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Egypt to Mobilize Funding ‘Green Banks’ Ahead of COP 27 Summit

Egyptian Minister for International Cooperation, Rania al-Mashat speaks during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt January 24, 2021. REUTERS/Sherif Fahmy
Egyptian Minister for International Cooperation, Rania al-Mashat speaks during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt January 24, 2021. REUTERS/Sherif Fahmy
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Egypt to Mobilize Funding ‘Green Banks’ Ahead of COP 27 Summit

Egyptian Minister for International Cooperation, Rania al-Mashat speaks during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt January 24, 2021. REUTERS/Sherif Fahmy
Egyptian Minister for International Cooperation, Rania al-Mashat speaks during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt January 24, 2021. REUTERS/Sherif Fahmy

Egypt has intensified efforts to mobilize financing for "green banks," in preparation for the COP27 Climate Summit, which it will host in Sharm el-Sheikh in late 2022.

Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat said that innovative financing tools are a catalyst to ensure that the international community’s commitments made at COP26 in Glasgow are implemented ahead of the next summit.

Mashat underscored the importance of bolstering multilateral cooperation to advance the main areas of action to achieve the green transition, namely, mitigation and adaptation projects to climate change, technology transfer, expertise and financing.

She made her remarks at the opening speech at the Green Banks Event “A Green Finance Facilities Ecosystem: A Three Trillion Dollars Opportunity for Africa,” which is organized by the African Development Bank as part of the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week 2022, held in Dubai, UAE.

The minister pointed to Egypt’s steps to advance national efforts and enhance regional and international action to consolidate the climate concepts, preserve the environment, and implement clear and ambitious plans for climate financing through an international framework for innovative financing.

She underlined the international financial institutions’ need to expand climate finance based on various pillars related to inclusion and justice, to ensure that the whole world, particularly the developing and emerging countries, can benefit from climate financing and green investments.

Mashat said all stakeholders, including women, youth and the private sector, shall participate in developing climate action plans and financing eco-friendly projects through innovative financing solutions, risk reduction tools and blended financing.

She pointed to the successive measures taken by the Egyptian government to promote green investments and push towards a green economy.

These include decisions to increase green public investments from 15% in the current fiscal year to 30% in the next fiscal year, followed by a 50% increase in 2024/2025.

In 2021, Egypt secured the first green financing from international and regional banks worth $1.5 billion, directed to finance eco-friendly projects such as water treatment and desalination plants, solid waste management, canal lining, and seawater desalination.

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Arab World

Pilot Zone Tests Hezbollah’s Commitment to Withdraw South of the Litani

Israeli soldiers aboard an armored vehicle along the Lebanon border (file photo – Reuters) 
Israeli soldiers aboard an armored vehicle along the Lebanon border (file photo – Reuters) 
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Pilot Zone Tests Hezbollah’s Commitment to Withdraw South of the Litani

Israeli soldiers aboard an armored vehicle along the Lebanon border (file photo – Reuters) 
Israeli soldiers aboard an armored vehicle along the Lebanon border (file photo – Reuters) 

A proposed pilot zone in South Lebanon has been narrowed to six villages as part of the sixth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations held Tuesday and Wednesday in Rome. The plan is intended to test implementation of reciprocal withdrawals by Israel and Hezbollah.

The proposed zone includes Western Zawtar (Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh), Froun, Ghandouriyeh, Qalaouiyeh, Burj Qalaouiyeh, and Srifa. Parts of one village remain under Israeli occupation, while the other five are under Israeli fire control. The area is divided into two sectors: Eastern Zawtar (Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh), north of the Litani River, and the remaining villages south of the river.

Srifa lies about five kilometers from the nearest Israeli ground position in Wadi al-Hujayr. Israeli forces never entered the town after withdrawing to the border security zone in South Lebanon in 1985, before their full withdrawal from the country in 2000.

Lebanese sources familiar with the contacts told Asharq Al-Awsat that the pilot zone remains only a proposal. They said the Lebanese Army has not yet been briefed on the outcome of the negotiations because none of its representatives are participating directly in the talks.

Withdrawal for Withdrawal

The proposal effectively divides the area into two sectors: one where Israeli forces are deployed on the outskirts and another where Hezbollah maintains a presence. Under the plan, both sides would withdraw simultaneously, allowing the Lebanese Army to deploy only after Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters have vacated their respective positions.

The Litani River runs along the outskirts of Eastern Zawtar, Froun, and Srifa. The Israeli military believes the interconnected deep valleys contain Hezbollah rocket-launching sites, citing the intensive strikes it carried out there during the recent war. Israeli ground forces also conducted incursions into the outskirts of Froun last month.

Ghandouriyeh, Qalaouiyeh, and Burj Qalaouiyeh occupy strategic high ground overlooking villages east of Wadi al-Hujayr that are still occupied by the Israeli military. The three villages lie more than 10 kilometers from the Lebanese-Israeli border.

Hezbollah has not commented on the proposal. Last month, Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that “the ceiling of sovereignty can be achieved by remaining within the framework of the November 27, 2024 agreement, on the basis of areas south of the Litani River only.” He also called for an unconditional Israeli withdrawal and for a comprehensive review of Lebanon’s national security strategy after such a withdrawal.

Lebanese Army Measures

Ahead of technical talks between the Lebanese and Israeli armies, expected Friday under US auspices and facilitation to discuss implementation mechanisms — including an Israeli withdrawal and Lebanese Army deployment — the Lebanese military began field measures in one of the proposed pilot-zone villages.

Local media reported that the army set up a large checkpoint at the entrance to Srifa from Deir Kifa and tightened inspections of vehicles and motorcycles entering the town.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military carried out demolition operations in Beit Yahoun, Bint Jbeil, Khiam, and Kounine, bulldozed roads linking Bint Jbeil to the border town of Maroun al-Ras, and opened fire on residents attempting to inspect orchards near Majdal Zoun and Mansouri.

Arab World

Hamas and Mediators Reach Broad Agreement on Road Map, Await Israel’s Response

Palestinians mourn victims killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in central Gaza on Wednesday. (AP)
Palestinians mourn victims killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in central Gaza on Wednesday. (AP)
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Hamas and Mediators Reach Broad Agreement on Road Map, Await Israel’s Response

Palestinians mourn victims killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in central Gaza on Wednesday. (AP)
Palestinians mourn victims killed in an Israeli strike on a residential building in central Gaza on Wednesday. (AP)

Hamas and Gaza ceasefire mediators have reached broad agreement on a proposed “road map” during meetings in Cairo, according to two Hamas sources and a Palestinian faction official.

A Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya left Cairo on Monday evening for Doha to offer condolences following the death of Qatar’s former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The delegation is expected to travel to Türkiye for talks on mediators’ proposals concerning weapons, other outstanding issues and the future of Palestinian elections.

The discussions will also cover Hamas’ internal leadership election, due to conclude within two weeks after voting was completed in Gaza and the West Bank, with ballots from the movement’s overseas branch still pending.

According to one Hamas source and the Palestinian faction official, negotiators reached broad consensus on nearly all 15 provisions of a road map presented in April by Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza, and revised several times since.

They said mediators had developed compromise language for Article 5, governing employees of the Hamas-run administration in Gaza, and Article 8, covering the collection and storage of weapons.

A second Hamas source said 13 of the 15 provisions had been agreed almost in full, while Articles 5 and 8 remained unresolved. He added that partial understandings had been reached on both, but Hamas would first consult its political and military leadership inside and outside Gaza before deciding on the final wording.

All three sources said the meetings brought together mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, along with Mladenov and members of his team, including US advisers, as well as Egypt’s intelligence chief, Hassan Rashad.

One Hamas source and the Palestinian faction official described the talks as broadly positive. They said negotiators had agreed on legal formulations concerning government employees that would safeguard their rights while allowing the proposals to be reviewed by legal experts.

On weapons, they said the parties had agreed on language affirming the principle of collecting and storing heavy weapons, while providing further clarification on what constitutes heavy weaponry and how the arrangement would be implemented. The draft also reiterates the dismantling of armed gangs and a simultaneous Israeli withdrawal, in line with language agreed in May.

The two sources said mediators appeared satisfied with the progress and were now awaiting Israel’s response, as well as Mladenov’s position in his capacity as the Board of Peace’s representative.

The sources also emphasized that Hamas had informed mediators, on behalf of the Palestinian factions, that the proposed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza should govern the entire enclave rather than only areas vacated by Israeli forces.

They warned against what they described as Israeli attempts to restrict the committee’s authority in Israeli-controlled Rafah or confine it to designated humanitarian or “safe” zones.

The second Hamas source explained that negotiators had removed language stating that the committee would be responsible only for employees’ rights accruing after it assumed office.

Regarding weapons, he said some provisions had been dropped and replaced with alternative wording, and that a partial understanding had been reached on defining heavy weapons.

However, disagreement remains over the definition of military infrastructure, an issue Hamas plans to discuss during meetings in Türkiye and consultations with its leadership in Gaza before submitting revised proposals to the mediators.

Separately, Hamas official Basem Naim accused Mladenov on Wednesday of favoring Israel following remarks he made after a donors’ conference in Brussels.

Naim disputed Mladenov’s assertion that humanitarian aid flows into Gaza had improved compared with the period before the agreement and accused Israel of continuing military operations despite the ceasefire.

Citing figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run Government Media Office, he said more than 1,100 Palestinians had been killed and over 3,000 wounded, most of them women and children.

He also rejected claims that Hamas had dismissed the road map, saying the movement continues to discuss the proposal and, to its knowledge, it has not yet been presented to Israel. He added that blaming the Palestinian delegation for delays in reaching an agreement reflected a lack of neutrality in the mediation process.

Arab World

Tunisian Journalist, a Critic of Saied, Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison

Tunisian journalist Haythem El Mekki
Tunisian journalist Haythem El Mekki
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Tunisian Journalist, a Critic of Saied, Sentenced to 1 Year in Prison

Tunisian journalist Haythem El Mekki
Tunisian journalist Haythem El Mekki

Prominent Tunisian journalist Haythem El Mekki and critic of President Kais Saied said on Wednesday that he was sentenced to one year in prison over posts he made on social media.

El Mekki, known for his political commentary, was a regular host on Mosaique FM's flagship "Midi Show" before he left the station.

Authorities opened an investigation against him in 2024 under Decree 54 -- a law Saied enacted to combat "false news" -- after he decried poor conditions at a public hospital morgue in the coastal city of Sfax.

A lower court had dismissed the case, but an appeals court handed him the 12-month jail term, he said on Facebook.

The National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists condemned the ruling in a statement, warning of a "worrying trend" and a "climate of intimidation and self-censorship.”

Mekki has been prosecuted three times since 2023, in each case over comments he had made online or in the media.

Although Mekki has recently distanced himself from the media, he remains active on social networks. He is also a member of the editorial board of Rachma, an independent Tunisian media platform.

Freedom of expression was celebrated as a main achievement of the 2011 uprising that toppled president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia. But since Saied's July 25, 2021 power grab, several NGOs and the opposition have lamented a decline in rights and freedoms.