Arab Quartet Adds Two Entities, 11 Individuals to Terror List

Figures accused by the Arab quartet of supporting and funding terrorism. Asharq Al-Awsat
Figures accused by the Arab quartet of supporting and funding terrorism. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Arab Quartet Adds Two Entities, 11 Individuals to Terror List

Figures accused by the Arab quartet of supporting and funding terrorism. Asharq Al-Awsat
Figures accused by the Arab quartet of supporting and funding terrorism. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Arab anti-terror quartet added to its terror list 11 more individuals and two entities – the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) headed by Yusuf al-Qaradawi and International Islamic Council (IIC).

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, and Bahrain declared in a statement that in light of their commitment to fighting terrorism, drying up its sources of funding, combating extremist ideology and working together to eradicate it and immunize societies against it, and in the framework of their joint efforts with active partners in fighting terrorism, they blacklisted the two entities and eleven individuals.

“The two entities listed are two terrorist organizations that promote terrorism by using Islamic rhetoric as a cover to facilitate terrorist activities,” the statement said.

Qatar-based IUMS was established in 2004 and is chaired by al-Qaradawi who is considered the Muslim Brotherhood's "godfather". The union is strongly linked to the terrorist organization and has 67 members including the president, the vice president, who is Iranian, the secretary general, and some indivudials who had been accused of terrorism.

The International Union had an effective role in creating strife in Arab and Islamic countries, backed by both Qatari and Turkish governments.

As for IIC, it aims at targeting Arab countries, mainly Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. Backed by the Qatari regime, it describes Saudi Arabia and UAE as two "zionist" states.

The council is affiliated with several organizations and entities on the quartet's terror list such as al-Karama organizations, Raf Institution, Qurtoba organization in UK, and Islah Association. 

Among those on the blacklist is Khaled Nazem Diab, a US citizen of Syrian origin. He is the head of Relief International Development of the Qatari Red Crescent, and funds armed militias in Syria.

Diab's activities reach countries like Yemen, Mauritania, Djibouti and Mosul city in Iraq. He is a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and a member of the board of trustees of al-Karama foundation.

He was arrested in Lebanon in 2013 on charges of funding terrorist groups in Syria and had been on UN and US blacklists since 2002.

Salem Jaber Omar Ali Sultan Fathallah Jaber, who is a Libyan preacher and a partner at "Boshra News Agency", a classified organization, is also on the list. 

He used to preach in al-Tahrir Square in Benghazi, Libya, where he was known for provoking armed militias to launch attacks against vital infrastructure spots.

Slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had banned Jaber from delivering any speech for five years. 

A close colleague of terrorist preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Jaber is also a partner in several Qatari foundations such as "Qatar Charity" and "Raf", both entities identified as terrorist.

Moyasar Ali Musa Abdullah al-Jubouri, dubbed Abu Maria al-Qahtani, was a former officer in the Iraqi Army within a group called "Fedayeen Saddam" until 2003.

After Paul Bremer restructured the army and police, Jubouri worked as a policeman in Baghdad after which he joined al-Nusra Front in Syria as the Grand Mufti and Emir of eastern area. He was then dismissed by the organization leader "Abu Mohammed al-Joulani". He is the previous assistant of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and uses a Qatari passport in his travels.

UN listed Jubouri as an international terrorist in 2014 for associating with al-Qaeda terrorist group.

The list also included Bahraini national Hassan Ali Mohammed Juma Sultan.

Sultan is a known extremist Shi’ite cleric who obtained his religious studies in Iran. He is one of the top commanders of the Islamic Dawa Party, as well as the dissolved al-Wefaq Association, and affiliated in several activities with the Lebanese Hezbollah. He is considered a fugitive in Bahrain.

An audio recording reveals a phone conversation between Sultan and the Qatari Emir’s adviser, Hamad bin Khalifah al-Attiyah, on attempts to create chaos in Bahrain.

Also on the list, Mohammed Suleiman Haidar Mohammed al-Haidar, who is a businessman from a wealthy Qatari family and accused of financing several terrorist groups active in Bahrain. He supported Bahraini terrorists trough bank transfers of over 35,000 Bahraini Dinars. He is also linked to terrorist activities in Bahrain through his financial support of the Bahraini opposition.

On the list, an Egyptian national, Mohammed Jamal Ahmed Hishmat Abdul Hamid who is accused of plotting the General Attorney’s assassination. Following the Egyptian revolution on June 30, he fled to Sudan then to Turkey.

Abdul Hamid is the key founder of the dissolved Freedom and Justice Party, the political office of the Muslim Brotherhood group, and member of the party's high committee. He is accused of inciting riots in Egypt.

Egyptian Alsayed Mahmoud Ezzat Ibrahim Eissa is also on the list for his terrorist activity. He is the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide. He has escaped Egypt and is a wanted fugitive.

Eissa is accused of several crimes including espionage and had been arrested several times.

The quartet said in the statement that through their monitoring, they discovered that Qatari authorities continued to support and finance terrorism, promotion of extremism, and dissemination of hate speech. It added that Doha not taken effective action to stop terrorist activity.

The statement reaffirmed the four countries’ commitment to strengthening all efforts to combat terrorism and establish security and stability in the region.

They stressed that they will not hesitate to pursue individuals and terrorist groups and will support all means in this regard at the regional and international levels.

The quartet assured that it will continue to combat terrorist activities and target terrorism financing regardless of its source, and will continue to work with partners around the world to effectively reduce terrorist activities and extremist organizations that should not be tolerated by any state.

The four countries concluded by thanking all the countries that support them in their fight against terrorism, extremism and violence.



Meta's Zuckerberg Faces Questioning at Youth Addiction Trial

REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Purchase Licensing Rights
REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Purchase Licensing Rights
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Meta's Zuckerberg Faces Questioning at Youth Addiction Trial

REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Purchase Licensing Rights
REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Purchase Licensing Rights

Meta Platforms CEO and billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is set to be questioned for the first time in a US court on Wednesday about Instagram's effect on the mental health of young users, as a landmark trial over youth social media addiction continues. While Zuckerberg has previously testified on the subject before Congress, the stakes are higher at the jury trial in Los Angeles, California. Meta may have to pay damages if it loses the case, and the verdict could erode Big Tech's longstanding legal defense against claims of user harm, Reuters reported.

The lawsuit and others like it are part of a global backlash against social media platforms over children's mental health. Australia has prohibited access to social media platforms for users under age 16, and other countries including Spain are considering similar curbs. In the US, Florida has prohibited companies from allowing users under age 14. Tech industry trade groups are challenging the law in court. The case involves a California woman who started using Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube as a child. She alleges the companies sought to profit by hooking kids on their services despite knowing social media could harm their mental health. She alleges the apps fueled her depression and suicidal thoughts and is seeking to hold the companies liable.

Meta and Google have denied the allegations, and pointed to their work to add features that keep users safe. Meta has often pointed to a National Academies of Sciences finding that research does not show social media changes kids' mental health.

The lawsuit serves as a test case for similar claims in a larger group of cases against Meta, Alphabet's Google, Snap and TikTok. Families, school districts and states have filed thousands of lawsuits in the US accusing the companies of fueling a youth mental health crisis.

Zuckerberg is expected to be questioned on Meta's internal studies and discussions of how Instagram use affects younger users.

Over the years, investigative reporting has unearthed internal Meta documents showing the company was aware of potential harm. Meta researchers found that teens who report that Instagram regularly made them feel bad about their bodies saw significantly more “eating disorder adjacent content” than those who did not,

Reuters reported

in October. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, testified last week that he was unaware of a recent Meta study showing no link between parental supervision and teens' attentiveness to their own social media use. Teens with difficult life circumstances more often said they used Instagram habitually or unintentionally, according to the document shown at trial.

Meta's lawyer told jurors at the trial that the woman's health records show her issues stem from a troubled childhood, and that social media was a creative outlet for her.


Israel Permits 10,000 West Bank Palestinians for Friday Prayers at Al Aqsa

Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer
Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer
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Israel Permits 10,000 West Bank Palestinians for Friday Prayers at Al Aqsa

Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer
Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer

Israel announced that it will cap the number of Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem at 10,000 during the holy month of Ramadan, which began Wednesday.

Israeli authorities also imposed age restrictions on West Bank Palestinians, permitting entry only to men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12.

"Ten thousand Palestinian worshippers will be permitted to enter the Temple Mount for Friday prayers throughout the month of Ramadan, subject to obtaining a dedicated daily permit in advance," COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry agency in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement, AFP reported.

"Entry for men will be permitted from age 55, for women from age 50, and for children up to age 12 when accompanied by a first-degree relative."

COGAT told AFP that the restrictions apply only to Palestinians travelling from the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

"It is emphasised that all permits are conditional upon prior security approval by the relevant security authorities," COGAT said.

"In addition, residents travelling to prayers at the Temple Mount will be required to undergo digital documentation at the crossings upon their return to the areas of Judea and Samaria at the conclusion of the prayer day," it said, using the Biblical term for the West Bank.

During Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al-Aqsa, Islam's third holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed in a move that is not internationally recognized.

Since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, the attendance of worshippers has declined due to security concerns and Israeli restrictions.

The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said this week that Israeli authorities had prevented the Islamic Waqf -- the Jordanian-run body that administers the site -- from carrying out routine preparations ahead of Ramadan, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.

A senior imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Muhammad al-Abbasi, told AFP that he, too, had been barred from entering the compound.

"I have been barred from the mosque for a week, and the order can be renewed," he said.

Abbasi said he was not informed of the reason for the ban, which came into effect on Monday.

Under longstanding arrangements, Jews may visit the Al-Aqsa compound -- which they revere as the site of the first and second Jewish temples -- but they are not permitted to pray there.

Israel says it is committed to upholding this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.

In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.


EU Exploring Support for New Gaza Administration Committee, Document Says

Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
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EU Exploring Support for New Gaza Administration Committee, Document Says

Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

The European Union is exploring possible support for a new committee established to take over the civil administration of Gaza, according to a document produced by the bloc's diplomatic arm and seen by Reuters.

"The EU is engaging with the newly established transitional governance structures for Gaza," the European External Action Service wrote in a document circulated to member states on Tuesday.

"The EU is also exploring possible support to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza," it added.

European foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Gaza during a meeting in Brussels on February 23.