Arab League Calls for Pressuring Israel to Negotiate with Palestinians

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue (BNA)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue (BNA)
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Arab League Calls for Pressuring Israel to Negotiate with Palestinians

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue (BNA)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaking at the IISS Manama Dialogue (BNA)

The Arab League called on the US administration to pressure Israel into launching a serious negotiation process with Palestine.

Sec-Gen of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit met with White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, on the sidelines of the IISS Manama Dialogue.

During their meeting, the Sec-Gen called on the US administration to expedite the opening of its consulate in East Jerusalem, saying it is an important message to the various parties on its commitment to the two-state solution.

A statement issued by the Arab League indicated that Aboul Gheit discussed several regional and international issues during the meeting, namely the situation in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed the importance of uniting all international efforts to confront terrorism, its sources and protect humanity from its dangers.

Shoukry said during his participation at the fourth Plenary Session entitled "Changing Multilateralism and Regional Security" of the IISS Manama Dialogue that the world is facing an escalation in the risks associated with cross-border terrorism, which aims to destroy societies and demolish the concepts of the national state.

The FM also addressed challenges of climate change, which has become a tangible reality, warning that its consequences have become a threat to economic development and food security and a source of conflict over scarce resources that may threaten international peace and security.

He also discussed issues of illegal immigration, cyber and digital security, challenges of artificial intelligence, genetic modification, space security, and others.

Shoukry stressed the urgent need to develop and modernize international and regional multilateral frameworks, noting the need to adopt new priorities and topics on the global agenda.

On the sidelines of the conference, the top Egyptian official met with the European Union's Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber.

The spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Hafez, announced that the two discussed means to support pillars of security and stability and the latest developments in the Horn of Africa.

They also exchanged "views on a number of important issues especially GERD & the situation in Sudan."



Israel Pounds Southern Lebanon and Beirut Outskirts, Killing Five Medics

Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Israel Pounds Southern Lebanon and Beirut Outskirts, Killing Five Medics

Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Fire and smoke erupt from a building just after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern Chiyah neighborhood on November 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

Israeli forces pounded southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the capital Beirut on Friday, killing at least five medics, and ground troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters in the south.

Israel has pushed on with its intense military campaign against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, tempering hopes that efforts by a US envoy will lead to an imminent ceasefire.

US mediator Amos Hochstein said this week in Beirut that a truce was "within our grasp". He travelled on to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz before returning to Washington, the news outlet Axios said.

His trip was aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern border, which escalated when Israel ramped up its strikes in late September and sent ground troops into Lebanon on Oct. 1.

Israeli troops have fought Hezbollah in a strip of towns along the border and this week pushed deeper to the edges of Khiyam, a town some six km (four miles) from the border.

Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at Israeli troops east of Khiyam at least four times on Friday. Lebanese security sources told Reuters Israeli troops had also advanced in a string of villages to the west. They said Israel was most likely trying to isolate Khiyam before attacking the town.

Four Italian soldiers were lightly injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL peacekeeping force base in southern Lebanon, a spokesperson for UNIFIL said on Friday.

Italian sources said an investigation was under way. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian media that Hezbollah might be responsible for the attack.

Israeli strikes on two other villages in southern Lebanon killed five medics from a rescue force affiliated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The more than 3,500 people killed by Israeli strikes over the last year include more than 200 medics, the health ministry said.

EVACUATION WARNINGS AND STRIKES

Israel says its aim is to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people evacuated from Israel's north because of rocket attacks by Hezbollah, which began firing across the border in support of Hamas at the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Israel also mounted more strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, a once densely populated stronghold of Hezbollah.

Abeer Darwich, a resident of a building that was hit in Beirut southern suburbs on Friday, had to leave her apartment immediately after an evacuation warning from Israel's military.

She stood watching while an Israeli strike pounded the high rise building into dust.

"Do you know that most of the apartments' owners took credit to buy those houses? Life savings are gone, memories and safety ... which Israel decided to steal from us," Darwich said .

Evacuation orders were issued on X for several buildings in the area on Friday. Reuters footage showed one of the strikes appearing to pierce the center of a multi-storey building, which toppled in a cloud of smoke.