western states and campaign groups ⁠have opposed ⁠the E1 settlement project over concerns that it could undermine a future peace deal with the Palestinians.

Britain, France and Canada banned exports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank last week. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said the E1 project risks making a Palestinian state unviable.

Under Israel's right-wing coalition government there has been a massive expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

UN bodies, Palestinians and most countries view the settlements as illegal under international conventions — a stance disputed by Israel — and as a major obstacle to peace.


Palestinian Authority: US Denial of Abbas Visa to Attend UN 'Unjustified'

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears on a screen as he addresses delegates during a high-level meeting of heads of state on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears on a screen as he addresses delegates during a high-level meeting of heads of state on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
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Palestinian Authority: US Denial of Abbas Visa to Attend UN 'Unjustified'

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears on a screen as he addresses delegates during a high-level meeting of heads of state on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appears on a screen as he addresses delegates during a high-level meeting of heads of state on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians at United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday slammed a decision by the United States to refuse visas for its officials to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next week, a move which includes President Mahmoud Abbas.

In a statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry called it "an unjustified measure that runs counter to efforts to rebuild trust, develop Palestinian-US relations, and create the necessary political climate for implementing the two-state solution and achieving peace and stability.”

In a statement that did not mention Abbas by name, the State Department said Wednesday it would deny visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and officials with the Palestinian Authority (PA), "as a consequence of their failure to reform, contrary to their commitments to the United States, and their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace."

The Trump administration took the same step last year, forcing the Palestinian leader, a regular at the UN General Assembly, to address the body of global leadership by video.


South Lebanon Blasts Threaten Landscape, Could Activate Fault Lines; Beirut to File UN Complaint

Smoke rises from the town of Halta following Israeli shelling (National News Agency)
Smoke rises from the town of Halta following Israeli shelling (National News Agency)
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South Lebanon Blasts Threaten Landscape, Could Activate Fault Lines; Beirut to File UN Complaint

Smoke rises from the town of Halta following Israeli shelling (National News Agency)
Smoke rises from the town of Halta following Israeli shelling (National News Agency)

Israeli forces pushed into the border town of Halta in South Lebanon on Wednesday before withdrawing to its outskirts after conducting searches and sweeps, amid reports that a local resident had been abducted.

The incursion came as Lebanese concern mounted over the scale of Israeli demolitions in the south, with Environment Minister Tamara El Zein warning that their repercussions could extend beyond direct destruction to geological risks affecting public safety.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli forces withdrew from Halta after entering the town Wednesday morning, amid reports that resident Fadi Abdel Aal had been abducted. Troops searched several homes and conducted sweeps with machine guns, while bulldozers razed olive groves.

Israeli forces also blew up several houses, while other homes were reportedly vandalized and solar panels on the ground and rooftops smashed. Three mortar shells struck the town, including one near homes. Powerful explosions heard across several villages in the Arqoub area were traced to demolitions carried out by Israeli forces inside Halta.

The operation followed previous Israeli incursions, searches, arrests and bulldozing in Halta and its surroundings. The town lies in the Arqoub area of Hasbaya district, near Kfar Shuba, the Kfar Shuba Hills and Shebaa Farms, in a geographically and militarily sensitive border area.

Israel says its operations in South Lebanon are intended to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities near the border.

Elsewhere, Israeli artillery struck the outskirts of Kfar Shuba and Kfar Tibnit in Nabatieh. In the western sector, Israeli forces carried out powerful demolitions in Mansouri, south of Tyre, following similar explosions targeting homes and valleys at dawn that caused strong tremors felt in neighboring villages.

Geological concerns

El Zein warned that the succession of massive Israeli explosions posed risks beyond the extensive destruction they caused, citing potential geological damage and ground disturbances.

She pointed to the demolition of the Ali al-Taher ridge two weeks ago using about 1,100 tons of explosives. According to data from Lebanon’s National Center for Geophysics, she noted, the blast generated seismic waves comparable to a magnitude 4.2 earthquake.

El Zein highlighted the site’s proximity to the Roum Fault, about one kilometer away, and the Yammouneh Fault, about seven kilometers away, arguing that the location and scale of the explosion raised additional concerns.

She also cited the demolition in Majdal Zoun using about 80 tons of explosives, which generated waves comparable to a magnitude 3.1 tremor and, according to her, physically split the town in two.

Another explosion near Beaufort Castle involved about 700 tons of explosives and generated waves comparable to a magnitude 3.8 tremor, with vibrations felt at considerable distances, she added.

The minister cautioned that massive underground explosions could, under certain geological conditions and particularly near existing faults, cause movement or reactivate faults, potentially increasing seismic risks.

She stressed that the inability to determine with certainty the future consequences of such effects did not mean the risks should be minimized or ignored.

‘Reshaping the geography’

El Zein argued that the scale of the explosions should not be measured solely by their immediate destruction, describing the operations as going beyond their direct military dimension to the “reshaping of geography.”

She warned that violent ground motion could damage the natural and built environment, infrastructure and homes across a wide area.

The minister linked the explosions to what she described as “ecocide,” stressing that the Lebanese state and government must respond to the scale of the damage and risks rather than merely document and catalogue what she called war crimes.

El Zein presented the findings and concerns to the Cabinet, which tasked her with preparing a detailed report on the repercussions of the explosions. The report will be submitted to the Foreign Ministry for referral to the UN Security Council and other relevant international bodies.