Palestinian PM Urges Int'l Recognition of Palestine

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh gestures during an interview with Reuters in his office in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh gestures during an interview with Reuters in his office in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
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Palestinian PM Urges Int'l Recognition of Palestine

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh gestures during an interview with Reuters in his office in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh gestures during an interview with Reuters in his office in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has urged the international community to recognize the Palestinian state and to put an end to Israel's annexation plans.

His statement was made during the meeting of Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee for Palestine, which was attended by more than 40 states and international institutions, including European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell.

The PM said: “The issue of annexation is no more an issue of announcement. Implementation measures have already started on the ground.”

“Israel started to send electricity and water bills to our villages in the Jordan Valley.”

The Israeli move is “in contravention of international law” and would “undermine peace and security in the region”, he said, adding that “annexation, if implemented, will be a grave violation of international law, UN resolutions, and the bilateral agreements we signed with Israel.”

The plans of annexation are in full harmony with the peace plan presented by the US, he said.

“Israel is not committed to the agreements that have been signed with us. Consequently, the Palestinian leadership has decided that we are no more bound to these agreements,” Shtayyeh stated.

He also called the meeting’s attendees to recognize the state of Palestine based on the borders of 1967 with Jerusalem as the capital, stressing that this state should be viable, sovereign and independent.



SDF Offers Tribes in Syria’s Deir Ezzor Role in Talks, Right to Name Governor

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
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SDF Offers Tribes in Syria’s Deir Ezzor Role in Talks, Right to Name Governor

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi meets with Deir Ezzor delegates. (SDF)

Arab tribal leaders, who took part in recent meetings with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Autonomous Administration in northeast Syria, said they were offered a greater role in governing Deir Ezzor province and a seat at the table in any future talks with the Damascus government, according to tribal sources.

The meetings, held at the US-led coalition’s base in al-Shaddadi, south of Hasakah, were led by SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and senior officials from the Kurdish-led administration.

Discussions centered on the latest international efforts to revive dialogue with Damascus, including Abdi’s talks with the French foreign minister and US Syria envoy in Paris, as well as earlier meetings in Amman.

At the heart of the discussions was a March 1 agreement between Abdi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa that envisages integrating the SDF and local governing bodies into Syrian state institutions by the end of the year.

Tribal sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that leaders were presented with a proposal consisting of three main elements: first, a formal role for Arab tribes in upcoming negotiations with Damascus; second, a 50% quota for tribal figures from eastern, northern, and western Deir Ezzor - areas under SDF influence - in a newly structured provincial council, with nominees selected in coordination between tribal elders and the SDF.

The third clause would give Arab tribes the authority to name the governor of Deir Ezzor, replacing the current system of presidential appointment.

In a statement following the meeting, the SDF said Abdi had assured Deir Ezzor residents that local civilian and military bodies would have a say in any future settlement with the Syrian government, emphasizing that the SDF remained the “guarantor of stability and security” and would continue its mission without hesitation.

Abdi also reportedly clarified that the handover of Deir Ezzor’s institutions, civilian and military alike, to the government would be limited to those that operated in SDF-controlled areas prior to the fall of the former regime at the end of last year. Similar arrangements would later extend to the cities of Raqqa and Hasakah.

According to the sources, Abdi stressed that the SDF had no intention of surrendering territory or dismantling the Autonomous Administration. Instead, any rapprochement with Damascus would be based on mutual understandings and a comprehensive integration process acceptable to both sides.

Committees from both the SDF and the administration are expected to meet with government officials in the coming days to push forward with the plan.

During the transitional phase, local councils and security agencies under the Autonomous Administration in Deir Ezzor will continue operating normally, with a view to developing a new, participatory administrative system at the provincial level.

Observers say Abdi’s remarks point to a possible breakthrough in efforts to incorporate the SDF as a unified bloc within the Syrian Ministry of Defense, alongside the integration of administrative institutions into the broader state framework. These understandings remain in their early stages, however, and a final deal is yet to be reached.

A planned follow-up meeting in Paris on July 25 between Syrian government officials and an Autonomous Administration delegation was postponed at the request of Damascus, which informed the SDF through the US-led coalition that a new date would be set soon.

Meanwhile, for the third consecutive day, unknown gunmen have targeted SDF positions in Deir Ezzor countryside, despite the presence of coalition forces.

On Monday, two assailants on a motorcycle fired at an SDF military vehicle near the town of al-Sour in northern Deir Ezzor, causing material damage but no casualties, according to an SDF military source and local residents.

A similar attack on Sunday struck an SDF outpost in the nearby village of Ruwaished, leading to a brief exchange of fire but no injuries. On Saturday, the SDF reported one of its fighters was killed and another wounded when gunmen believed to be ISIS sympathizers attacked a vehicle in the village of al-Zar, east of Deir Ezzor.