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Nabil Fahmy to Assume Position as Arab League Secretary-General in July

Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the Arab League. (Asharq Al-Awsat file)
Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the Arab League. (Asharq Al-Awsat file)
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Nabil Fahmy to Assume Position as Arab League Secretary-General in July

Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the Arab League. (Asharq Al-Awsat file)
Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the Arab League. (Asharq Al-Awsat file)

Former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy will assume office as Secretary-General of the Arab League on July 1, succeeding Ahmed Aboul Gheit, whose term expires on June 30.

The 165th regular session of the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers, held virtually in March, unanimously approved a resolution recommending that the upcoming 35th Arab Summit in Saudi Arabia endorse Fahmy’s nomination for a five-year term beginning July 1.

Arab diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the incoming Secretary-General has already begun preparations for taking up his post. The sources said Fahmy recently visited the Arab League headquarters in Cairo and held meetings to familiarize himself with the organization’s staff.

He has also met with several permanent representatives to the Arab League to discuss ways to strengthen the organization’s role in advancing joint Arab action. He outlined his vision for the League and proposals for developing mechanisms of Arab cooperation.

Earlier this month, Fahmy met in Cairo with Ambassador Muhannad Al-Aklouk, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the Arab League.

According to a statement by the Palestinian delegation, discussions focused on enhancing the Arab League’s effectiveness in defending the Palestinian cause and the rights of the Palestinian people, including implementation of resolutions adopted by the organization.

The talks addressed strengthening Arab national security, developing mechanisms for joint Arab action within the framework of the Arab League, and boosting the organization’s regional and international role, particularly in light of the challenges facing the Arab world.

One source said Fahmy remains on course to be formally confirmed as Secretary-General through ratification by Arab leaders of the foreign ministers’ decision, regardless of whether the Arab summit is held on schedule or postponed.

“In light of the difficulties surrounding the convening of a summit-level meeting of Arab leaders, ongoing consultations could lead to ratification of Fahmy’s appointment through a virtual meeting,” the source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Another Arab diplomatic source said time constraints have complicated preparations for holding the summit before the incoming Secretary-General officially assumes office.

The source added that “the situation may become clearer after the Eid al-Adha holiday, especially as regional tensions persist and no final agreement has yet been reached between the United States and Iran.”

A third source pointed to “the possibility of Fahmy assuming office on the basis of a decision by Arab foreign ministers, in line with previous precedents.”

Aboul Gheit himself was appointed by a decision of the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers during an extraordinary session held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo in March 2016.

The appointment was based on authorization granted by Arab leaders to the heads of delegations attending the meeting.

He assumed office in July of the same year without the need for an Arab summit to ratify his appointment.

Nabil Fahmy served as Egypt’s foreign minister from June 2013 to July 2014. He served as Egypt’s ambassador to the United States from 1999 to 2008 and ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 1999.

His father, Ismail Fahmy, served as Egypt’s foreign minister under the late President Anwar Sadat from 1973 to 1977.

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Arab World

Gazans Turn to Clay, Rubble to Build New Homes

A Palestinian boy makes his way across rubble near a displacement camp in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on Sunday. Credit: AFP/EYAD BABA
A Palestinian boy makes his way across rubble near a displacement camp in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on Sunday. Credit: AFP/EYAD BABA
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Gazans Turn to Clay, Rubble to Build New Homes

A Palestinian boy makes his way across rubble near a displacement camp in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on Sunday. Credit: AFP/EYAD BABA
A Palestinian boy makes his way across rubble near a displacement camp in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on Sunday. Credit: AFP/EYAD BABA

While Gaza’s housing crisis remains catastrophic with cement and steel blocked by Israel from entering the Strip, some Palestinians are turning to improvised methods and other workarounds in a bid to make their shelters safer or more habitable.

Among those Palestinians is Jaafar Atallah, a potter in Gaza, who decided to build a home from the earth. It was to be like the bread ovens his family had been making for generations, but big enough for his parents to live in, according to the Financial Times.

Atallah gathered clay from an area of Gaza a few kilometers from his tent and — with the help of about 15 people, including his father, also a potter — he set about making mud bricks.

For months, they learned as they built. Finally, they completed a domed hut, “so solid you could stand on top of it”, said Atallah, whose project was backed by pottery groups around the world after he shared videos online.

The clay structure was a relief after the flimsy protection of the tent: “You can keep your food in this room. In a tent, tomatoes and cucumbers won’t last a day and will rot. Life in the tents is so hard. There is such heat in the summer, it is torture,” Atallah said.

Atallah’s experience reflects the reality of thousands of families looking for alternatives after almost all buildings in Gaza have been destroyed by two years of bombardment amid Israel’s ban on concrete and steel imports.

Several Gazans are reusing steel reinforcing bars and concrete from the debris of buildings, scavenging for cement lying underwater in the port and resorting to mud to make bricks and mortar.

“We already have clay in our land, we don’t have to manufacture it, we don’t need things that we have to get from the crossing [with Israel], which is at the whim of the occupation,” said Atallah, who even designed a waterproof glaze for the bricks. “The occupation does not control this. It’s from our land, our soil.”

According to the UN, 1.9 million Gazans are displaced or live in tents, which lack sanitation or other utilities.

Reconstruction of Gaza remains a distant dream for its people. Israel bans building materials from entering Gaza on the grounds that the materials may be used for military purposes such as tunnel construction.

In May, teenage sisters Tala, 17, and Farah Moussa, 15, won a youth-focused award from the Swiss-based Earth Foundation for recycling cement debris into bricks.

Displaced with their family five times since the start of the war, they now live in a tent in Nuseirat in the center of the Gaza Strip. “We got the idea when our house was bombed,” said Tala. “We thought we had to do something and find a solution that comes from the problem itself, so we are using the rubble.”

Tala said, “We made five or six prototypes before we got it right. We researched on the internet and in books. Now we want to use the [$12,500] prize money to set up workshops to teach others how to make bricks.”

Using mud and stones, Gaza residents rebuild homes destroyed in months of conflict, as lack of access to construction material leaves families with few options.

Their efforts reflect the ability to adapt to the most extreme conditions to restore a normal life, even within walls built from the earth and the debris of buildings.

Arab World

Yemen Seeks Resumption of US Investments in Energy Sector

Al-Alimi during his meeting with the delegation from Hunt Oil Company (Saba)
Al-Alimi during his meeting with the delegation from Hunt Oil Company (Saba)
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Yemen Seeks Resumption of US Investments in Energy Sector

Al-Alimi during his meeting with the delegation from Hunt Oil Company (Saba)
Al-Alimi during his meeting with the delegation from Hunt Oil Company (Saba)

The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Rashad Al-Alimi, has met with a delegation from the American Hunt Oil Company, headed by the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Hunter Hunt.

The meeting on Sunday reviewed opportunities for partnership between the Yemeni government and Hunt Oil in the exploration, production, and export of oil and gas. It also discussed prospects for the company to resume its investments in Yemen in support of the country’s economic recovery and energy security.

Al-Alimi was briefed by the delegation on the company’s current operations, future plans, and promising investment opportunities in Yemen’s oil sector, building on its long-standing partnership with the Yemeni government.

The PLC President praised Hunt Oil’s pioneering role in establishing Yemen’s petroleum sector, including the discovery of the country’s first commercially viable oil reserves, its contributions to developing oil infrastructure, training national personnel, and its role as a key partner in the Yemen LNG project.

He said these contributions would remain a source of appreciation for both the government and the Yemeni people.

Al-Alimi also outlined the economic, financial, and administrative reforms being implemented by the government, particularly in the oil and gas sector.

He highlighted efforts to improve the investment climate, strengthen transparency and governance, and provide the necessary guarantees for the return of foreign companies across various sectors.

He commended Saudi support to Yemen’s economy, describing it as a key pillar for enhancing stability, advancing economic reform, and restoring investor confidence.

The PLC President reaffirmed the state’s commitment to providing all necessary support and facilities for investors. He said the government would work with regional and international partners to secure vital infrastructure and create conditions for the resumption of production activities.

He added that improving living standards and security across the country remains a top priority for the Yemeni government.

Arab World

Syria, Iraq Agree to Expand Cooperation in Energy, Security and Economy

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa receives Iraqi FM Fuad Hussein in Damascus on Monday. (SANA)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa receives Iraqi FM Fuad Hussein in Damascus on Monday. (SANA)
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Syria, Iraq Agree to Expand Cooperation in Energy, Security and Economy

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa receives Iraqi FM Fuad Hussein in Damascus on Monday. (SANA)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa receives Iraqi FM Fuad Hussein in Damascus on Monday. (SANA)

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein visited Damascus on Monday on his first trip since there since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024.

He held talks with President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani.

The meeting with Sharaa focused on bilateral relations and ways to expand cooperation across various sectors, reported Syria’s state news agency SANA.

The two sides also discussed regional and international developments and stressed the importance of strengthening coordination and consultation between Syria and Iraq in addressing shared challenges.

Talks with Shaibani focused on practical mechanisms to strengthen bilateral relations and advance mutual cooperation across various sectors.

The FMs agreed to establish a high committee for joint coordination, co-chaired by both ministers, to ensure the consistent follow-up and execution of outcomes stemming from bilateral cooperation while streamlining joint initiatives.

The discussions also focused on energy infrastructure, specifically looking into mechanisms for oil transit and grid integration, alongside a project to rehabilitate oil pipelines extending from Iraq to Syria.

They also addressed frameworks for strategic cooperation in the sectors of water management and agriculture, which aims to boost mutual food security, stimulate economic integration, and serve shared bilateral interests.

They explored avenues to upgrade security coordination and intelligence sharing, bolstering regional stability and supporting collaborative efforts to confront mutual security challenges.