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Moroccan King Will Soon Call for Al-Quds Committee Meeting

Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (AP)
Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (AP)
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Moroccan King Will Soon Call for Al-Quds Committee Meeting

Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (AP)
Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (AP)

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI announced he will soon call for holding the 21st session of the Al-Quds Committee in Rabat, six years after it last convened in Marrakech, without specifying a date.

In a message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, he said the meeting aims at considering means of consolidating the preservation of the special status of Jerusalem and contributing to safeguarding the inviolability of its historical landmarks, spiritual symbolism and religious identity.

The King sent the message a day after receiving a US-Israeli delegation headed by White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner and Israel’s National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat.

King Mohammed said that the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency will soon be restructured to “breathe new life into it”. This will allow it, under his personal supervision, to continue to implement tangible plans and programs in the health, education, social and housing sectors for the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.

King Mohammed expressed his satisfaction with the telephone call he held with Abbas on December 10 during which he underlined Morocco’s firm stance on the Palestinian cause and commitment to defending the rights of the Palestinian people.

He reiterated his country’s stance in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on the two-state solution, adding that negotiations were the only way to reach a final, lasting and comprehensive settlement.

In his letter, the King stressed that Morocco has always placed the Palestinian cause at the same level as the Moroccan Sahara issue.

The Al-Quds Committee was first established pursuant to a resolution issued during the sixth Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation that was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July 1975.

Its presidency was assigned to the late King Hassan II of Morocco in 1979.

In 1998, the committee-affiliated Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency was founded and focused its efforts in the fields of health, education, housing and the preservation of religious heritage.

Members of the committee include Morocco, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Guinea, Niger and Senegal.

Over the past 22 years, the committee has implemented about programs and plans worth around $65 million focused on education, housing, health, culture, sports, women empowerment and the youth.

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Arab World

Hamas Postpones Election of Political Bureau Chief Indefinitely

(From left) Nizar Awadallah, Khalil al-Hayya and Mohammad Ismail Darwish during a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last February 2025. (Khamenei's website/AFP)
(From left) Nizar Awadallah, Khalil al-Hayya and Mohammad Ismail Darwish during a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last February 2025. (Khamenei's website/AFP)
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Hamas Postpones Election of Political Bureau Chief Indefinitely

(From left) Nizar Awadallah, Khalil al-Hayya and Mohammad Ismail Darwish during a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last February 2025. (Khamenei's website/AFP)
(From left) Nizar Awadallah, Khalil al-Hayya and Mohammad Ismail Darwish during a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last February 2025. (Khamenei's website/AFP)

Senior sources within Hamas said the movement has decided to postpone the election of the head of its political bureau, which had been scheduled to take place within the first ten days of January.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the decision to delay the vote was taken “until further notice,” noting that no new date has been set, although elections “could be held at any moment.”

One source attributed the postponement to “security and political conditions,” as well as Hamas’ current preoccupation with negotiations aimed at moving to the second phase of the ceasefire, amid intensified mediation efforts involving regional brokers and the United States.

Other sources pointed to additional factors, including internal disagreements over organizational arrangements within the Gaza Strip, which have deepened in recent days and are now the subject of efforts to resolve them.

Hamas is facing what sources described as its most severe crisis since its founding in 1987. Israeli strikes launched after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack have targeted various levels and wings of the movement, triggering significant organizational and financial challenges.

Sources said the accelerating momentum surrounding a possible transition to the second phase of the ceasefire has become the main concern for Hamas’s leadership. While electing a new head of the political bureau is seen as a key step in reorganizing the movement’s internal affairs, the process may take longer than initially expected, they added.

Only days ago, sources had told Asharq Al-Awsat that the elections were expected to be held within the first ten days of the new year, with the aim of reinforcing internal stability and reassuring the outside world that the movement remains cohesive.

Those sources said at the time that electing a political bureau chief would not end the role of the current leadership council formed after the assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya al-Sinwar. The council would instead continue as an advisory body overseeing Hamas’ internal and external affairs.

Asked whether internal divisions exist over who should lead Hamas, one source said only that “the electoral process is conducted according to established rules and regulations, and there are no disputes over the individual who will lead the movement.”

However, there have been suggestions that Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas’s political bureau abroad, and Khalil al-Hayya, head of the political bureau in Gaza, are the top contenders for the post.

Some sources said there is strong support within Hamas’ external leadership and in the West Bank for Meshaal to assume the role, while a majority in Gaza favors al-Hayya.

The sources did not rule out the emergence of a third, currently unidentified figure. “Nothing can be predicted at this stage,” one source said. “What is happening should not be seen as rivalry driven by internal disputes over leadership, but rather as a healthy competitive process.”

Arab World

Syrian Army on Alert after SDF Armed Groups Detected East of Aleppo

People walk down a street as a car drives by following a ceasefire which ended days of fighting between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, of the northern city of Aleppo on January 11, 2026. (AFP)
People walk down a street as a car drives by following a ceasefire which ended days of fighting between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, of the northern city of Aleppo on January 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Syrian Army on Alert after SDF Armed Groups Detected East of Aleppo

People walk down a street as a car drives by following a ceasefire which ended days of fighting between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, of the northern city of Aleppo on January 11, 2026. (AFP)
People walk down a street as a car drives by following a ceasefire which ended days of fighting between Syrian security forces and Kurdish fighters in the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, of the northern city of Aleppo on January 11, 2026. (AFP)

The Syrian army went on alert on Sunday after detecting armed groups aligned with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) east of Aleppo city.

In statements to the SANA state news agency, the Operations Command said that the nature and objectives of these military reinforcements and troop concentrations brought by the SDF to eastern Aleppo have not yet been identified.

The Command added that Syrian army forces have been placed on full alert, deployment lines east of Aleppo have been reinforced, and all necessary measures have been taken to be ready for all possible scenarios.

First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.

The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the SDF, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to opposition groups in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.

The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF.

However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”

Arab World

Hadhramaut Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Stance Was Decisive, Situation Is Calm

Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate Salem al-Khanbashi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate Salem al-Khanbashi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Hadhramaut Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Stance Was Decisive, Situation Is Calm

Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate Salem al-Khanbashi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut governorate Salem al-Khanbashi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Governor of Yemen's Hadhramaut Salem al-Khanbashi stressed that the situation in the governorate was returning to normal in wake of the recent developments and withdrawal of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat from his office in Mukalla, he said: "The general situation is calm and stable. Work is underway to resume operations at various public administrations."

"Security measures have also been intensified, especially over the possession of weapons," he added.

He revealed that several suspects involved in looting and the possession of heavy weapons have been arrested.

"Life is gradually returning back to normal and the situation will improve," he stressed.

On Saudi Arabia's role, Khanbashi credited the Kingdom with helping move forward the issue of the STC withdrawal from Hadhramaut in record time.

Coordination with the Kingdom continues, he added.

He also noted that a meeting was held with senior Hadhramaut officials with leaders of the "Hadhramaut elite brigades" to discuss returning the forces to their former military positions.

Coordination with Saudi Arabia is at a "very high level", he revealed. Hadhramaut has received pledges from senior Saudi officials that major projects will be implemented in the governorate to develop infrastructure.

On restructuring the local authority, Khanbashi stressed: "Measures have been taken against officials who had openly expressed their support to the STC or who had taken contentious political positions."

Commenting on the conference Riyadh will be hosting on the southern issue, he said the Hadhramaut leadership has met with several members of the Hadhramaut National Council to discuss the issue.

The details of the talks and mechanism to choose representatives have not taken shape yet, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Expanded meetings with various political and social figures will be held in the governorate in the coming days with the aim of coming up with a unified vision that represents Hadhramaut at the conference, he added.

He noted the historic differences that exist between Hadhramaut and other southern governorates that should be taken into consideration and discussed.

On the issue of the Hadhramaut airports, he said the Riyan Airport is ready and expected to resume operations in the next two days.