Arab Parliament Holds Conference to Promote Solidarity, Discard Differences

A general view of the Arab League delegates meeting. December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A general view of the Arab League delegates meeting. December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Arab Parliament Holds Conference to Promote Solidarity, Discard Differences

A general view of the Arab League delegates meeting. December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A general view of the Arab League delegates meeting. December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

The Arab Parliament will hold on Saturday a conference in which senior leaders will participate at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.

The conference will be held as a recognition of the accuracy and seriousness of the current situation and challenges faced by the Arab nation, Speaker of the Parliament Dr. Meshal bin Fahmy al-Salami said in a statement on Tuesday.

He said all this necessitates unifying Arab ranks, discarding differences and boosting solidarity to achieve desired security, stability, development and renaissance in the Arab region.

Salami pointed out that the participating leaders in the conference aim at developing an Arab document along with the Parliament as they have deep knowledge and great experience in the field of joint Arab action.

He added that the document is to be submitted to the Council of the Arab League at the summit level at its next meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Tunisia in March.

The conference will be attended by a number of current and former senior officials as well as a number of senior Arab media figures and intellectuals.

Among the participants are former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel and Prince Turki Al Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Research along with six former premiers, who are Abdulaziz Belkhadem of Algeria, Dr. Iyad Allawi of Iraq, Dr. Mahmoud Jibril of Libya, Dr Hani al-Mulqi of Jordan, Habib al-Seid of Tunisia and Dr. Ahmed bin Dagher of Yemen.

Moreover, Abdulhakim bin Chamash, chairman of the Council of Moroccan of Councilors, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Mutawa, Bahrain’s minister of cabinet affairs, Amr Moussa, former Arab League secretary-general, Professor Ibrahim Ghandour, former Sudanese foreign minister and Dr. Saeb Erekat, secretary of the executive committee and head of the negotiation department in the PLO, Dr. Ibtisam al-Ketbi, president of the Emirates policy center and Dr. Ayed al-Manna, Kuwaiti political researcher, will also attend the conference and participate in its activities.



German Minister Says Israeli Occupation of Golan Heights Breaches International Law

 An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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German Minister Says Israeli Occupation of Golan Heights Breaches International Law

 An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle rides on the Golan Heights side of the ceasefire line with Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, December 18, 2024. (Reuters)

The occupation of the Golan Heights is a violation of international law, Germany's foreign minister said during a speech in the parliament on Wednesday, after the Israeli government decided at the weekend to double its population on the occupied strategic plateau.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also said she would make clear to Türkiye on a visit on Friday that the rights of Kurds in northern Syria must be protected.

Israel will remain on the strategic Mount Hermon site on the Syrian border until another arrangement is found, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

Israeli troops occupied Mount Hermon when they moved into a demilitarized zone between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following the collapse of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government this month.

Officials have described the move as a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of Israel's borders but have given no indication of when the troops might be withdrawn and Defense Minister Israel Katz last week ordered troops to prepare to remain on Mount Hermon over the winter.

Israel's move into the buffer zone created following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war has been criticized as a violation of international agreements by a number of countries and the United Nations, which have called for the troops to be withdrawn.