Arab League Slams US State Dept over Removal of 'Palestine' From Its Site

A general view of the Arab League delegates meeting in Cairo, Egypt December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A general view of the Arab League delegates meeting in Cairo, Egypt December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Arab League Slams US State Dept over Removal of 'Palestine' From Its Site

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

The Arab League denounced the US State Department’s deletion from its website, of the name of the occupied Palestinian territories or the Palestinian Authority from the list of Middle East countries.

The League said the move was “a new hostile action that threatens to liquidate the Palestinian Cause.”

In a statement, Saeed Abu Ali, Arab League Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and the Occupied Arab Territories, stressed that this [US] decision was strongly rejected by Arab countries as well as by the overwhelming majority of countries around the world, which expressed on more than one occasion their support for the Palestinian rights and adherence to the principles of law and international legitimacy.

This US measure will be added to the series of previous isolating moves, which have been rejected internationally, including by the Arab world, according to the League official.

He went on to say that the US decision would not affect “the determination and steadfastness of the Palestinian people and leadership in their just struggle to achieve their independence and complete the building of their state with the support of the Arab nation.”



Turkish FM Discusses with Blinken Need to Cooperate with New Syrian Administration

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) attending a press conference after their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. (EPA/Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) attending a press conference after their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. (EPA/Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office handout)
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Turkish FM Discusses with Blinken Need to Cooperate with New Syrian Administration

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) attending a press conference after their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. (EPA/Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office handout)
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) attending a press conference after their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. (EPA/Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office handout)

Türkiye's foreign minister discussed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday the need to act in cooperation with the new Syrian administration to ensure the completion of the transition period in an orderly manner, the ministry said.

In a phone call, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Blinken that Ankara would not allow Kurdish YPG militia to take shelter in Syria, the ministry spokesperson said.

During the call, Blinken emphasized the need to support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process that "upholds human rights and prioritizes an inclusive and representative government," according to a statement from the US State Department.

Blinken and Fidan also discussed preventing terrorism from endangering the security of Türkiye and Syria, the statement said.