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Egypt: The Netherlands Supports Our Efforts on Water Issues

Officials at the Egyptian-Dutch Consultative Council for Water Management. (Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources)
Officials at the Egyptian-Dutch Consultative Council for Water Management. (Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources)
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Egypt: The Netherlands Supports Our Efforts on Water Issues

Officials at the Egyptian-Dutch Consultative Council for Water Management. (Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources)
Officials at the Egyptian-Dutch Consultative Council for Water Management. (Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources)

Egypt assessed its water situation and the most important challenges it faces from the effects of climate change at a meeting of the Egyptian-Dutch Consultative Council, the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources said in a statement on Monday.

The meeting was held as part of the Egyptian government’s preparations to organize the Cairo Water Weeks (CWW) in October under the theme "Water at the Heart of the Climate Action" as a preparatory platform for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), set for the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

The Ministry said a high-level delegation participated in the expert meeting of the Egyptian-Dutch Consultative Council, which was held on July 20 and 21.

Dutch officials expressed their willingness to support CWW, especially the session to prepare for the submission of a report for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Water Action Decade, scheduled for March 2023.

They stressed support for the “Water and Climate Pavilion” during the COP27, and for Egypt’s adaptation strategy for the water sector under the foreseen changes affecting water resources management.

The Egyptian delegation reviewed the water situation in Egypt and the most important challenges facing the water sector and efforts to confront them.

The Egyptian Ministry said the two sides agreed on an initiative to provide data on water productivity by declaring Egypt a regional platform for piloting data and information on water productivity in the region.

The delegation also reviewed the successful Egyptian experience in the field of treating agricultural drains using wetland technology, the Ministry statement said.

Egyptian Minister of Water Resources, Mohamed Abdel-Aty hailed the water cooperation between Egypt and the Netherlands that dates back 46 years to the establishment of the Egyptian-Dutch Consultative Council for Water Management in 1976.

He said bilateral cooperation between both countries helped build bridges of trust, and this was reflected in the increasing experiences in the fields of water management and treatment, water quality improvement and integrated coastal zone management.

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Israeli Minister Says Time Running out for Diplomatic Solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon

Israeli artillery shells an area of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 11 September 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli artillery shells an area of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 11 September 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Israeli Minister Says Time Running out for Diplomatic Solution with Hezbollah in Lebanon

Israeli artillery shells an area of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 11 September 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Israeli artillery shells an area of Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 11 September 2024. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday that the window was closing for a diplomatic solution to the standoff with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.

Gallant's remarks came as the White House Special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel to discuss the crisis on the northern border where Israeli troops have been exchanging missile fire with Hezbollah forces for months.

"The possibility for an agreed framework in the northern arena is running out," Gallant told Austin in a phone call, according to a statement from his office, Reuters reported.

As long as Hezbollah continued to tie itself to Hamas in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged for almost a year, "the trajectory is clear," he said.

The visit by Hochstein, who is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, comes amid efforts to find a diplomatic path out of the crisis, which has forced tens of thousands on both sides of the border to leave their homes.

On Monday, Israeli media reported that the head of the army's northern command had recommended a rapid border operation to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

While the war in Gaza has been Israel's main focus since the attack by Hamas-led gunmen on Oct. 7 last year, the precarious situation in the north has fuelled fears of a regional conflict that could drag in the United States and Iran.

A missile barrage by Hezbollah the day after Oct. 7 opened the latest phase of conflict and since then there have been daily exchanges of rockets, artillery fire and missiles, with Israeli jets striking deep into Lebanese territory.

Hezbollah has said it does not seek a wider war at present but would fight if Israel launched one.

Israeli officials have said for months that Israel cannot accept the clearance of its northern border areas indefinitely but while troops remain committed to Gaza, there have also been questions about the military's readiness for an invasion of southern Lebanon.

However, some of the hardline members of the Israeli government have been pressing for action and on Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a longtime foe of Gallant, called for him to be sacked.

"We need a decision in the north and Gallant is not the right person to lead it," he said in a statement on the social media platform X.

Hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and dozens of Israeli soldiers and civilians have been killed in the exchanges of fire, which have left communities on both sides of the border as virtual ghost towns.