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Moroccan King Will Soon Call for Al-Quds Committee Meeting

Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (AP)
Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (AP)
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Moroccan King Will Soon Call for Al-Quds Committee Meeting

Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (AP)
Palestinian scout bands parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity, ahead of the midnight Mass, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020. (AP)

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI announced he will soon call for holding the 21st session of the Al-Quds Committee in Rabat, six years after it last convened in Marrakech, without specifying a date.

In a message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, he said the meeting aims at considering means of consolidating the preservation of the special status of Jerusalem and contributing to safeguarding the inviolability of its historical landmarks, spiritual symbolism and religious identity.

The King sent the message a day after receiving a US-Israeli delegation headed by White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner and Israel’s National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat.

King Mohammed said that the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency will soon be restructured to “breathe new life into it”. This will allow it, under his personal supervision, to continue to implement tangible plans and programs in the health, education, social and housing sectors for the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.

King Mohammed expressed his satisfaction with the telephone call he held with Abbas on December 10 during which he underlined Morocco’s firm stance on the Palestinian cause and commitment to defending the rights of the Palestinian people.

He reiterated his country’s stance in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on the two-state solution, adding that negotiations were the only way to reach a final, lasting and comprehensive settlement.

In his letter, the King stressed that Morocco has always placed the Palestinian cause at the same level as the Moroccan Sahara issue.

The Al-Quds Committee was first established pursuant to a resolution issued during the sixth Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation that was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July 1975.

Its presidency was assigned to the late King Hassan II of Morocco in 1979.

In 1998, the committee-affiliated Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency was founded and focused its efforts in the fields of health, education, housing and the preservation of religious heritage.

Members of the committee include Morocco, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Guinea, Niger and Senegal.

Over the past 22 years, the committee has implemented about programs and plans worth around $65 million focused on education, housing, health, culture, sports, women empowerment and the youth.

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Arab World

Drone Attack by RSF in Sudan Kills 24, Including 8 Children, Doctors’ Group Says

Displaced Sudanese wait to receive humanitarian aid at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese wait to receive humanitarian aid at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
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Drone Attack by RSF in Sudan Kills 24, Including 8 Children, Doctors’ Group Says

Displaced Sudanese wait to receive humanitarian aid at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese wait to receive humanitarian aid at the Abu al-Naga displacement camp in the Gedaref State, some 420km east of the capital Khartoum on February 6, 2026. (AFP)

A drone attack by a notorious paramilitary group hit a vehicle carrying displaced families in central Sudan Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including eight children, a doctors’ group said.

The attack by the Rapid Support Forces occurred close to the city of Rahad in North Kordofan province, said the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country’s ongoing war.

The vehicle transported displaced people who fled fighting in the Dubeiker area of North Kordofan, the doctors’ group said in a statement. Among the dead children were two infants, the group said.

The doctors’ group urged the international community and rights organizations to “take immediate action to protect civilians and hold the RSF leadership directly accountable for these violations.”

There was no immediate comment from the RSF, which has been at war against the Sudanese military for control of the country for about three years.

Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.

The devastating war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to UN figures, but aid groups say that is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher.

It created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with over 14 million people forced to flee their homes. It fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of the country into famine.

Arab World

Israeli Army Allows Settlers to Spend Night Near Gaza

Israeli settlers walk toward the border with Gaza on Thursday (AFP). 
Israeli settlers walk toward the border with Gaza on Thursday (AFP). 
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Israeli Army Allows Settlers to Spend Night Near Gaza

Israeli settlers walk toward the border with Gaza on Thursday (AFP). 
Israeli settlers walk toward the border with Gaza on Thursday (AFP). 

The Israeli army on Friday escorted about 1,500 Jewish settlers out of an area near the Gaza Strip after allowing them to spend a single night along the border, while arresting several who insisted on staying inside occupied Palestinian territory.

An army spokesperson said such actions endanger the settlers’ lives in a combat zone and divert soldiers from their primary mission of safeguarding state security. He added, however, that the army was dealing with the group with restraint to prevent friction and internal clashes.

The settlers, affiliated with the Nachala movement, arrived on Thursday night in the northern part of the Gaza border area, which is under Israeli military control and known as the “Yellow Line.” They dispersed across seven locations according to what the army described as a plan resembling military-style deployment.

Members of the group attempted to breach the border and reach areas where Jewish settlements once stood before Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 under the disengagement plan led by then prime minister Ariel Sharon. The settlers said they were carrying out an operation modeled on an attack by Hamas, claiming they were “more capable” of launching such an action.

They asserted that their stated purpose was to plant trees in Gaza as a prelude to future steps involving renewed settlement activity. At the same time, they brought tents with the apparent intention of establishing an outpost.

Israeli forces blocked their advance and prevented them from crossing the border, leading to hours of maneuvering as settlers tried to evade soldiers, who repeatedly halted them.

After prolonged standoffs, a local military commander reached an arrangement allowing the group to remain overnight at the border area, on the condition that they would leave the following day. Those who refused and attempted to stay inside Gaza were detained and handed over to police, who opened investigations on charges of obstructing security forces and diverting them from their duties.

The settlers vowed to return repeatedly until they succeeded in reviving the settlement project.

The Nachala movement was founded in 2005, as Israeli-Palestinian negotiations resumed toward a two-state solution. It promotes the slogan “One state for one people” and seeks to expand Jewish settlement across what it describes as historic Israel. The group has raised funds in Israel and the United States and has been involved in establishing dozens of settlement outposts in the West Bank, many of which have since been retroactively legalized by the current government.

 

 

 

Arab World

Paris Urges Baghdad to Avoid Being Dragged in Regional Escalation

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) shake hands as he receives French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) upon his arrival for an official visit to Baghdad on February 5, 2026. (AFP)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) shake hands as he receives French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) upon his arrival for an official visit to Baghdad on February 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Paris Urges Baghdad to Avoid Being Dragged in Regional Escalation

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) shake hands as he receives French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) upon his arrival for an official visit to Baghdad on February 5, 2026. (AFP)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) shake hands as he receives French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot (L) upon his arrival for an official visit to Baghdad on February 5, 2026. (AFP)

French diplomatic sources said Paris has warned of the risks posed by the involvement of Iraqi armed factions in any potential regional escalation, stressing that Iraq should not be drawn into conflicts that do not serve its national interests at a time of mounting regional tensions.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that the warning was among the messages delivered by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot during his visit to Baghdad on Thursday, where he held talks with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. The trip marked Barrot’s second official visit to Iraq in less than a year.

According to the sources, the French minister underscored that the stability and security achieved in Iraq “with great patience and effort” should not be jeopardized under any circumstances.

He cautioned that the involvement of non-state armed groups in regional confrontations could undermine Iraq’s recovery and threaten the security of both the country and the wider region.

The stance echoed remarks Barrot made to news agencies in Baghdad on Thursday, in which he said France’s priority in the region remains the fight against ISIS and preventing its resurgence.

Any security deterioration, whether in Iraq or in camps and prisons in northeastern Syria, would benefit the group, he warned.

Barrot said France is working with its partners to ensure continued security at these sites, adding that a collapse there “would not serve anyone’s interests.”

He praised Iraq’s efforts to receive detainees linked to ISIS, calling it a crucial step in international efforts to address one of the most sensitive post-conflict files.

For his part, Hussein reiterated Baghdad’s commitment to continued cooperation with the international coalition against terrorism, emphasizing Iraq’s determination to safeguard internal stability and steer clear of regional power struggles.

Iraqi foreign policy is based on balance and building relations with all partners to shield the country from regional tensions, he stressed.

The talks also addressed Iran, amid fears of escalation and its potential repercussions for Iraq.

Barrot urged the need for Tehran to respond to a US proposal for negotiations and to make substantive concessions on its nuclear program, ballistic arsenal, and destabilizing regional activities, while ending repressive policies.

Iraq, he said, must stay out of any regional confrontation.

Paris and Baghdad are also aligned on Syria, supporting a peaceful, inclusive political transition involving all components of Syrian society, alongside continued efforts to combat ISIS and prevent its return to liberated areas, he added.

French sources said Paris’ core message was to shield Iraq from being pulled into any regional escalation and to preserve its stability.