Libyan Talks Hosted by Morocco Kept under Wraps

Morocco's foreign minister is seen with the Libyan delegations.
Morocco's foreign minister is seen with the Libyan delegations.
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Libyan Talks Hosted by Morocco Kept under Wraps

Morocco's foreign minister is seen with the Libyan delegations.
Morocco's foreign minister is seen with the Libyan delegations.

The ongoing dialogue between Libya’s High Council of State and east-based parliament continued in Morocco on Monday with participants remaining tight-lipped over the proceedings.

Member of the High Council of State delegation, Abdulsalam al-Safrani said the discussions were being held in “positive” conditions.

Speaking from Bouznika south of Rabat where the dialogue is being held, he expressed his optimism that “understandings may be reached.”

The talks are focusing on the political and institutional division, he revealed.

The delegations addressed the issue of audit authorities “because they feel that this is a matter that concerns all Libyans. It is because of them that services deteriorated in Libya, leading to the spread of corruption,” he remarked.

The two parties had kicked off their talks on Sunday, met again on Monday and are due to meet again on Tuesday. They hailed Morocco’s “honest” intentions and keenness on providing the necessary fraternal conditions to hold their discussions in hopes of reaching a solution to the Libyan crisis.

In Egypt, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri telephoned his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita to tackle the latest developments on Libya as part of their efforts to reach a settlement in the country.

An Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Shoukri underscored Cairo’s firm support to these efforts that are aimed at reaching a political solution that would preserve Libya’s sovereignty and unity, restore security and stability, safeguard its resources and confront terrorism, extremism and foreign meddling.

They agreed to continue their consultations and coordination and intensify their contacts with influential political forces in Libya and with international partners, including the United Nations mission in Libya, African Union and Arab League.

The Arab League, for its part, hailed the ongoing talks to push forward inter-Libyan dialogue. In a statement ahead of the Arab foreign ministers meeting on Tuesday, it said it was closely following the Bouznika talks, calling on all Libyan parties to show good intentions towards all efforts aimed at reaching a national and complete solution to their country’s conflict.



Macron Says France Will Recognize Palestine as a State 

 A protester holds a Palestinian flag during a rally called by several French organizations in support of Palestinian people at Place de la Republique in Paris on May 7, 2024. (AFP)
A protester holds a Palestinian flag during a rally called by several French organizations in support of Palestinian people at Place de la Republique in Paris on May 7, 2024. (AFP)
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Macron Says France Will Recognize Palestine as a State 

 A protester holds a Palestinian flag during a rally called by several French organizations in support of Palestinian people at Place de la Republique in Paris on May 7, 2024. (AFP)
A protester holds a Palestinian flag during a rally called by several French organizations in support of Palestinian people at Place de la Republique in Paris on May 7, 2024. (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that France will recognize Palestine as a state, in a bold diplomatic move amid snowballing global anger over people starving in Gaza. Israel denounced the decision.

Macron said in a post on X that he will formalize the decision at the UN General Assembly in September. "The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved," he wrote.

The mostly symbolic move puts added diplomatic pressure on Israel as the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip rage. France is now the biggest Western power to recognize Palestine, and the move could pave the way for other countries to do the same. More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including more than a dozen in Europe.

The Palestinians seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and Gaza, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel’s government and most of its political class have long been opposed to Palestinian statehood and now say that it would reward militants after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

"We strongly condemn President Macron’s decision," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "Such a move rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became. A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it."

The Palestinian Authority welcomed it. A letter announcing the move was presented Thursday to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem.

"We express our thanks and appreciation" to Macron, Hussein Al Sheikh, the PLO's vice president under Abbas, posted. "This position reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination."

The United States "strongly rejects" Macron's plan to recognize a Palestinian state, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on the social platform X.

"This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th," Rubio said.

With Europe’s largest Jewish population and the largest Muslim population in western Europe, France has often seen fighting in the Middle East spill over into protests or other tensions at home.

The French president offered support for Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and frequently speaks out against antisemitism, but he has grown increasingly frustrated about Israel's war in Gaza.

"Given its historic commitment to a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the state of Palestine," Macron posted. “Peace is possible."

Thursday’s announcement came soon after the US cut short Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar, saying Hamas wasn’t showing good faith.

It also came days before France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a conference at the UN next week about a two-state solution. Last month, Macron expressed his "determination to recognize the state of Palestine," and he has pushed for a broader movement toward a two-state solution in parallel with recognition of Israel and its right to defend itself.

Momentum has been building against Israel in recent days. Earlier this week, France and more than two dozen mostly European countries condemned Israel’s restrictions on aid shipments into the territory and the killings of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach food.

Macron will join the leaders of Britain and Germany for emergency talks Friday on Gaza, how to get food to the hungry and how to stop fighting.

"We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in announcing the call. "The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible."

Israel annexed east Jerusalem shortly after the 1967 war and considers it part of its capital. In the West Bank, it has built scores of settlements, some resembling sprawling suburbs, that are now home to over 500,000 Jewish settlers with Israeli citizenship. The territory’s 3 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited autonomy in population centers.

The last serious peace talks broke down in 2009, when Netanyahu returned to power. Most of the international community considers the establishment of a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel to be the only realistic solution to the century-old conflict.