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Arab Foreign Ministers to Hold Extraordinary Meeting on Israel Crimes in Jerusalem

Palestinians pray on Laylat al-Qadr during the holy month of Ramadan, at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, May 8, 2021. Reuters
Palestinians pray on Laylat al-Qadr during the holy month of Ramadan, at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, May 8, 2021. Reuters
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Arab Foreign Ministers to Hold Extraordinary Meeting on Israel Crimes in Jerusalem

Palestinians pray on Laylat al-Qadr during the holy month of Ramadan, at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, May 8, 2021. Reuters
Palestinians pray on Laylat al-Qadr during the holy month of Ramadan, at the compound that houses Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, May 8, 2021. Reuters

Arab League foreign ministers are scheduled to hold an extraordinary session next Tuesday to discuss the latest Israeli aggression in occupied Jerusalem.

“An extraordinary virtual session will be held at the level of Arab foreign ministers, at the request of Palestine in the wake of the current Israeli crimes and assaults against Palestinians and Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied city of Jerusalem and against worshipers during the Holy month of Ramadan,” the AL General Secretariat said Sunday in a statement.

It added that the meeting will discuss the “barbaric” Israeli aggressions and Israel’s plan to confiscate Palestinian property in East Jerusalem, particularly in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood with plans to seize homes belonging to Palestinian citizens and to empty the holy city of its Palestinian population and change the existing legal and historical status quo.

For his part, Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League, Hosam Zaki, said that the ministers are set to discuss the grave Israeli assaults against worshippers at Al-Aqsa as well as the forced expulsions of a number of Palestinian families from their houses in Sheikh Jarrah.

Zaki also noted that these assaults and expulsions fall within Israel’s systematic policy to obliterate the Palestinian identity of Jerusalem and change legal and historical status of its holy sites.

Since last week, friction has mounted in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, with nightly clashes in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah - a neighborhood where numerous Palestinian families face eviction

During the weekend, Palestine's Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League Diab al-Louh said he requested an urgent meeting of the Arab League at the level of permanent representatives to discuss the latest Israeli violence in Jerusalem.

However, he said the meeting must bring about decisions and practical measures that can address this unprecedented catastrophic reality.

Therefore, Al-Louh urged the international community to provide the necessary protection for the Palestinian people against such systematic Israeli practices and continuous violations.

Last week, the Arab League had also called on the international community to intervene to prevent any forced evictions.

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Arab World

Palestinian, Israeli Civil Society Meet in France to Urge Int'l Support for Two-State Solution

Israeli security forces stand guard along a road while behind smoke billows from an area reportedly set ablaze by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli security forces stand guard along a road while behind smoke billows from an area reportedly set ablaze by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Palestinian, Israeli Civil Society Meet in France to Urge Int'l Support for Two-State Solution

Israeli security forces stand guard along a road while behind smoke billows from an area reportedly set ablaze by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli security forces stand guard along a road while behind smoke billows from an area reportedly set ablaze by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026. (AFP)

Palestinian and Israeli civil society groups will meet in France on Friday to urge the international community not to abandon a two-state solution, as Paris seeks to keep the issue alive amid the Middle East war.

The meeting, attended by foreign ministers and senior officials from dozens of countries, marks one year since the UN-backed New York Declaration, which set out a roadmap toward Palestinian statehood and prompted around a dozen countries, including France, Britain and ‌Canada, to recognize ‌a Palestinian state.

"Given the current situation in the region, marked ‌by seemingly ⁠endless conflicts, too ⁠many civilian casualties and a cycle of violence, and in light of the stalled implementation of the Gaza ceasefire ... we believe this conference is now more essential and urgent than ever,” France's Foreign Ministry spokesperson told reporters on Thursday.

The gathering will end with an eight-point “Call for Action” urging a permanent ceasefire, a halt to settlements, Gaza reconstruction, governance reforms and stronger international backing for civil society.

It will be delivered to the G7 leaders who ⁠meet in the French Alps from Monday.

"The region continues to ‌fracture. Gaza is devastated, Israel remains under threat. ‌Settler terrorism, settlement expansion, and de facto annexation and threats to the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine ‌the viability of a future Palestinian state," according to the action plan seen ‌by Reuters.

"Israelis and Palestinians alike remain trapped in fear, insecurity, and trauma. We return because, as the G7 convenes in Évian, this conflict risks once again being set aside. The window for a solution remains open; but it is narrowing."

ANGER IN WEST OVER SETTLER VIOLENCE

The conference comes ‌amid escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and underscores anger in many Western countries toward Prime ⁠Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, ⁠which has expanded settlements.

Diplomats say that expansion is aimed at undermining prospects for a Palestinian state.

A key concern is Israel’s plan to build a settlement east of Jerusalem, known as the E1 project, which would bisect the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, fragmenting territory Palestinians seek for an independent state.

Britain, Canada, France and Norway announced new coordinated sanctions on Tuesday against Israeli networks involved in financing, enabling and carrying out violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel and the United States declined to attend the meeting.

"The ambassador was invited but will not attend the conference, as it has nothing to do with promoting peace," the Israeli embassy said in a statement.

"France cannot act as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians. Regarding the two-state solution, the ambassador recalls that the Palestinians have rejected proposals to establish a Palestinian state on five occasions," it alleged.

Arab World

Egypt Urges US, Iran to Seize ‘Available Opportunity’ for Deal After Trump Cancels Strikes

Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Egypt Urges US, Iran to Seize ‘Available Opportunity’ for Deal After Trump Cancels Strikes

Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Egypt urged the United States and Iran to seize what it called an "available opportunity" for a deal to end the war, after President Donald Trump withdrew his threat to carry out further strikes on Tehran.

Cairo's foreign ministry said in a statement late Thursday it hoped "the available opportunity will be seized to reach a deal on the various outstanding issues and to prepare the atmosphere for reaching an end to the war and beginning a new phase of regional stability".

Hopes grew on Friday for peace between Iran and the United States after Trump said a deal could be signed as soon as this weekend, even as Tehran said it had not made a final decision on a pact.

The deal, if confirmed, would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough yet to end the three-month-old war, which has killed thousands and sent global energy prices sharply higher after Iran all but closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

"We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday.

"The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe," he said, adding that Vice President JD Vance would attend the deal signing.

Iranian media reported Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying large parts of the agreement have been finalized, but Iran would not compromise on its red lines.

Arab World

Saudi Decision to Resume Exports from Lebanon Widely Welcomed in Beirut

Lebanese trucks transporting goods wait at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria. AFP file photo
Lebanese trucks transporting goods wait at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria. AFP file photo
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Saudi Decision to Resume Exports from Lebanon Widely Welcomed in Beirut

Lebanese trucks transporting goods wait at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria. AFP file photo
Lebanese trucks transporting goods wait at the Masnaa border crossing with Syria. AFP file photo

Lebanon has welcomed Saudi Arabia's decision to lift the ban on imports in light of the “positive steps” taken by the Lebanese government to rebuild state institutions.

The Saudi Crown Prince’s decision was widely welcomed across Lebanon, nearly five years after Saudi Arabia halted all Lebanese imports, citing at the time “the importance of taking all necessary measures to protect the security of the Kingdom and its people.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan conveyed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s directive in a phone call with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday.

He affirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty over all its territory and the well-being of its people, as well as Riyadh’s confidence that Lebanon would take all necessary measures to ensure it is not used as a platform to harm its brothers.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed deep gratitude to Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying the decision was “a sincere expression of the depth of Arab brotherhood that binds the two brotherly countries, and an embodiment of the wise Saudi leadership’s keenness to support Lebanon and its people during the phase of recovery and revival it is undergoing.”

“This kind step will make a tangible contribution to reviving the national economy and supporting broad segments of Lebanese producers and exporters,” Aoun said.

He added that the entire Lebanese people appreciates the decision, and “views it as a gesture that strengthens the path of Lebanese-Saudi relations rooted in the bonds of history and shared destiny.”

Salam said the decision to lift the ban on Lebanese exports reflected the depth of the brotherly and historic ties between the two countries. He said it embodied Saudi confidence in Lebanon and a shared desire to strengthen economic and trade cooperation.

Salam said the move was an important step that would support Lebanon’s economy, open new opportunities for Lebanese producers and exporters, and help promote growth and stability.

He said Lebanon looked forward to continued work and coordination with Saudi Arabia to strengthen cooperation and partnership in various fields for the benefit and prosperity of both countries.

The Saudi ban began in 2021 on agricultural product imports, then extended to all goods, and was linked to the smuggling of the drug Captagon, after smugglers and criminal networks exploited Lebanon as a platform for drug smuggling into the Kingdom.

This increased pressure on the collapsing Lebanese economy, which was already suffering from a severe financial crisis in 2019, especially with agricultural exports moving away from traditional Arab Gulf markets.

Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia reached approximately $240 million in 2020.

Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmed Al-Hajjar thanked “Saudi Arabia for the decision to resume Lebanese exports.”

In a television interview, Al-Hajjar considered that “this step is the beginning of trust in Lebanese state institutions,” confirming that “the necessary measures have been taken to control border crossings.”

“We are coordinating with Saudi Arabia to control drug smuggling operations,” Al-Hajjar said.

Likewise, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Rajji stated that “the resumption of Lebanon's exports to Saudi Arabia is a bright page on the path to restoring confidence in the Lebanese state.”

For his part, Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rassamni issued a statement thanking the Saudi leadership and affirming that the resumption of Lebanese exports to the Saudi market “has highly significant dimensions and constitutes direct support for the Lebanese economy.”

“It also consolidates Lebanon's position as a reliable trade partner in the region,” he said.

Minister of Industry Joe Issa El-Khoury said that with the return of Lebanese products to the Saudi market, “returns hope for a stronger Lebanese industry, more committed, and more present in its Arab environment.”