Saudi-UAE Media Committee Discusses Mechanisms of Joint Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Information and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council met on Monday, September 16, 2019
Saudi Minister of Information and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council met on Monday, September 16, 2019
TT

Saudi-UAE Media Committee Discusses Mechanisms of Joint Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Information and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council met on Monday, September 16, 2019
Saudi Minister of Information and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council met on Monday, September 16, 2019

The Joint Committee for Media Cooperation of the Saudi-UAE Coordination Council held Monday a meeting in Abu Dhabi.

The meeting aimed at developing and bolstering media strategies and activating joint programs, plans, and initiatives that meet the aspirations of the leadership and peoples of both countries.

It was held under the chairmanship of Saudi Minister of Media Turki al-Shabana and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan al-Jaber.

Parties discussed various joint media initiatives and programs that target uniting efforts to shed light on both countries’ positive image and developing and boosting media content, thus contributing to consolidating and enhancing joint action.

The Committee is part of the Saudi-UAE integration system in a number of developmental areas, activating the joint vision between the two countries and intensifying bilateral cooperation in areas of common interest.

It is one of seven joint integration committees that were established to implement a number of strategic and development initiatives and projects to achieve prosperity for both peoples.

The joint committees support uniting visions and ideas to create a better future for citizens in both countries and overcome obstacles in various areas to achieve common goals.

“We seek bolstering bonds of cooperation between us and supporting the media sector through a number of programs and projects that will contribute to the sector’s development,” Shabana said.

He added that the committee will also work on improving the quality of production between the two countries in a way that contributes to raising the level of audio-visual media work and the efficiency and competitiveness of social media.

“The presented initiatives provide us with a good vision towards the future of bilateral cooperation and help increase investment in the media sector,” the Minister explained.

Among the initiatives’ goals are stimulating the media market and understanding the habits of media behavior through the audience and developing it, he said.

Shabani noted that unifying the media message is of great importance and could be achieved through joint initiatives and events that strengthen the bonds between citizens of the two countries.



Israel Strikes Gaza within Hours of Ceasefire Accord with Hamas

FILE - Palestinian children play next to a building destroyed by Israeli army strikes in the central Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)
FILE - Palestinian children play next to a building destroyed by Israeli army strikes in the central Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)
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Israel Strikes Gaza within Hours of Ceasefire Accord with Hamas

FILE - Palestinian children play next to a building destroyed by Israeli army strikes in the central Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)
FILE - Palestinian children play next to a building destroyed by Israeli army strikes in the central Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)

Israel intensified strikes on Gaza hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced, residents and authorities in the Palestinian enclave said, as mediators sought to quell fighting ahead of the truce's start on Sunday.
The complex ceasefire accord between Israel and the Hamas group, which controls Gaza, emerged on Wednesday after months of mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US and 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East, Reuters said.
The deal outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed. Hostages taken by Hamas would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.
At a news conference in Doha, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the ceasefire would take effect on Sunday. Negotiators are working with Israel and Hamas on steps to implement the agreement, he said.
"This deal will halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families after more than 15 months in captivity," US President Joe Biden said in Washington.
His successor, Donald Trump, takes office on Monday and claimed credit for the breakthrough in Gaza.
Israel's acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country's security cabinet and government, with votes slated for Thursday, an Israeli official said.
The accord was expected to win approval despite opposition from some hardliners in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government.
Significant progress was made in the negotiations once the Biden and Trump administrations began working hand-in-hand to make the case for urgency, outgoing US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew told Reuters.
While people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, Israel's military escalated attacks after the announcement, the civil emergency service and residents said.
Heavy Israeli bombardment, especially in Gaza City, killed 32 people late on Wednesday, medics said. The strikes continued early on Thursday and destroyed houses in Rafah in southern Gaza, Nuseirat in central Gaza and in northern Gaza, residents said.
Israel's military said Gaza militants fired a rocket into Israel on Thursday, causing no casualties.
JUBILATION IN GAZA
In social media posts, some Gaza residents urged Palestinians to exercise extra caution in the belief Israel could step up attacks in the next few days to maximize gains before the ceasefire starts.
Nevertheless, news of the ceasefire deal sparked jubilation in Gaza, where Palestinians have faced severe shortages of food, water, shelter and fuel. In Khan Younis, throngs clogged the streets amid the sounds of horns as they cheered, waved Palestinian flags and danced.
"I am happy. Yes, I am crying, but those are tears of joy," said Ghada, a displaced mother of five.
In Tel Aviv, families of Israeli hostages and their friends likewise welcomed the news, saying in a statement they felt "overwhelming joy and relief (about) the agreement to bring our loved ones home." In a social media statement announcing the ceasefire, Hamas called the pact "an achievement for our people" and "a turning point."
If successful, the ceasefire will halt fighting that has razed much of heavily urbanized Gaza, killed over 46,000 people and displaced most of the tiny enclave's pre-war population of 2.3 million, according to Gaza authorities.
That in turn could defuse tensions across the wider Middle East, where the war has stoked conflict in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and raised fears of all-out war between arch regional foes Israel and Iran.
With 98 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, phase one of the deal entails the release of 33 of them, including all women, children and men over 50. Two American hostages, Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen, were among those to be released in the first phase, a source said.