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Iraq, Kurdistan Region Discuss Disputed Areas, Federal Budget

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received a Kurdistan delegation headed by the region's interior minister, Reber Ahmed, in Baghdad (INA)
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received a Kurdistan delegation headed by the region's interior minister, Reber Ahmed, in Baghdad (INA)
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Iraq, Kurdistan Region Discuss Disputed Areas, Federal Budget

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received a Kurdistan delegation headed by the region's interior minister, Reber Ahmed, in Baghdad (INA)
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid received a Kurdistan delegation headed by the region's interior minister, Reber Ahmed, in Baghdad (INA)

A security delegation from the federal government arrived in Erbil Sunday, while another one assigned by the regional government arrived in Baghdad to discuss outstanding issues.

The regional government delegation seeks to discuss the most pressing issues, including the 2023 budget, the disputed share of the region, and other topics such as the oil and gas law and the election law.

Meanwhile, the security delegation, headed by the Chief of Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, arrived in Erbil to restore the relationship in the disputed areas.

Observers believe the dispute between the two main Kurdish parties in the region, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, would negatively affect the area's citizens.

They indicated that any discussions with Baghdad would not benefit the Kurdish people, who are no longer unified towards Baghdad.

The spokesman for the deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Samir Hawrami, said during a press conference in Sulaymaniyah that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan team decided to boycott all cabinet meetings but continue to provide services to citizens.

Hawrami explained that the team has issues with the government management in the Kurdistan region, adding that the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan met to discuss and solve these issues, which did not yield any results.

The spokesman stressed that the problem with the administration was about providing services to citizens, noting that no date has yet been set for the upcoming meeting between the two parties to complete the discussions.

Furthermore, KRG spokesman, Jutiar Adel, said that a high-level Kurdish delegation arrived in Baghdad to resume dialogue on the most important outstanding issues, notably the federal budget and the oil and gas law.

The delegation would first discuss the latest developments in the federal budget law and the region's share in it, the oil and gas law, Article 140, and compensation for the Kurdistan region's people affected by the previous regime's policies.

The delegation would remain in Baghdad for several days to discuss these issues, said the spokesman, adding that they hope they would benefit the Kurdistan region through the negotiations.

For his part, the President of the Diwan of Council of Ministers, Umed Sabah, confirmed that the visit to Baghdad comes within the framework of the official visits of the regional government aiming to reach an agreement on the oil and gas law, the budget and financial dues for the Kurdistan region, and other issues.

The financial budget was supposed to reach parliament before February for discussion and ratification, but the government announced it reconsidered the budget after the decision to reduce the exchange rate and the start of talks between Iraq, Türkiye, and the US.

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Arab World

Israeli Strike Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
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Israeli Strike Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians walk among the ruins of destroyed residential buildings in the Al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, east of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 10 September 2026. (EPA)

An ‌Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed at least two Palestinians in a vehicle and wounded 13 others in the Gaza Strip, medical staff said.

The strike in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood in western Gaza City, left the vehicle mangled, according to footage circulated on social media. Local medical staff told ‌Reuters that ‌they urged people to provide ‌information ⁠that could help identify ⁠the two people who were killed and whose bodies were dismembered by the explosion.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted two Hamas fighters, without giving further information.

An October 2025, ⁠US-backed, ceasefire halted large-scale fighting in ‌Gaza, but ‌it has not ended Israeli strikes and ‌there has been little progress on ‌steps towards permanent peace.

Hamas accuses Israel of violating the ceasefire and undermining efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's broader plan ‌to end the Gaza conflict, which includes the Israeli withdrawal ⁠from ⁠the strip and the disarmament of Hamas.

Israel says Hamas has been violating the deal.

More than 1,300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory's health officials, while the Israeli military says four Israeli soldiers have been killed.

Hamas does not usually disclose information about fatalities among its fighters.

Arab World

Syria Rejects Sovereignty Violations, Netanyahu’s Entry into Its Territory

An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
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Syria Rejects Sovereignty Violations, Netanyahu’s Entry into Its Territory

An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 
An Israeli observation post overlooking the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria (AFP) 

Syria on Saturday renewed its rejection of violations of its sovereignty and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s entry into its territory, as Israeli forces continued a weeklong escalation of artillery fire and incursions around Beit Jinn, on the slopes of Mount Hermon in western rural Damascus.

Residents fear an Israeli incursion into the town could lead to a repeat of events in late 2025, when dozens were killed or wounded in clashes between residents and an Israeli patrol that entered Beit Jinn.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Syria had clearly reaffirmed before the UN Security Council, with the support of more than 40 countries, its rejection of violations of its sovereignty and Netanyahu’s entry into Syrian territory.

In a post on X, al-Shaibani stressed that Damascus remained committed to the country’s unity, independent decision-making and territorial integrity. He welcomed the international response supporting Syria in the face of continuing Israeli violations and said Damascus would continue to defend its national rights through legitimate political and diplomatic means under international law and the UN Charter.

Representatives of several UN member states, joined by Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ibrahim Olabi, gathered outside the Security Council in New York on Friday to denounce Netanyahu’s entry into Syrian territory and reaffirm Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

Netanyahu, accompanied by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, entered the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on Sept. 9, where Israeli forces are deployed.

Damascus strongly condemned what it called Netanyahu’s “illegal entry” into Syrian territory and his tour of Mount Hermon, describing it as a flagrant violation of Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and international law.

Syria held Israel fully responsible for the consequences of the violations and called on the UN, international organizations and influential countries to act to halt the attacks and ensure a return to the Disengagement Agreement.

Meanwhile, local sources in Beit Jinn told Asharq Al-Awsat that more than 10 Israeli military vehicles and two tanks had entered farmland belonging to the village of Mazraat Beit Jinn, east of the town.

The incursion came hours after Israeli artillery fire struck the Ain al-Shaara area north of Beit Jinn, with the shell landing on agricultural land.

Israeli forces had repeatedly shelled areas around Mazraat Beit Jinn and Bat al-Warda hill since Sept. 3, without reported casualties or material damage. An Israeli drone had also struck a civilian vehicle on the road to the town, wounding several civilians.

Local sources voiced fears of a repeat of Nov. 28, 2025, when an Israeli military patrol entered Beit Jinn, triggering fierce clashes with residents that killed 13 people from the town and wounded 24 others.

The escalation in western rural Damascus comes as Israeli forces continue incursions and attacks on towns and villages in rural Daraa and Quneitra near the ceasefire line. The operations have continued since the first day following the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government on Dec. 8, 2024.

Arab World

Fatah Demands Apology for Oct. 7 ‘Catastrophe’ as Hamas Hits Back

A meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah (WAFA) 
A meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah (WAFA) 
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Fatah Demands Apology for Oct. 7 ‘Catastrophe’ as Hamas Hits Back

A meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah (WAFA) 
A meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah (WAFA) 

A heated Palestinian debate erupted after Fatah Central Committee member Majed Faraj called on Hamas to apologize to the Palestinian people for what he described as the “catastrophe” that followed Oct. 7, 2023.

Speaking to Fatah activists at a public gathering ahead of legislative elections, Faraj said Hamas should apologize before returning to political life as a Palestinian faction like any other.

“This is a personal opinion and not an official position,” he added.

Fatah supporters and several of its leaders applauded, including Zakaria Zubeidi, who was recently released from an Israeli prison under a Hamas-Israel prisoner exchange deal. His reaction drew criticism from Hamas activists and freed prisoners.

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, hit back at Faraj, Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, arguing that the Oct. 7 attack had strategic consequences not only for Palestine but for the region and the world.

In a Telegram post, Naim said that if Hamas were required to apologize, Faraj should also demand apologies from Fatah and the late Yasser Arafat for what, by Faraj’s own standard, were “catastrophes” inflicted on Palestinians over decades. He cited the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which was followed by Israel’s Operation Defensive Shield and the reoccupation of the West Bank, as well as earlier events in Jordan, Lebanon and the first Gulf War.

Naim said Palestinians had the right to assess every stage of their national struggle and demand accountability, but argued that such scrutiny should not be selective or serve foreign agendas. He described the Oslo process as a “major mistake” that had proved a catastrophic failure.

He added that Hamas had repeatedly called for comprehensive national dialogue to review all paths, including the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” but accused Fatah of rejecting such efforts, most recently at meetings in Ankara and El Alamein.

Fatah Revolutionary Council member Monzer al-Hayek defended his movement, saying the only thing Fatah could apologize for was failing so far to achieve an independent Palestinian state.

He noted that Fatah had built a national authority, given Palestinians an entity, identity and passport, and advanced the statehood project until Palestine achieved UN non-member observer state status.

Al-Hayek accused Hamas of obstructing the national liberation process, weakening the political track and helping create conditions that brought Israel’s far right to power.

The dispute comes amid mutual accusations that each movement is seeking to obstruct or postpone the elections. Hamas has sought to form a broad electoral coalition of several factions, while Fatah has worked to block the effort and persuaded PLO factions, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, not to join.

Fatah’s Revolutionary Council said the movement would contest legislative elections scheduled for Nov. 28 on an official national list in consultation with PLO factions. It called for comprehensive national dialogue, Palestinian unity within the PLO framework and a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders.

President Mahmoud Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to holding legislative elections on Nov. 28, 2026, and urged the international community to pressure Israel not to obstruct voting in Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.