Egyptian FM Visits Amman, Ramallah to Ensure Ceasefire in Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks at a press conference in Ramallah (AFP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks at a press conference in Ramallah (AFP)
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Egyptian FM Visits Amman, Ramallah to Ensure Ceasefire in Gaza

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks at a press conference in Ramallah (AFP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks at a press conference in Ramallah (AFP)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived Monday in Ramallah where he met with President Mahmoud Abbas and discussed the recent developments and the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said the visit comes within the framework of continuing efforts to ensure the ceasefire holds and rebuild Gaza after the recent Israeli airstrikes.

Shoukry called for serious negotiations that lead to a “comprehensive and just peace” which will guarantee the two-state solution and restore peace and stability.

He also stressed the importance of stopping all forms of escalations, which hinder efforts to bring about peace, especially in East Jerusalem

Abbas praised the Egyptian efforts to stop the aggression against the Palestinian people, praising Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi's initiative to provide $500 million for the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip.

Shoukry’s visit to Ramallah came hours after he discussed the recent developments and reviving the peace process with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, in Amman.

In a joint press conference, the two ministers affirmed the need to join efforts to maintain the ceasefire, end all Israeli violations, and find the necessary political means to support Palestinians and meet their legitimate rights.

Safadi and Shoukry called for an effective international position to maintain the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which began last Friday.

The Jordanian FM noted that the priority is to ensure the continuation of the ceasefire and cessation of Israeli aggression against Gaza.

He warned that enforcing a siege on the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood would refuel tensions, considering the Israeli displacement of Palestinians from the neighborhood a “war crime” that should be prevented by the international community.

Shoukry asserted his country’s keenness to advance Jordanian-Egyptian ties to confront regional challenges.

He pointed to the importance of preventing repeated Israeli attacks, the Sheikh Jarrah issue, and other practices that led to the escalation and resorting to military actions between Israel and Hamas.

“What Israel is doing in the West Bank necessitates Egypt communicating with Jordan,” Shoukry said, pointing to “the importance of crystallizing an international position to stabilize the calm.”



Türkiye Begins Black Box Analysis of Jet Crash That Killed Libyan Military Chief and 7 Others

Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Begins Black Box Analysis of Jet Crash That Killed Libyan Military Chief and 7 Others

Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)

The technical analysis of the recovered black boxes from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, began as the investigation proceeded in cooperation with Libyan authorities, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said Thursday.

The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officials and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

The wreckage was scattered across an area covering 3 square kilometers (more than a square mile), complicating recovery efforts, according to the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

A 22-person delegation, including five family members, arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to assist in the investigation.


Lebanese President: We are Determined to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
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Lebanese President: We are Determined to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated on Thursday that the country’s parliamentary elections are a constitutional obligation that must be carried out on time.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency quoted Aoun as saying that he, alongside Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, is determined to hold the elections on schedule.

Aoun also emphasized that diplomatic efforts have continued unabated to keep the specter of war at bay, noting that "things are heading in a positive direction".

The agency also cited Berri reaffirming that the elections will take place as planned, with "no delays, no extensions".

The Lebanese parliamentary elections are scheduled for May next year.


Israel Calls Countries Condemning New West Bank Settlements ‘Morally Wrong’

Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Calls Countries Condemning New West Bank Settlements ‘Morally Wrong’

Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)

Israel reacted furiously on Thursday to a condemnation by 14 countries including France and Britain of its approval of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling the criticism discriminatory against Jews.

"Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel, and any such call is morally wrong and discriminatory against Jews," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"The cabinet decision to establish 11 new settlements and to formalize eight additional settlements is intended, among other things, to help address the security threats Israel is facing."

On Sunday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Fourteen countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Canada, then issued a statement urging Israel to reverse its decision, "as well as the expansion of settlements".

Such unilateral actions, they said, "violate international law", and risk undermining a fragile ceasefire in Gaza in force since October 10.

They also reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution... where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side in peace and security".

Israel has occupied the West Bank following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, along with about three million Palestinian residents.

Earlier this month, the United Nations said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, all of which are illegal under international law, had reached its highest level since at least 2017.