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Palestinian PM in Kuwait Monday as Part of Gulf Tour

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. (AFP file photo)
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. (AFP file photo)
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Palestinian PM in Kuwait Monday as Part of Gulf Tour

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. (AFP file photo)
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. (AFP file photo)

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh is scheduled to start an official visit Monday to Kuwait, as part of a Gulf tour in which he is expected to visit Qatar and Oman.

In his first stop, Shtayyeh will hold meetings with the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Crown Prince, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Speaker of the National Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanim, according to Palestine’s ambassador to Kuwait Rami Tahboub.

The ambassador said the visit aims at boosting mutual coordination between the two countries as well as to express gratitude to Kuwait for its longstanding support of the Palestinian cause.

Ten days ago, Kuwait launched a public aid campaign to support the Palestinian people, amid the Israeli aggression against them.

The campaign is part of Kuwait's commitment to advocating and supporting Palestine and standing by its people.

Before kicking off his Gulf tour, Shtayyeh received Sunday EU Special Representative for Middle East Peace Process Sven Koopmans. They discussed the reconstruction of Gaza and the efforts to revive the political process.

Shtayyeh said a serious peace process should be aimed at finding a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, paving the way for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state according to the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He pointed out that a technical team has been formed to work on the Gaza reconstruction, stressing the importance of having international guarantees of no further Israeli aggression on the Strip.

The PM reiterated that the Palestinian leadership was committed to holding the national elections, calling on the international community. especially EU members, to press Israel to allow the elections to be held in Jerusalem.

Elections will pave the way to ending the division and consolidating national unity, he stressed.

Shtayyeh urged the whole world, especially Europe, to take a firm and serious stance against Israel, to stop its settlement expansion, violations against the Palestinian people and forceful evictions of Palestinians in Jerusalem and in the rest of occupied territories.

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Netanyahu Aide Faces Indictment over Gaza Leak

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks to reporters before a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks to reporters before a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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Netanyahu Aide Faces Indictment over Gaza Leak

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks to reporters before a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks to reporters before a meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces indictment on security charges pending a hearing, Israel's attorney general has said, for allegedly leaking top secret military information during Israel's war in Gaza.

Netanyahu's close adviser, Jonatan Urich, has denied any wrongdoing in the case, which legal authorities began investigating in late 2024.

Netanyahu has described probes against Urich and other aides as politically motivated and on Monday said that Urich had not harmed state security. Urich's attorneys said the charges were baseless and that their client's innocence would be proven beyond doubt, reported Reuters.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said in a statement late on Sunday that Urich and another aide had extracted secret information from the Israeli military and leaked it to German newspaper Bild.

Their intent, she said, was to shape public opinion of Netanyahu and influence the discourse about the slaying of six Israeli hostages by their Palestinian captors in Gaza in late August 2024.

The hostages' deaths sparked mass protests in Israel and outraged hostages' families, who accused Netanyahu of torpedoing ceasefire talks that had faltered in the preceding weeks for political reasons.

Netanyahu vehemently denies this. He has repeatedly said that Hamas was to blame for the talks collapsing, while the group has said it was Israel's fault no deal had been reached.

Four of the six slain hostages had been on the list of more than 30 captives that Hamas was set to free if a ceasefire had been reached, according to a defense official at the time.

The Bild article in question was published days after the hostages were found executed in a Hamas tunnel in southern Gaza. It outlined Hamas' negotiation strategy in the indirect ceasefire talks and largely corresponded with Netanyahu's allegations against the militant group over the deadlock.

Bild said after the investigation was announced that it does not comment on its sources and that its article relied on authentic documents. The newspaper did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

A two-month ceasefire was reached in January this year and included the release of 38 hostages before Israel resumed attacks in Gaza. The sides are presently engaged in indirect negotiations in Doha, aimed at reaching another truce.

In his statement on Monday, Netanyahu said Baharav-Miara's announcement was "appalling" and that its timing raised serious questions.

Netanyahu's government has for months been seeking the dismissal of Baharav-Miara. The attorney general, appointed by the previous government, has sparred with Netanyahu's cabinet over the legality of some of its policies.