Algeria to Host Arab League Summit in November, Syria's Return Remains Undetermined

Meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo (EPA)
Meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo (EPA)
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Algeria to Host Arab League Summit in November, Syria's Return Remains Undetermined

Meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo (EPA)
Meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo (EPA)

The Arab League will hold its upcoming summit in Algeria, announced Sec-Gen Ahmed Aboul Gheit during a press conference after the 157th session of the Arab League at the ministerial level.

Aboul Gheit explained that Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra presented during the meeting, chaired by Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, Algeria's proposal to hold the summit in November.

The session ratified Algeria's proposal and agreed on November 1-2 as the scheduled date for the Arab summit in Algiers. The summit will be preceded by a meeting of foreign ministers and a two-day meeting of the permanent representatives of Arab countries.

Regarding Syria's return to the Arab League, Aboul Gheit said the ministers did not discuss the issue, adding that it would be left for bilateral talks between the Arab countries, and if there is an agreement on the matter, Syria will return to the organization.

However, Aboul Gheit noted that he hadn't witnessed consensus on the matter.

The Sec-Gen pointed out that the participation of 18 Arab foreign ministers in the meeting reflects the countries' willingness to activate joint Arab action.

The meeting addressed the Russian military operation in Ukraine, warning of its consequences on Arab countries.

A ministerial committee of six Arab countries was formed to follow up the Ukrainian crisis, comprising Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, and the Arab member of the Security Council. They agreed to issue an additional statement calling for a diplomatic and political solution to the crisis.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to reach a settlement to end the crisis because it would lead to stability, noting that the world is facing a threat due to the Ukrainian crisis. He asserted the need for diplomatic action, which leads to settlements no matter how long it takes.

The Lebanese Foreign Minister noted that the Arab ministers took a unified position on the Ukrainian crisis without politicizing international institutions.

The League issued a statement affirming the Arab countries' adherence to the principles of international law and the UN Charter on preserving the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of states.

The minister stressed the need to reach a diplomatic solution as the only way out of this crisis.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian, Jordanian, and Palestinian foreign ministers called during a tripartite meeting to create an environment conducive to the launch of serious negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli parties to reach a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Foreign Ministers Sameh Shoukry, Ayman Safadi, and Expatriates Riyad al-Malki discussed developments in Palestine.

The three top diplomats also expressed their aspiration for the active engagement of the parties concerned in the peace process towards that end and to work towards addressing all that undermines the prospects for a two-state solution and the desired peace in the region.

The Arab Ministerial Quartet Committee condemned Iran's interference in Arab internal affairs, denouncing Tehran's provocative statements against Arab countries.

In a statement following its meeting under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the 157th session of the Council, the committee expressed its grave concern over Iran's continuous support of sectarian differences and sabotage in Arab countries.

They also warned of Iran's development of its ballistic missile program and supplies to the Houthi militias in Yemen.

The committee condemned Turkish interference in the internal Arab affairs, stressing the "need for Turkey to withdraw its forces immediately and unconditionally" from Iraq, Libya, and Syria.



Hamas Says Ready to Free All Hostages at Once in Gaza Truce Phase Two

The sun sets behind heavily damaged residential buildings in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 17, 2025, as people return to northern parts of Gaza during a current ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
The sun sets behind heavily damaged residential buildings in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 17, 2025, as people return to northern parts of Gaza during a current ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Hamas Says Ready to Free All Hostages at Once in Gaza Truce Phase Two

The sun sets behind heavily damaged residential buildings in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 17, 2025, as people return to northern parts of Gaza during a current ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
The sun sets behind heavily damaged residential buildings in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 17, 2025, as people return to northern parts of Gaza during a current ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

Hamas signaled on Wednesday that it was willing to free all remaining hostages held in Gaza in a single swap during the next phase of an ongoing ceasefire.  

Israel and Hamas are currently in the process of implementing phase one of the fragile truce, which has held since taking effect on January 19 despite accusations of violations on both sides.  

Israel's foreign minister said on Tuesday that talks would begin "this week" on the second phase, which is expected to lay out a more permanent end to the war.

"We have informed the mediators that Hamas is ready to release all hostages in one batch during the second phase of the agreement, rather than in stages as in the current first phase," senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP.

He did not clarify how many hostages were currently being held by Hamas or other armed groups.  

Nunu said this step was meant "to confirm our seriousness and complete readiness to move forward in resolving this issue, as well as to continue steps towards cementing the ceasefire and achieving a sustainable truce".  

Under the ceasefire's first phase, 19 Israeli hostages have been released so far in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners freed from Israeli jails in a series of Red Cross-mediated swaps.  

Wednesday's offer came after Israel and Hamas announced a deal for the return of all six remaining living hostages eligible for release under phase one in a single swap this weekend.  

Hamas also agreed on Tuesday to return the bodies of eight dead hostages in two groups this week and next.  

After the completion of the first phase, 58 hostages will remain in Gaza.  

The armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad said on Wednesday that it would release the body of Israeli hostage Oded Lifshitz on Thursday. The group said Lifshitz was one of the hostages killed during Israeli strikes on Gaza.  

- 'Room to pressure Hamas' -  

Muhammad Shehada, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that after more than a year of devastating Israeli assault in Gaza, "Hamas wants to prevent the war resuming at any cost", albeit with some "red lines".  

"And one of those red lines is that they should continue to exist, basically, whereas (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's position is that they should dismantle themselves," he said.  

Since the start of the war, Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas's capacity to fight or govern, something the group has rejected.  

But the appearance that Washington is now in complete alignment with Netanyahu's government, as displayed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit this week, strengthened the Israeli premier's hand in negotiations, according to Michael Horowitz, an expert at the risk management consultancy Le Beck International.  

It gives Netanyahu "more room to pressure Hamas", Horowitz said, adding that US President Donald Trump "prefers that the agreement moves forward, but he's leaving the field open to Netanyahu... as long as the ceasefire is maintained".  

- 'Held onto hope' -

Among the bodies Hamas said it would hand over on Thursday are those of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Kfir and Ariel, who have become national symbols in Israel of the hostages' ordeal.  

The boys' father Yarden Bibas was taken hostage separately on October 7, 2023, and was released alive during an earlier hostage-prisoner swap.  

While Hamas said Shiri Bibas and her boys were killed in an Israeli air strike early in the war, Israel has never confirmed this, and many supporters remain unconvinced of their deaths, including members of the Bibas family.  

"I ask that no one eulogize my family just yet. We have held onto hope for 16 months, and we are not giving up now," the boys' aunt, Ofri Bibas, wrote on Facebook late Tuesday following Hamas's announcement.  

Israeli authorities have confirmed that the remains of four hostages are due to be returned on Thursday, although they have not officially named them.  

The International Committee of the Red Cross, which has acted as go-between in the exchanges, called for a respectful handover of the hostages' remains.  

"We once again call for all releases to be conducted in a private and dignified manner, including when they tragically involve the deceased," it said.  

Hamas and its allies took 251 people hostage during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, of whom 70 remain in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.  

The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,211 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.  

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 48,297 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.  

Since the war began, Israeli forces have detained hundreds of Gazans, some of whom have been released in previous rounds of hostage-prisoner exchanges.