Palestinian Presidency Refrains from Criticizing Joint US-Qatari Statement

Palestinians protest in the West Bank against settlements and normalization with Israel. Reuters file photo
Palestinians protest in the West Bank against settlements and normalization with Israel. Reuters file photo
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Palestinian Presidency Refrains from Criticizing Joint US-Qatari Statement

Palestinians protest in the West Bank against settlements and normalization with Israel. Reuters file photo
Palestinians protest in the West Bank against settlements and normalization with Israel. Reuters file photo

The Palestinian presidency has distanced itself from officials criticizing a joint US-Qatari statement on the importance of returning to negotiations with Israel in line with the US vision for peace known as the “deal of the century”.

Nabil Abu Rudaineh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, issued a short statement stressing that the “official Palestinian position is only released via the website of the Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA).”

Abu Rudaineh’s statement came after a number of Palestinian officials attacked Qatar.

Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abbas refused to condemn Qatar’s move and instructed officials to refrain from doing so.

Abbas’ position stirred a debate on whether the joint statement adopts the US peace vision, which Palestinians are supposed to reject altogether.

Last week’s statement came after the third Strategic Dialogue between the US and Qatar, co-chaired by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani.

“Both sides discussed the need to employ diplomatic means to resolve the current tensions in the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean. The two governments discussed issues of regional security, including joint efforts to defeat ISIS; working toward peace and an end to the conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Yemen; political developments in Iraq; and prospects for a negotiated resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as outlined in the US Vision for Peace.”

It is not clear why the Palestinian presidency refrained from criticizing Qatar, and whether it had been promised political and financial incentives.

In response to the position of the presidency, WAFA news agency deleted excerpts from the statement of PLO Executive Committee member Ahmad Majdalani, in which he attacked Qatar.

Wafa initially published Majdalani's statement accusing Qatar of endorsing the Trump plan, “which is rejected by the Palestinians and the international community.”

Other committee members, namely Taysir Khaled and Bassam al-Salhi, also attacked the Qatari position.

Khaled denounced Doha's support for the US peace vision, and called on Qatari officials to distance themselves from the policy of covering up US aggression against Palestinian national interests and rights.

He demanded Qatar to end this "collusion" with the Trump administration.

Salihi said that Qatar has become the first Arab country to officially endorse the Trump peace plan.

The joint US-Qatar statement is a very dangerous development that confirms the importance of expediting the implementation of all that was agreed upon in the last meeting of the Palestinian factions, according to Salhi.

He stressed the importance of mobilizing the Palestinian people to confront dangers and renew the national project.

A senior official from the Palestinian People’s Party, Walid al-Awad, said that Qatar’s endorsement of the Trump deal is an announcement that it has decided to join the countries that normalized relations with Israel.

Prior to the presidency's statement, Hamas politburo member Musa Abu Marzouk stated that Qatar was trying to help the Palestinian people in various ways.

Marzouk said that Qatar can only help the Palestinians, specifically Gazans, through talks with the occupation, noting that it is necessary that Doha communicates with Israel.

His statements sparked criticism, with some stating that it was not possible to attack countries that normalize relations with Israel while justifying normalization for other states.



Sudan Arms Surge Raises Alarms Over Civilian Protection

Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
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Sudan Arms Surge Raises Alarms Over Civilian Protection

Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)

A surge in deadly violence has gripped the quiet northern town of al-Dabbah, exposing the growing threat posed by the rampant spread of weapons across Sudan in the absence of effective state control.

At least eight people were killed over just two days, four in tribal clashes and four others in a street fight within the town.

The latest bloodshed comes amid a broader climate of insecurity, where gunfire has become a common soundscape. In nearby Omdurman, social media users circulated graphic footage of a young man shot dead in cold blood after resisting an attempt to steal his mobile phone.

Reports of killings and injuries from arguments and brawls settled with bullets have flooded social platforms, painting a grim picture of lawlessness. Armed robbery gangs are said to roam freely, terrorizing civilians with no security forces in sight.

As Sudan’s brutal conflict enters its third year, guns have become as commonplace in towns and villages as household items. What was once settled with fists or sticks is now resolved through the barrel of a gun.

Tens of thousands of civilians have reportedly armed themselves, citing the need for self-defense amid state collapse and the disintegration of law enforcement.

Even before the war erupted, estimates suggested around 2.2 million firearms were circulating in Sudan’s conflict zones. Since then, the figure is believed to have ballooned, with unofficial estimates placing the current number at nearly six million, most acquired privately or informally.

In al-Dabbah, local authorities confirmed tribal clashes erupted between members of the Kababish and Hawaweer tribes, leaving four dead and others wounded before security forces intervened. The following day, a quarrel between vehicle drivers escalated into a gunfight, claiming four more lives.

Meanwhile, in the Omdurman district of Al-Hattana, gunmen fatally shot a man while attempting to snatch his phone, another grim scene that social media brought into public view.

Weapons have now flooded Sudan’s markets. Eyewitnesses and former security officials say that under the brief control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, firearms were openly sold on the street like vegetables, with prices starting at just 20,000 Sudanese pounds, roughly $10.

Security experts say this gun chaos is not a sudden phenomenon but the product of years of unchecked proliferation.

Under former President Omar al-Bashir, weapons were distributed to tribal militias to fight opposing groups. With the eruption of nationwide conflict, arms have spread from the traditional battlegrounds of Darfur and Kordofan to cities in Sudan’s north, east, and center.

Legal analyst Moaz Hadra warned of the growing dangers of “random arming,” saying some groups are being trained and armed outside Sudan to destabilize the country. “Why are these groups being trained abroad instead of within Sudan’s military institutions?” he asked when speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Officials Downplay Risk, Citing Self-Defense

Despite mounting violence, Sudanese security and military officials continue to downplay the threat. They argue that most weapons are held by civilians for self-protection against RSF attacks or roaming bandits. “Should a citizen wait helplessly while armed men storm his home?” one commentator asked rhetorically.

Brigadier General Fath al-Rahman al-Toum, a police spokesman, dismissed fears of total lawlessness, saying that gun crackdowns are ongoing and that firearms possession is being treated as an exceptional situation under extraordinary circumstances.

Others, like Brigadier General Saleh Abdullah, insist that once the war ends, collecting the weapons will be “very easy,” noting that most guns were distributed under strict regulations to reserve forces and can be retrieved using serial numbers registered to each piece. “The army has always managed its weapons according to clear protocols,” he said.

Major General Mujahid Ibrahim added that Sudan’s porous borders, particularly in the west, have made it easier for arms to enter the country unchecked, exacerbating the crisis. Still, military officials say weapons loaned to civilians can be recovered thanks to detailed logs and unique identifiers.

Yet, as al-Dabbah and Omdurman reel from fresh bouts of violence, the gap between official reassurance and on-the-ground chaos continues to widen. With Sudan’s civil war showing no sign of abating, the unchecked spread of guns threatens to tear apart what remains of the country’s fragile social fabric.