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.



Syria: SDF’s Mazloum Abdi Says Implementation of Integration Deal May Take Time

People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
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Syria: SDF’s Mazloum Abdi Says Implementation of Integration Deal May Take Time

People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the process of merging the SDF with Syrian government forces “may take some time,” despite expressing confidence in the eventual success of the agreement.

His remarks came after earlier comments in which he acknowledged differences with Damascus over the concept of “decentralization.”

Speaking at a tribal conference in the northeastern city of Hasakah on Tuesday, Abdi said the issue of integration would not be resolved quickly, but stressed that the agreement remains on track.

He said the deal reached last month stipulates that three Syrian army brigades will be created out of the SDF.

Abdi added that all SDF military units have withdrawn to their barracks in an effort to preserve stability and continue implementing the announced integration agreement with the Syrian state.

He also emphasized the need for armed forces to withdraw from the vicinity of the city of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), to be replaced by security forces tasked with maintaining order.


Israeli Far-Right Minister to Push for ‘Migration’ of West Bank, Gaza Palestinians 

A Palestinian man checks leather belts as people prepare for Ramadan, in the old city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 17,2026. (Reuters)
A Palestinian man checks leather belts as people prepare for Ramadan, in the old city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 17,2026. (Reuters)
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Israeli Far-Right Minister to Push for ‘Migration’ of West Bank, Gaza Palestinians 

A Palestinian man checks leather belts as people prepare for Ramadan, in the old city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 17,2026. (Reuters)
A Palestinian man checks leather belts as people prepare for Ramadan, in the old city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 17,2026. (Reuters)

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would pursue a policy of "encouraging the migration" of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

"We will eliminate the idea of an Arab terror state," said Smotrich, speaking at an event organized by his Religious Zionism Party late on Tuesday.

"We will finally, formally, and in practical terms nullify the cursed Oslo Accords and embark on a path toward sovereignty, while encouraging emigration from both Gaza and Judea and Samaria.

"There is no other long-term solution," added Smotrich, who himself lives in a settlement in the West Bank.

Since last week, Israel has approved a series of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over the West Bank, including in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, in place since the 1990s.

The measures include a process to register land in the West Bank as "state property" and facilitate direct purchases of land by Jewish Israelis.

The measures have triggered widespread international outrage.

On Tuesday, the UN missions of 85 countries condemned the measures, which critics say amount to de facto annexation of the Palestinian territory.

"We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel's unlawful presence in the West Bank," they said in a statement.

"Such decisions are contrary to Israel's obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed.

"We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on Israel to reverse its land registration policy, calling it "destabilizing" and "unlawful".

The West Bank would form the largest part of any future Palestinian state. Many on Israel's religious right view it as Israeli land.

Israeli NGOs have also raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem's borders into the occupied West Bank since 1967.

The planned development, announced by Israel's Ministry of Construction and Housing, is formally a westward expansion of the Geva Binyamin, or Adam, settlement situated northeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank.

The current Israeli government has fast-tracked settlement expansion, approving a record 52 settlements in 2025.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.


Maliki Can Withdraw as Candidacy as Iraq PM the Easy or Hard Way

Members of the Coordination Framework hold a meeting. (Iraqi News Agency)
Members of the Coordination Framework hold a meeting. (Iraqi News Agency)
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Maliki Can Withdraw as Candidacy as Iraq PM the Easy or Hard Way

Members of the Coordination Framework hold a meeting. (Iraqi News Agency)
Members of the Coordination Framework hold a meeting. (Iraqi News Agency)

Iraqi Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declined at the last minute to attend a meeting of the pro-Iran Coordination Framework on Monday night that was aimed at settling the crisis over his nomination as prime minister.

Instead of declaring that he was pulling out as candidate, as had been expected, Maliki informed his close circle that he is “following through with his nomination to the end,” trusted sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Iraq has come under intense pressure from the US to withdraw the nomination. In January, President Donald Trump warned Baghdad against picking Maliki as its PM, saying the United States would no longer help the country.

“Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again. Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Maliki also dismissed as “extortion and intimidation” talks of renewed US sanctions on Iraq, added the sources.

However, circles within the Coordination Framework have started to “despair” with the impasse over naming a new prime minister and are weighing the possibility of taking “difficult” choices, they revealed. Maliki has become a prisoner of his own nomination.

The Sunni Progress Party (Takadum) had voiced its reservations over Maliki’s nomination before Trump made his position clear and which has since weighed heavily on Iraq.

‘Indefinitely’

Maliki’s decision to skip the Framework’s meeting on Monday forced the coalition to postpone it “indefinitely”, exposing more differences inside the alliance that have been festering for months. The dispute over the post of prime minister is threatening to evolve into one that threatens the unity of the coalition itself.

Several sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Maliki had sent the Framework a written message on Monday night informing them that he will not attend the meeting because “he was aware that discussions will seek to pressure him to withdraw his candidacy.”

Maliki was the one to call for the meeting to convene in the first place, they revealed.

Reports have been rife in Iraq that Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political leaderships have all received warnings that the US would take measure against Iraq if Maliki continued to insist on his nomination.

Former Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told Dijlah TV that “Shiite parties” had received two new American messages reiterating the rejection of Maliki’s nomination.

Necessary choice

Maliki and the Framework are now at an impasse, with the latter hoping the former PM would take it upon himself to withdraw his candidacy in what a leading Shiite figure said would help protect the unity of the coalition.

Leading members of the coalition were hoping to give Maliki enough time to decide himself to withdraw, but as time stretches on, the coalition may take matters into its own hands and take “necessary” choices, said the figure.

Other sources revealed, however, that Maliki refuses to voluntarily withdraw from the race believing that this is a responsibility that should be shouldered by the Framework. This has effectively left the alliance with complex and limited choices to end the crisis.

Sources close to Maliki said he has made light of US threats to impose sanctions, saying that if they were to happen, Iraq will emerge on the other side stronger, citing other countries that came out stronger after enduring years of pressure.

Moreover, he is banking on an American change in position, saying mediators have volunteered to “polish his image before Trump and his team.” Members of Maliki’s State of Law coalition declined to comment on this information.

Sources inside the Framework said the coalition may “ultimately withdraw Maliki’s nomination if he becomes too much of a burden on an already weary alliance.”

Doing so may cost them a strong ally in Maliki and force the Framework to yield to Washington’s will, said the Shiite figure. “Maliki may come off as stubborn and strong, but he is wasting his realistic options at this critical political juncture,” it added.

The Framework is divided between a team that is banking on waiting to see how the US-Iran tensions will play out to resolve the crisis and on Maliki voluntarily withdrawing his nomination. The other team is calling for the coalition to resolve the crisis through an internal vote.

Leading Shiite figures told Asharq Al-Awsat that opponents of Maliki’s nomination in the coalition have no choice but to apply internal pressure inside the Framework, which is on the verge of collapse.