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Aboul Gheit: Palestine’s Budget Deficit Amounts to $700 Million

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Reuters file photo
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Reuters file photo
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Aboul Gheit: Palestine’s Budget Deficit Amounts to $700 Million

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Reuters file photo
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Reuters file photo

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that Palestine’s budget deficit reached $700 million this year.

His statement came during an emergency meeting of the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo on Sunday.
 
“We are able to support the Palestinians through the financial safety net, or in any form of financial support, including grants or even loans, in order to help them overcome the pressing and dangerous crisis,” he said.
 
In a statement issued at the end of the meeting, the ministers emphasized their commitment to the decisions of the Arab League, with regards to the establishment of a financial safety net to support the budget of the Authority, worth $100 million per month.
 
The finance ministers stressed “Arab support for the political, economic and financial rights of the State of Palestine and the need to ensure its political, economic and financial independence.” They also condemned the “Israeli hijacking of the Palestinian people’s money” and called on the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli government in this regard.
 
The Arab finance ministers proposed to provide soft loans within the safety net through a bilateral agreement with Palestine, and to continue to support infrastructure and development projects through financial aid or soft loans.
 
The final communiqué also called on Arab funds and institutions, as well as Arab banks, to contribute to the financial safety net by providing soft loans to the State of Palestine in direct coordination with the Palestinian competent authorities.
 
Shoukri Beshara, the Palestinian minister of finance and planning, had earlier called on Arab finance ministers to “activate the Arab safety net in accordance with the resolutions of the League of Arab States,” noting that Israeli sanctions put the Palestinian economy at a critical juncture.

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Hamdok Calls for UN-African Union Meeting with Sudanese Warring Parties to Secure Ceasefire

Sudanese Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Facebook)
Sudanese Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Facebook)
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Hamdok Calls for UN-African Union Meeting with Sudanese Warring Parties to Secure Ceasefire

Sudanese Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Facebook)
Sudanese Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. (Facebook)

Sudanese former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has called for an urgent joint meeting between the UN Security Council, the African Union Peace and Security Council, the Sudanese army, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), allied groups, and key civil actors, in a bid to reach an unconditional ceasefire and humanitarian truce in his country’s war.

In a public address marking the second anniversary of the devastating war between the military and RSF, Hamdok proposed an inclusive summit attended by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, leaders of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), and representatives of civilian forces.

Hamdok’s initiative aims to secure a permanent ceasefire, reach a comprehensive peace agreement, and establish broad consensus on a transitional constitutional framework that revives Sudan’s path toward civilian democratic governance, rooted in the spirit of the December 2018 revolution.

He urged the formation of a fully empowered transitional civilian authority to oversee post-war recovery, reconstruction, and the organization of national elections. He also emphasized the need to begin confidence-building measures, including halting hostile media campaigns and releasing all prisoners and detainees.

Under his “Sudan Peace Appeal,” Hamdok also called for an international donor conference to bridge the humanitarian funding gap and support a Sudanese-led peace process that addresses the root causes of the conflict.

He proposed a three-track approach: humanitarian aid and civilian protection, a ceasefire with permanent security arrangements based on the Jeddah Agreement, and a political dialogue to lay the groundwork for lasting peace.

Moreover, Hamdok urged regional and international stakeholders to refrain from actions that prolong the conflict and to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on all parties. He also proposed forming a Sudanese-led expert task force to assess the war’s destruction and develop a national reconstruction and recovery plan.

The former prime minister warned that continued fighting could turn Sudan into a hub for extremist and terrorist groups. He condemned growing hate speech and atrocities, including massacres and horrific violence, which he said risk transforming the country into a breeding ground for terrorism.

Meanwhile, the army marked the start of the third year of war by announcing military gains against RSF positions in western and southern Omdurman, seizing weapons and killing dozens of fighters. The army claimed it had cleared several strategic areas and was now targeting remaining RSF pockets in Khartoum State.