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Arab World

Jordan Opens Consulate in Western Sahara

The foreign ministers of Morocco and Jordan at the inauguration. (Morocco Foreign Ministry)
The foreign ministers of Morocco and Jordan at the inauguration. (Morocco Foreign Ministry)
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Jordan Opens Consulate in Western Sahara

The foreign ministers of Morocco and Jordan at the inauguration. (Morocco Foreign Ministry)
The foreign ministers of Morocco and Jordan at the inauguration. (Morocco Foreign Ministry)

Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi opened on Thursday his country’s consulate in Laayoune in Morocco’s western Sahara region.

The move makes the consulate the 20th mission to be opened in the region in two years.

Safadi and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita were at the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by various local officials.

Bourita said that the decision by Jordan’s King Abdullah II to open the consulate in Laayoune demonstrates Amman’s support for Rabat and all the measures it takes to protect its national interests, territorial unity and security.

Jordan and Morocco have now opened a new chapter in their historic relations, he added.

Moreover, he said that the opening of consulates and diplomatic missions in the Sahara reflects international support to Morocco’s position in this regional dispute.

Bourita expressed Rabat’s determination to move forward to develop Jordanian-Moroccan relations” so that they can become an example for what inter-Arab ties should be.”

For his part, Safadi said the opening of the consulate in Laayoune is a reflection of the firm relations between the two kingdoms.

He stressed that they share a “united vision” towards regional issues, among which the Palestinian cause is a top priority.

“We are working with Morocco to achieve fair and permanent peace in the region,” he stated.

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Arab World

Israel Defiance Minister Vows Troops to Stay in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows the Israeli flag as it flutters on top of the nearby Crusaders Cital of Doubieh on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows the Israeli flag as it flutters on top of the nearby Crusaders Cital of Doubieh on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Defiance Minister Vows Troops to Stay in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza

A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows the Israeli flag as it flutters on top of the nearby Crusaders Cital of Doubieh on August 11, 2026. (AFP)
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Chaqra shows the Israeli flag as it flutters on top of the nearby Crusaders Cital of Doubieh on August 11, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz visited southern Lebanon on Wednesday, vowing to destroy infrastructure and keep troops in a so-called "security zone" as well as in Syria and Gaza.

The comments came almost two months after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-sponsored framework deal that involves the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as "pilot zones".

The United States plans new talks in early September in Rome between Israel and Lebanon.

Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly vowed not to withdraw from the occupied "security zone" in southern Lebanon -- a strip of territory where Israeli forces operate that reaches around 10 kilometers (six miles) into Lebanon.

"As the prime minister and I have clearly stated, we are not withdrawing from this security zone," Katz said during a visit to troops, according to a statement from his office.

The Israeli military "is here to protect the northern communities and its own forces. We will clear this area and guarantee the security of the residents of the north. We will in no way withdraw from the security zones: not in Lebanon, not in Syria, and not in Gaza," he added.

In southern Lebanon, Katz said the military was "destroying the underground infrastructure" in the area and "destroying all the houses".

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in early March with rocket fire aimed at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

Israel has also carried out repeated incursions and bombings in Syria since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, saying it sought to establish a demilitarized zone in the country's south.

In Gaza, Israeli forces occupy more than 60 percent of the war-battered territory.

Last week, Netanyahu rejected a US-led plan for Gaza endorsed by Hamas, saying the Israeli military "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed, and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens".

Arab World

Israel Seeking to ‘Remove Palestine from World’s Agenda’, Says Erdogan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) shakes hands with Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) after a press conference at the presidential palace in Ankara on August 12, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) shakes hands with Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) after a press conference at the presidential palace in Ankara on August 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Seeking to ‘Remove Palestine from World’s Agenda’, Says Erdogan

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) shakes hands with Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) after a press conference at the presidential palace in Ankara on August 12, 2026. (AFP)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) shakes hands with Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) after a press conference at the presidential palace in Ankara on August 12, 2026. (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to "remove Palestine" from the world's agenda.

"The aim of the Netanyahu government is to remove Palestine from the common agenda of humanity by profiting from chaos and new conflicts in the region," Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas.

"No matter what they do, they will not succeed. The Palestinian cause will continue to grow in people's hearts as they try to destroy it," he said, vowing Türkiye would fight for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

A strong advocate of the Palestinian cause, Erdogan has repeatedly lambasted Netanyahu's government, accusing the Israeli prime minister of committing "genocide" in Gaza and of pursuing expansionist policies in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria and beyond.

Abbas arrived in Ankara on Tuesday accompanied by his diplomatic advisor Majdi Khalidi, intelligence chief Majed Faraj and senior Palestinian official Ziad Abu Amr.

He met Erdogan on Wednesday with the pair discussing developments in the region in talks the Palestinian leader described as "important and fruitful".

Last month, Abbas, 90, said Palestinian legislative elections would take place on November 28 followed by a presidential poll early next year.

If the November election goes ahead, it would be the first such ballot in two decades.

"I hope the decision to hold legislative and presidential elections in Palestine after a long time will bring good fortune... (and) will advance the reconciliation process," Erdogan said, in a nod to the historic rivalry between Abbas' Fatah movement and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Abbas also hailed the August 7 defense pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, saying it was "of utmost importance" and expressing hope it would help enhance security and stability in the region.

Arab World

Germany’s Ex-Envoy to Israel Slams ‘Disastrous’ West Bank Policy

Smoke rises as the Israeli army detonates explosives in the house of slain Palestinian Farouq Ramadan in Tell village, near the West Bank city of Nablus, 11 August 2026. (EPA)
Smoke rises as the Israeli army detonates explosives in the house of slain Palestinian Farouq Ramadan in Tell village, near the West Bank city of Nablus, 11 August 2026. (EPA)
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Germany’s Ex-Envoy to Israel Slams ‘Disastrous’ West Bank Policy

Smoke rises as the Israeli army detonates explosives in the house of slain Palestinian Farouq Ramadan in Tell village, near the West Bank city of Nablus, 11 August 2026. (EPA)
Smoke rises as the Israeli army detonates explosives in the house of slain Palestinian Farouq Ramadan in Tell village, near the West Bank city of Nablus, 11 August 2026. (EPA)

Germany's former ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, levelled unusually sharp criticism at the Israeli government and what he labelled its "disastrous" settlement policy in the occupied West Bank in a media interview released Wednesday.

Israel's policy in the Palestinian territory amounts to "displacement through psychological and physical violence", he was quoted as saying by news weekly Die Zeit.

Modern Germany, at pains to atone for the horrors of the Nazi era and the Holocaust, has long been a steadfast supporter of Israel.

Seibert, the former spokesman of then chancellor Angela Merkel, qualified her stance that "Israel's security is part of Germany's reason of state", noting that this commitment applied to Israel within its internationally recognized borders.

He stressed that "if the very existence of Israel is threatened by a murderous attack by Hamas, by the no less murderous plans of Hezbollah, or by Iran, then we must stand by this state".

"But that does not apply to the settlers in the Jordan Valley," he told Zeit.

"Under international law, these are illegal settlements driven by the ideology that this land belongs solely to us -- that God gave it to us.

"The concept of 'reason of state' does not extend to that; it does not support a sense of superiority over another population."

It was equally necessary, he added, to tell the Palestinians that the right of the Israeli people to live in their own state must be respected.

"We need to make it clear what we mean when we -- rightly -- say that we stand by Israel," said Seibert.

But he added: "That does not mean our support extends to every action taken by the Israeli state -- for instance, the occupation, which is now entering its 60th year."