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Abbas Mourns Arafat’s Sister

Khadija Arafat. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
Khadija Arafat. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
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Abbas Mourns Arafat’s Sister

Khadija Arafat. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic
Khadija Arafat. Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic

Khadija Arafat, sister of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, died early Saturday morning at a hospital in Cairo where she had been receiving treatment, at the age of 86, according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency.

President Mahmoud Abbas reportedly mourned her passing and acknowledged her role in her brother’s revolutionary and nationalistic aspirations realized through the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). He offered condolences to her relatives, family and loved ones.

Fatah mourned with deep sorrow the death of Khadija, calling her “the Revolutionary Adult”.

Also, the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo announced that Arafat died while receiving treatment in a Cairo hospital, but no further information was given regarding her death.

Khadija was the only remaining sister of Arafat. She headed charity organizations offering services to Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Gaza Strip.

Arafat died at the age of 75 in 2004 in a military hospital in Paris, after a long Israeli siege of his headquarters. Palestinians accuse Israelis of poisoning him, yet years after investigation no significant information was revealed.

The commission of inquiry, headed by Fatah member Tawfik Tirawi, summoned security men close to Arafat and questioned them. The commission also took samples from his body to confirm or deny the hypothesis of him being poisoned.

The commission didn’t issue any statement or outcomes, although Abbas said last year that he knew who killed Arafat but would wait for the results of the investigation. As he marked the 12th anniversary of the Arafat’s death, he said, “You ask me who killed him, I know — but my testimony alone is not enough. A commission of inquiry is digging into that, but you’ll find out at the earliest opportunity and be amazed when you know who did it.”

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Report: Western Powers Warn Syria over Foreign Fighters in Army

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
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Report: Western Powers Warn Syria over Foreign Fighters in Army

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)

US, French and German envoys have warned Syria's new rulers that their appointment of foreign fighters to senior military posts is a security concern and bad for their image as they try to forge ties with foreign states, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The warning from the US, part of Western efforts to get Syria's new leaders to reconsider the move, was delivered in a meeting between US envoy Daniel Rubinstein and Syria's de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday at the presidential palace overlooking Damascus, a US official said.

"These appointments will not help them with their reputation in the US," the official said.

The foreign ministers of France and Germany, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, also broached the issue of foreign fighters drafted into the army during their meeting with Sharaa on Jan. 3, an official aware of the talks said.

Reuters reported the appointments on Dec. 30. The envoys' comments on the appointments have not previously been reported.

Sharaa's armed group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led an offensive that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 and has since installed a government and disbanded the Assad-era army. It is now making efforts to reconstitute the armed forces.

Late last year, it made nearly 50 appointments including at least six foreign fighters, among them Chinese and central Asian Uyghurs, a Turkish citizen, an Egyptian and a Jordanian, Reuters reported at the time.

Three were given the rank of brigadier-general and at least three others the rank of colonel, a Syrian military source said.

HTS and allied groups have hundreds of foreign fighters in their ranks who came to Syria during the country's 13-year civil war, many of them followers of hardline interpretations of Islam.

Foreign capitals generally view foreign fighters as a key security threat as they suspect that some may seek to carry out attacks in their home countries after gaining experience abroad.

Officials of the new Syrian administration have said foreign fighters made sacrifices to help overthrow Assad and would have a place in Syria, adding they could be granted citizenship.

The Syrian defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The German foreign ministry did not comment.

A State Department spokesperson said Washington is in a continuing dialogue with the interim authorities in Damascus.

"Discussions have been constructive and have covered a wide range of domestic and international issues," the spokesperson said, adding there has been "tangible progress on counter-terrorism priorities, including ISIS."

The US official and a Western source said that Damascus explained the appointments of foreign fighters by saying they could not simply be sent back home or abroad where they may face persecution, and it was better to keep them in Syria.

The US official said authorities also explained that these people had helped rid Syria of Assad and some had been in the country for more than 10 years and so were part of society.