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Saudi FM Participates in EU Foreign Affairs Council Meeting

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. SPA
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. SPA
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Saudi FM Participates in EU Foreign Affairs Council Meeting

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. SPA
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. SPA

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah has participated in the European Union Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, chaired by EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell.

The Minister and several Arab officials discussed on Monday the latest developments in the Middle East. They talked about the situation in the Gaza Strip, the urgent need to achieve a ceasefire, and the humanitarian catastrophe.

The discussions were attended by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, and Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri.

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Gulf

MWL Condemns Attack on UNIFIL in Southern Lebanon

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ambulance crosses the Qasmiyeh bridge heading toward Sidon and Beirut. (AFP)
A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ambulance crosses the Qasmiyeh bridge heading toward Sidon and Beirut. (AFP)
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MWL Condemns Attack on UNIFIL in Southern Lebanon

A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ambulance crosses the Qasmiyeh bridge heading toward Sidon and Beirut. (AFP)
A United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) ambulance crosses the Qasmiyeh bridge heading toward Sidon and Beirut. (AFP)

The Muslim World League (MWL) condemned the attack targeting the French battalion of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

In a statement, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa reiterated the organization’s condemnation of attacks on UN agencies and their missions, as part of its broader rejection of all acts of violence and terrorism.

Al-Issa noted that the attack breaches international obligations concerning the safety and security of UN personnel.

He offered condolences to the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

A UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon came under attack with small arms fire Saturday morning, leaving one French peacekeeper dead and three others wounded, two of them seriously, France's president and the force known as UNIFIL said.

Both President Emmanuel Macron and the UNIFIL force blamed Hezbollah, but the group denied involvement.

The attack near the southern Lebanese village of Ghandouriyeh came after a 10-day ceasefire went into effect at midnight Thursday between Israel and Hezbollah.

Gulf

First Flights of Makkah Route Initiative Beneficiaries Arrive in Madinah

Pilgrims from Türkiye are welcomed upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Pilgrims from Türkiye are welcomed upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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First Flights of Makkah Route Initiative Beneficiaries Arrive in Madinah

Pilgrims from Türkiye are welcomed upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Pilgrims from Türkiye are welcomed upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The first flights carrying beneficiaries of the Makkah Route Initiative arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The pilgrims arrived from Türkiye, Pakistan and Bangladesh and entered through the initiative's terminal at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

The Makkah Route Initiative aims to deliver high-quality services to pilgrims from beneficiary countries by receiving them and completing their procedures with ease in their homelands. This begins with biometric data collection and the electronic issuance of Hajj visas, followed by passport procedures at the departure airport after verifying health requirements, and the coding and sorting of luggage in line with transport and accommodation arrangements in the Kingdom.

Pilgrims then proceed directly to buses designated to take them to their residences in Makkah and Madinah via dedicated routes, while partner entities ensure their luggage is delivered to them.

The Ministry of Interior is implementing the initiative in its eighth year in cooperation with the ministries of foreign affairs, health, Hajj and Umrah, and media, along with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority for Awqaf, the Pilgrim Experience Program, and the General Directorate of Passports, in integration with the digital partner stc Group.

The initiative has served 1,254,994 pilgrims since its launch in 2017.

Gulf

Arab, Islamic Countries Condemn Israel for Appointing Diplomatic Representative to ‘Somaliland’

This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
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Arab, Islamic Countries Condemn Israel for Appointing Diplomatic Representative to ‘Somaliland’

This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)
This picture taken on November 7, 2024 shows a general view of the city of Hargeisa, capital and largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland. (AFP)

The foreign ministers of several Arab and Islamic countries slammed Israel on Saturday for announcing the appointment of a diplomatic representative to the so-called “Somaliland” in “flagrant violation of the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia.”

The ministers reiterated their “unequivocal rejection of all unilateral measures that undermine the unity of states or infringe upon their sovereignty.”

They underscored “their firm and unwavering support for the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia, as well as for its legitimate state institutions, being the sole representative of the will of the Somali people.”

The ministers stressed that such actions are “a blatant violation of the principles of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and set a dangerous precedent that risks undermining stability in the Horn of Africa,” which will have a negative impact on regional peace and security.

The statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Egypt, Kuwait, Palestine, Libya, Sudan, Algeria, Pakistan, Türkiye, Indonesia and Bangladesh.