Egypt, Algeria Agree to Intensity Joint Coordination to Restore Libya's Security, Stability

Government of National Accord (GNA) military graduates during a graduation ceremony. (AFP)
Government of National Accord (GNA) military graduates during a graduation ceremony. (AFP)
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Egypt, Algeria Agree to Intensity Joint Coordination to Restore Libya's Security, Stability

Government of National Accord (GNA) military graduates during a graduation ceremony. (AFP)
Government of National Accord (GNA) military graduates during a graduation ceremony. (AFP)

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune agreed to intensify joint coordination during the coming period between the two countries to restore security and stability to Libya.

This came in a phone call during which Sisi congratulated Tebboune on his recovery from the coronavirus, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement Thursday.

The two leaders further discussed several regional issues, namely the Libyan crisis.

The spokesman said that Sisi reviewed the ongoing efforts made by Egypt within the framework of the political track of the crisis in Libya.

The two leaders also tackled ways of enhancing bilateral ties to fight the spread of the pandemic and impose precautionary measures through the exchange of experiences between the concerned agencies in both countries.

For his part, Tebboune affirmed Algeria's strong ties with Egypt at the official and popular levels, lauding Cairo’s efforts in various issues, given its pivotal political role at the regional and international levels.

Meanwhile, forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez al-Sarraj, are preparing for joint military exercises with Turkey.

GNA’s Defense Minister Salah al-Nimroush, accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General Mohammed al-Haddad, visited al-Khoms Naval Base in preparation for the implementation of the joint training programs.

The media office of the “Volcano of Rage” operation reported the visit, noting that the drills will be executed within the training program of the Turkish army, as part of the memorandum of understanding between Turkey and Libya on military and security cooperation.



Trump’s Nominee for Ambassador to Israel Avoids Direct Answers on West Bank Annexation

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Trump’s Nominee for Ambassador to Israel Avoids Direct Answers on West Bank Annexation

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images/AFP)

Mike Huckabee, facing a US Senate hearing for his confirmation as President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Israel, is facing close questioning from Democrats on his views on the potential for Israeli annexation of the West Bank, but he avoided giving direct answers.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, asked Huckabee whether he thought it would be wrong for a Jewish settler to push a Palestinian family off land they own in the West Bank.

Huckabee, a well-known evangelical Christian, stood by past statements that Israel has a “Biblical mandate” to the land. He also responded by saying he believed in the “law being followed” and “clarity,” but also that “purchasing the land” would be a “legitimate transaction.”

Huckabee also said that any Palestinians living in an annexed West Bank would have “security” and “opportunity,” but wouldn’t answer Van Hollen’s questions about whether they would have the same legal and political rights as Jewish people.

Four pro-Palestinian demonstrators interrupted the hearing in the Senate to decry Huckabee’s ardent support for Israel.

One blew a shofar, a ram’s horn used for Jewish religious purposes, and another shouted, “I am a proud American Jew!” then “Let Palestinians live!”

Police quickly grabbed the protesters, but their shouts could still be momentarily heard in the Senate hallway.

Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas and one-time Republican presidential hopeful, has taken stances on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that sharply contradict longstanding US policy in the region.

He has spoken favorably in the past about Israel’s right to annex the occupied West Bank and has long been opposed to the idea of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian people.

In an interview last year, he went even further, saying that he doesn’t even believe in referring to the Arab descendants of people who lived in British-controlled Palestine as “Palestinians.”