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Palestine Rejects EU-Israeli Draft Agreement, Says it Violates Int’l Law

Palestinians and the occupation force (AP)
Palestinians and the occupation force (AP)
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Palestine Rejects EU-Israeli Draft Agreement, Says it Violates Int’l Law

Palestinians and the occupation force (AP)
Palestinians and the occupation force (AP)

Palestine has rejected the European Commission’s engagement in talks with Israel that would allow the exchange of personal data, including that of Palestinian citizens living in areas run by the Palestinian Authority.

Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Ahmed Majdalani said the talks represent a flagrant violation of international law and the Palestinian people’s rights and international protocols.

He stressed that these negotiations constitute an alarming “political precedent” and called on the European Union countries to halt them.

Majdalani’s remarks came in response to a report published in the German magazine “Spiegel,” which said that Israel and the European Commission are negotiating an agreement that allows the exchange of data between the EU and Israel.

The report stated that the issue was raised during a recent EU internal meeting. It pointed out that the draft agreement was kept secret.

The draft agreement stipulates that the Israeli authorities may use the date collected by the EU “exceptionally in the geographical areas that were ruled by Israel after June 5, 1967 (the occupied territories of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem).

According to the meeting’s minutes, which were seen by the German magazine, “13 of the 27 EU countries strongly refused to use the data in the occupied territories.”

It revealed warnings by representatives of France and other EU countries, like Ireland and Luxemburg, that this step would create an alarming precedent that has major political impacts.

The Legal Department of the EU Council also voiced concern, saying that “the use of EU police data in the annexed areas would not only be a political precedent with enormous impact but also a violation of international law.”

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki also slammed the draft agreement in an interview with Spiegel, stressing that it violates international law.

“The fact that President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen held negotiations on a data exchange agreement with Israel, whose mandate extends to the occupied territories of the State of Palestine, is an unprecedented scandal and a flagrant violation of international law.”

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Arab World

Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
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Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)

Syria’s High Committee for National Reconciliation has defended recent controversial prisoner releases, saying the decision aims to preserve national stability amid ongoing tensions.

Committee member Hassan Soufan confirmed that several officers recently freed had voluntarily surrendered in 2021 at the Iraqi border and in the Al-Sukhna region, under a formal request for safe conduct.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus on Tuesday, Soufan addressed public backlash following the releases and acknowledged the deep pain felt by victims’ families.

“We fully understand the anger and grief of the families of martyrs,” he said. “But the current phase requires decisions that can help secure relative stability for the coming period.”

The controversy erupted after the Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday the release of dozens of detainees in Latakia, many of whom were arrested during the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation, which contributed to the fall of the Assad regime.

Among those involved in the mediation effort was Fadi Saqr, a former commander in the regime’s National Defense Forces, who has been accused of war crimes, including involvement in the Tadamon massacre in southern Damascus.

Soufan explained that the released officers had undergone investigation and were found not to have participated in war crimes. “Keeping them imprisoned no longer serves a national interest,” he said. “It has no legal justification.”

He stressed that Syria is in a delicate phase of national reconciliation, in which balancing justice and peace is critical.

“There are two parallel tracks - transitional justice and civil peace - and today, the priority is civil peace, as it lays the groundwork for all other strategic efforts,” he said.

Soufan added that the committee has requested expanded powers from the Syrian president, including the authority to release detainees not proven guilty and to coordinate directly with state institutions.

He insisted that the aim is not to bypass justice, but to prevent further bloodshed. “Vengeance and retribution are not paths to justice,” he said. “They allow real criminals to slip away while deepening divisions.”

While affirming that transitional justice remains essential, Soufan noted that it should focus on top perpetrators of atrocities, not individuals who merely served under the regime. “Justice means accountability for those who planned and carried out major crimes, not blanket punishment.”