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Palestinian PM Calls for Opening Quds Airport Instead of Ramon for Palestinians

The main building of Quds International Airport near Qalandia in Ramallah (AFP)
The main building of Quds International Airport near Qalandia in Ramallah (AFP)
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Palestinian PM Calls for Opening Quds Airport Instead of Ramon for Palestinians

The main building of Quds International Airport near Qalandia in Ramallah (AFP)
The main building of Quds International Airport near Qalandia in Ramallah (AFP)

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the Israeli authorities to open al-Quds Airport in Jerusalem to the Palestinians in direct rejection of the authority’s proposal to open the remote Ramon Airport.

Speaking at the weekly cabinet session on Monday in Ramallah, Shtayyeh said that the Israeli authorities are fully responsible for the restrictions and disruptions of Palestinians’ movement at the Karama crossing.

He demanded the opening al-Quds Airport in Qalandia and removing all obstacles to moving people and goods to and from Palestine.

Since the beginning of summer, Palestinians have been suffering from lengthy travel procedures and humiliation at the three crossings they must pass by when traveling. They usually wait for hours before being allowed to cross; some are even forced to sleep at the border or return later because of sudden closures.

Palestinians are forced to pass through the Karama crossing, stamp their passports and pay a tax before moving in buses to the Israeli Allenby Crossing to be subject to a second check and inspection, and then via buses to the King Hussein Bridge for a third check before entering Jordan. Those traveling outside Jordan will have to go to Queen Alia Airport.

The journey takes several hours, and they must pay for departure and entry taxes, travel allowance, and baggage transfer.

Israel proposed, in a move considered a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians, to open the remote Ramon Airport to the residents of the West Bank.

Tel Aviv began preparations to operate Ramon Airport, near Eilat, to launch the first flight to Istanbul next month.

Israeli media said Turkey’s Pegasus airline is preparing to operate direct flights. Pegasus operates direct flights to Turkey from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

Palestinians are banned from traveling from Ben Gurion Airport unless they obtain a special permit, which is a rare and complicated matter.

Transporting Palestinians to Ramon Airport will be done in a special framework, where passengers obtain permits and take a four-hour trip from Ramallah.

The Palestinian Forum for Israeli Studies (MADAR) said Ramon Airport is about 18 kilometers north of Eilat and roughly 340 kilometers from Jerusalem. It was established in 2019 with over 14,000 dunams, which can be expanded, but it is a failed project.

In 2019, 348,000 passengers traveled from Ramon Airport 2019, dropping to 126,000 in 2020, and then 4800 international travelers in 2021.

In 2022, only 20 passengers flew from Ramon Airport on nine different flights.

Israelis are reluctant to use the very remote Ramon Airport because of the coronavirus pandemic, the high prices, and the distance.

However, Israel realizes it must save the airport, making it more likely to believe that allowing the Palestinians to travel from Ramon may provide an immediate rescue.

MADAR believes opening Ramon Airport to the Palestinians aims to reduce the conflict by maintaining and expanding the Israeli occupation and settlements. It also seeks to minimize contact between Palestinians and Israelis, offering economic and vital “incentives” such as allowing the Palestinians to use Israeli airports.

Palestinians reject Ramon Airport because it carries a political symbol.

Al-Quds Airport, also known as Qalandia Airport, was established in 1920 during the British Mandate and was used for military purposes. Jordan then turned it into a civilian airport before Israel occupied the area in 1967, and transformed it for tourism and commercial purposes, and then closed it.

The Palestinian Ministry of Transport spokesman, Musa Rahal, said that the Israeli plan is a “unilateral act” that is rejected by the ministry.

Rahal asserted that the position of Palestine is absolutely clear and that the signed agreements must be implemented before taking any other choice.

“Palestinians still have the occupied Qalandia and Lod airports, which must be handed over to the State of Palestine according to international agreements, to work on the travel of Palestinian citizens through [them], especially since they are located in 1967 borders,” he noted.

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Arab World

Washington Supports Deeper Security, Economic Cooperation with Algeria

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (Photo: The Presidency)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (Photo: The Presidency)
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Washington Supports Deeper Security, Economic Cooperation with Algeria

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (Photo: The Presidency)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (Photo: The Presidency)

Senior Adviser to the US President for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos has stressed that Washington “supports deeper security cooperation” with Algeria.

In a statement published by the US embassy in Algiers on its Facebook page, Boulos said he held a “productive call” with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune “to discuss the US-Algeria partnership.”

“The United States supports deeper security cooperation and expanding economic opportunities for US companies in Algeria, with our growing energy partnership paving the way for shared prosperity,” said Boulos.

He said he also expressed his condolences to the communities affected by Algeria’s recent wildfires.

Boulos held a productive meeting last April with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, aimed at deepening the trade and security partnership between the two countries.

They welcomed the progress achieved in discussions concerning Algeria’s unconventional gas resources and reviewed opportunities for American companies to support the country’s critical minerals sector.

The two parties also discussed ways to expand cooperation in counterterrorism and military collaboration as part of their shared goal of strengthening regional security. In addition, they addressed regional issues of mutual interest, particularly various conflicts and humanitarian crises.

Arab World

Abyan Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Forces Ready for ‘Zero Hour’ Against Houthis

Al-Rabash said security and development were top priorities. Photo: Turky Alagili
Al-Rabash said security and development were top priorities. Photo: Turky Alagili
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Abyan Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Forces Ready for ‘Zero Hour’ Against Houthis

Al-Rabash said security and development were top priorities. Photo: Turky Alagili
Al-Rabash said security and development were top priorities. Photo: Turky Alagili

Maj. Gen. Mukhtar al-Rabash al-Haythami, governor of Abyan and commander of the province’s military axis, said his forces were ready for the “zero hour” to launch an offensive against the Houthis in Yemen.

He disclosed plans and operations being coordinated with other military commands and fronts, as well as the reinforcement of the roughly 76-km (47-mile) front line between Abyan and al-Bayda with advanced weapons.

“The Abyan Military Axis is ready, both commanders and personnel, and is awaiting the zero hour,” al-Rabash told Asharq Al-Awsat in an interview.

He said the troops’ morale was “higher than ever” and that preparations were proceeding under a “carefully devised plan” in coordination with the Saudi-led coalition, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and the Defense Ministry.

The Abyan governor said recent battlefield developments had demonstrated the government forces’ “fighting spirit and high morale,” adding that military commanders were united by the goal of “liberating Sanaa and Yemen from the Houthi militia and ending the Iranian project.”

Al-Rabash described cooperation with Saudi Arabia as a key pillar of plans to rehabilitate the province. He said a three-day workshop with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen had identified eight priority sectors and approved 24 public-service projects.

76-km front line with the Houthis

Abyan’s fronts are spread across several military commands, al-Rabash said. The front line with the Houthis extends for about 76 km along the border with al-Bayda province and sees frequent clashes.

The governor said plans to reinforce the fronts included raising combat readiness, providing them with advanced weapons, and mobilizing local communities and tribes to support government forces.

Al-Rabash said the prospects of a decisive outcome had improved after the Houthis were “given opportunity after opportunity to pursue peace.”

Instead of taking advantage of those opportunities, he said, the group had continued to escalate domestically and threaten international shipping.

Houthi cells and assassination attempts

On security, al-Rabash said Houthi cells had been uncovered in the province, adding that security forces had arrested between 120 and 150 operatives over the past several years.

He said the latest Houthi cell to be uncovered consisted of two operatives who were arrested and four others who escaped.

According to al-Rabash, those detained confessed to preparing four explosive devices to target him personally, as well as plotting to attack Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Damani, commander of the Nation’s Shield Forces in Abyan.

The governor said there was “collusion and coordination” between the Houthis and terrorist organizations. He added that local government officials and security and military commanders had been targeted in attempted attacks, while several security commanders had been killed in confrontations with those groups.

Al-Rabash said Abyan had paid a heavy price through a succession of conflicts, beginning with al-Qaeda’s seizure of parts of the province in 2011, followed by the Houthi advance in 2015 and the 2019 conflict between the internationally recognized government and Southern Transitional Council forces.

The fighting caused extensive damage to infrastructure, the social fabric and the local economy, he said.

Al-Qaeda’s presence in Abyan

Asked about al-Qaeda’s current presence, al-Rabash said the number of ideologically committed members of the organization had become “very small,” according to estimates by the relevant security agencies.

The threat remained, however, through clandestine cells and the recruitment of some misled young people by exploiting poverty and ignorance, he said.

Al-Rabash said some operatives came from other provinces, while others arrived “by sea from certain countries.” Abyan’s coastline, which stretches for more than 300 km (186 miles), poses a security challenge and requires significant surveillance capabilities, he added.

He stressed that security and military measures alone were insufficient and that combating extremism required a parallel approach encompassing education, public awareness, development and job creation, as well as the involvement of tribes and local communities.

“When citizens feel the state’s presence through schools, public services and job opportunities, they become less receptive to ideas that bring nothing but death and bloodshed,” he said.

24 Saudi-backed projects

On development, al-Rabash described cooperation with Saudi Arabia as a key pillar of plans to rehabilitate the province. He said a three-day workshop with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen had identified eight priority sectors and approved 24 public-service projects.

The governor stated the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen approved 24 projects in Abyan (Local Authority)

The projects cover electricity, water, healthcare, education and roads, alongside larger strategic projects that are being developed, he said.

The governor placed the strategic Wadi Hassan dam at the top of Abyan’s priority projects, saying it would help replenish groundwater and the wells that supply Aden with water. The dam was also expected to help revive the agricultural sector.

Al-Rabash said Wadi Hassan had historically contributed to Abyan’s agricultural standing, which earned the province its reputation as “Yemen’s breadbasket.” Investment in modern agricultural technologies could restore that role and expand the province’s productive capacity, he added.

He praised Saudi support for Abyan and Yemen more broadly, particularly in hospitals, schools, electricity and roads, saying the projects “directly affect people’s lives.”

“We extend our thanks and appreciation to our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — its king, crown prince, government and people — for their countless efforts across various fields,” al-Rabash said.

He said Saudi support included “building hospitals and schools, rehabilitating roads, supporting the electricity sector and everything that helps improve the lives of the Yemeni people.”

The governor contrasted Saudi Arabia’s role with that of the Houthis.

“Our brothers in Saudi Arabia build hospitals, schools and roads, while the Houthis come with missiles to destroy them,” he said. “They kill and destroy but do not build, and their attacks have struck mosques, schools and hospitals.”

“Our Saudi neighbor and brother, with whom we share ties of blood, religion, tribe and geography, comes to help build and improve people’s lives,” he added. “That is the difference evident to anyone with insight.”

Al-Rabash said security and development were inseparable tracks, prompting the local authorities to adopt the slogan: “Abyan First — Authority Upheld, Development Built.” Photo: Turky Alagili

‘Abyan First’

Al-Rabash said security and development were inseparable tracks, prompting the local authorities to adopt the slogan: “Abyan First — Authority Upheld, Development Built.”

He said priorities were focused on five main sectors — electricity, water, healthcare, education and roads — alongside efforts to consolidate security, combat terrorism and crime, and raise combat readiness along the fronts.

The local authorities had also expanded outreach to tribes, religious scholars, journalists, young people, women, and social and sporting groups to build a community partnership, he said. The public’s response was among the most important factors in the success of the new phase.

Al-Rabash concluded with a message urging Abyan’s residents to “stand together and work as one,” saying the province’s stability and reconstruction “cannot be achieved without a genuine partnership between the community and the local authorities.”

Arab World

Israeli Foreign Minister Says No Plans to Deport Palestinians from Gaza

Palestinians look on from the street at the damage to a house that was hit by an Israeli strike following an evacuation warning in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinians look on from the street at the damage to a house that was hit by an Israeli strike following an evacuation warning in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
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Israeli Foreign Minister Says No Plans to Deport Palestinians from Gaza

Palestinians look on from the street at the damage to a house that was hit by an Israeli strike following an evacuation warning in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinians look on from the street at the damage to a house that was hit by an Israeli strike following an evacuation warning in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on September 8, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Wednesday that the government does not plan to deport Palestinians from Gaza, after two Israeli ministers this month floated proposals for the mass removal of Palestinians from the coastal territory.

"We are not planning to expel or ‌to deport anyone ‌from (the) Gaza Strip," ‌Saar ⁠told a press ⁠conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

"If someone wants to immigrate (on) his own will, and there is a country which is ready to accept him .... we will not oppose that, ⁠but we will (also) not enforce ‌anyone ‌against (their) will," he said.

Saar is in ‌Slovenia to open the ‌Israeli embassy in Ljubljana.

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said on September 2 there was "no real solution for ‌Gaza in the end without this migration" of Palestinians.

Far-right ⁠security ⁠minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on September 3 outlined a seven-year plan for removing Gaza's population through what he described as "voluntary emigration."

The US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has said that Israel has no plans to force Palestinians to leave Gaza.

Israel is to hold a general election on October 27.