Egypt Reviews GERD Repercussions with US Officials

Satellite images of the GERD (Reuters)
Satellite images of the GERD (Reuters)
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Egypt Reviews GERD Repercussions with US Officials

Satellite images of the GERD (Reuters)
Satellite images of the GERD (Reuters)

Egyptian Minister of Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, discussed with US government water expert Matthew Parks and US deputy ambassador in Cairo Nicole Champagne, the challenges posed by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Egypt and the US concluded another round of their strategic dialogue that addressed the GERD issues.

Abdel-Aty said that Egypt had shown flexibility during the negotiations on the Dam due to its desire to reach a fair and legally binding agreement regarding the filling and operation of the dam.

He said that measures must be put in place to protect downstream countries in case of drought during the Dam's filling process.

Abdel Aty added that Egypt made several attempts to build confidence during the negotiation, but this was not met with good faith from the Ethiopian side.

Egypt had previously proposed establishing an infrastructure fund in the three countries to open up an area for cooperation, but it has not been activated yet.

Cairo also suggested ​​connecting the electricity networks to Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. However, Addis Ababa rejected the proposal, stressing that any water shortage would affect workers in the agricultural sector, which would cause social problems and security instability in the region and increase illegal immigration.

Abdel-Aty noted that Ethiopia claims it is obliged to fill as a construction necessity and generate electricity, which is not valid.

Ethiopia started filling the Dam's lake in the past year. However, the turbines were not ready to generate electricity, and Addis Ababa repeated the same scenario this year without generating electricity, said the minister.

"Ethiopia is deliberately issuing false statements and managing the dam unilaterally, which has damaged the two downstream countries," warned Abdel-Aty.

The Egyptian official warned that trying to mitigate the adverse effects resulting from these unilateral measures that have confused the river system costs huge sums estimated at billions of dollars.

He also referred to the damage that Sudan was subjected to due to the unilateral filling last year, causing severe drought, followed by a massive flood.

The meeting touched on the navigational line between Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean Sea, aiming to promote intermodal transport by integrating river, rail, and road transport facilities along the Nile Corridor and developing river management capacity.

The US officials described the project as "one of the most important and promising" regional projects that advance the development and improve all regional countries' economic and social conditions.



Israeli Settlers Accused of Killing 117 Sheep in West Bank Attack

Palestinians checks wounded sheep after settlers attack a Bedouin community in the Jordan valley, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Sawafta
Palestinians checks wounded sheep after settlers attack a Bedouin community in the Jordan valley, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Sawafta
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Israeli Settlers Accused of Killing 117 Sheep in West Bank Attack

Palestinians checks wounded sheep after settlers attack a Bedouin community in the Jordan valley, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Sawafta
Palestinians checks wounded sheep after settlers attack a Bedouin community in the Jordan valley, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, July 18, 2025. REUTERS/Ali Sawafta

Palestinian Bedouins accused Israeli settlers on Friday of killing 117 sheep in an overnight attack and stealing hundreds of others in an apparent effort to chase farmers off their land in the occupied West Bank.

The incident comes amid what the United Nations described this week as intensifying attacks by Jewish settlers and security forces against Palestinians in the West Bank and record mass displacements, according to Reuters.

The Israeli army did not respond to a request for comment about the mass slaughter of the animals belonging to the Arab al-Kaabaneh Bedouin community, in the Jordan Valley.

Veterinarians were called in to treat a handful of sheep which had survived the knife and gun attack, some of the animals shaking uncontrollably and in apparent shock.

Salem Salman Mujahed, a resident of Arab al-Kaabaneh, said multiple groups of settlers working in coordination had orchestrated the assault, and accused the army of standing by.

"(Settlers) came near the houses. I asked them what are you doing here then we started fighting with each other," he said. "The army detained me, and they handcuffed me."

He said other groups of settlers then attacked the sheep, which are vital to his community's survival.

Palestinian Minister Moayad Shaaban condemned the incident, calling it part of a broader strategy to displace Palestinians from the region.

"These sheep and animals were slaughtered and shot at," he told Reuters. "They are using these tools to terrify these people to leave these areas, which have been inhabited for dozens of years."

MOVING AWAY

The attack prompted at least one family to begin relocating.

Bedouin Tareq Kaabaneh said he could no longer withstand what he called settler intimidation.

"They were armed, they steal donkeys and sheep. In the night they come here and start shooting toward us," Kaabaneh said.

"I am moving now from here, I want to protect my kids and my sheep, my livelihood ... yesterday I was safe, but I don't know what will happen to me tomorrow," he added.

The United Nations reported this week that mass displacements in the West Bank had reached levels unprecedented since Israel first took military control of the territory nearly six decades ago.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva also said there had been 757 settler attacks on Palestinians or their properties since January - a 13% increase from the same period last year.

At least 964 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023. Over the same period, 53 Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians or in armed clashes.

The US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee demanded this week a full investigation into the killing of a Palestinian American who was beaten to death by settlers in the West Bank on July 11, describing it as a "criminal and terrorist act".

The United Nations' highest court said last year that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, was illegal and should end as soon as possible.

Israel disputes this, citing security needs as well as historical and biblical ties to the land, which it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. The West Bank is among the territories Palestinians seek for an independent state.