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Biden Renews Support for Jordan’s Long-Running Role as Custodian of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque

US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
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Biden Renews Support for Jordan’s Long-Running Role as Custodian of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque

US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)

US President Joe Biden renewed on Friday his country’s support for Jordan's crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy sites, particularly Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.

Biden met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Washington on Friday amid tensions in the Palestinian Territories where clashes erupted in recent weeks at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

The situation worsened this week with the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a dual Palestinian-American national, when she was covering Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank area of Jenin.

King Abdullah's visit to Washington is his second since Biden came to office. He was accompanied by his wife, Queen Rania, and his eldest son, Crown Prince Hussein.

In a statement following the meeting, the White House said Biden reaffirmed the close and enduring nature of the friendship between the United States and Jordan.

“Biden cited the need to preserve the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif and he also recognized the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” the White House statement said.

It added that both leaders consulted on recent events in the region and discussed urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric and reduce tensions in Israel and the West Bank.

The leaders then discussed the political and economic benefits of further regional integration in infrastructure, energy, water, and climate projects, with Jordan a critical hub for such cooperation and investment.

“Jordan is a critical ally and force for stability in the Middle East,” Biden stressed.

Before his meeting with Biden, King Abdullah II met with a number of officials from the US administration and several congressmen.

On Thursday, he sat down with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, where the King warned against the continuous cycle of violence in the Palestinian Territories, especially in light of unilateral Israeli measures, stressing that the repercussions would be damaging to regional security and stability.

For his part, Austin expressed his country’s concern over the latest escalation and violence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, commending the King’s "critical role" in de-escalating tensions, and noting that the US looks to work with Jordan towards security, stability and just peace for the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Biden is expected to visit the region late next month, where he will meet in Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.

The Biden administration had announced its support for a “sovereign and democratic” Palestinian state. Biden had previously announced plans to reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem.

Former President Donald Trump closed the Jerusalem consulate and placed its staff within the US Embassy to Israel that was moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018.

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Arab World

Houthis Threaten to Shut Sanaa Schools to Enforce Military Mobilization

The Houthis are accused of is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students. (Local media)
The Houthis are accused of is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students. (Local media)
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Houthis Threaten to Shut Sanaa Schools to Enforce Military Mobilization

The Houthis are accused of is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students. (Local media)
The Houthis are accused of is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students. (Local media)

The Houthis are threatening dozens of private schools in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, with fines and closure for refusing to pull students and teachers out of classrooms for rallies promoting the militia's military escalation in Taiz and other battlefronts and glorifying its leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

School sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthis had ordered private schools in Sanaa and its outskirts to hold at least three student marches and rallies a week, both on school grounds and in nearby streets, cutting into classroom hours and turning schools into platforms for political propaganda and military mobilization.

Since seizing control of Sanaa, the Houthis have revised school curricula and introduced sectarian and mobilization activities, drawing warnings from human rights groups and the United Nations over the ideological indoctrination and military recruitment of children.

School administrators in the Safiya, Sabeen, Azal, Wehda and Tahrir districts have resisted the orders under pressure from parents threatening to withdraw their children over disrupted lessons and activities unrelated to education.

The education ministry in the Houthis' unrecognized government responded by threatening a range of penalties.

The threats come as the militia steps up mobilization activities in public schools under its control, coinciding with a military escalation in several provinces in recent weeks and amid accusations that it is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students.

The Houthis have turned annual school license renewals into a pressure tactic to force administrators to comply, sparking widespread anger among educators and communities who see the measures as a blatant violation of children's right to education and a direct threat to their future.

Education professionals told Asharq Al-Awsat they were increasingly alarmed by mobilization events imposed on schools, with students forced to participate daily.

One parent in Sanaa, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern after the school administration told families their children were required to attend mobilization rallies.

"We can barely afford tuition and transportation, and now they want to turn our children into tools for their activities," the parent said. "We fear this could eventually go beyond marches and lead to our children being sent to the frontlines."

A teacher in the Azal district said the rallies were eating into school schedules and taking time away from core subjects.

Teachers who refuse to mobilize students or make them chant Houthi slogans face threats of disciplinary action and penalties, the teacher said.

Private schools in Sanaa have seen enrollment rise during years of war as families fled deteriorating public education and teacher strikes. But those schools now face Houthi financial levies and ideological scrutiny.

A private school principal in Tahrir, central Sanaa, condemned the use of license renewals to pressure administrators into implementing mobilization programs.

Schools are caught between Houthi threats of closure and parents threatening to withdraw their children over disrupted lessons, putting the education of hundreds of students at risk, he said.

The mounting pressure threatens to deepen an unprecedented collapse in education across Houthi-controlled areas, where tens of thousands of teachers have gone unpaid for years and face worsening living conditions.

The Houthis have refused to pay salaries to about 170,000 teachers and education employees in areas under their control since 2016, despite collecting billions of Yemeni rials in taxes and annual fees imposed on educational institutions.

Arab World

Bilal Erdogan: Developments in Syria Will Restore Shared Ties Between Beirut, Tripoli and Turkish Cities

Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, waves to his Lebanese supporters outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, waves to his Lebanese supporters outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
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Bilal Erdogan: Developments in Syria Will Restore Shared Ties Between Beirut, Tripoli and Turkish Cities

Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, waves to his Lebanese supporters outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, waves to his Lebanese supporters outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)

Bilal Erdogan, son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called on Friday for greater regional unity to confront attacks on Gaza, the West Bank, southern Lebanon and Syria, voicing hope that recent developments in Syria would revive historic trade and economic ties between Lebanese, Syrian and Turkish cities.

Erdogan, President of the Board of Trustees of the Knowledge Dissemination Foundation, made the remarks in the northern city of Tripoli on the second day of his visit to Lebanon, where he was welcomed by political and religious figures and locals.

Speaking after prayers at the Grand Mansouri Mosque, his first stop in the city, Bilal Erdogan said he had brought a message from his father to the Lebanese people, aimed at strengthening relations and bonds of brotherhood between the two countries.

He also voiced hope for an end to war and conflict in Lebanon, paving the way for stability, recovery and prosperity similar to the development Türkiye had experienced over the past 24 years.

"God willing, this visit will help end the war in Lebanon and bring prosperity and recovery, as happened in Türkiye over the past 24 years," Bilal Erdogan said.

Turning to Syria, said recent developments could help restore the historic ties and shared economic interests linking cities across Lebanon, Syria and Türkiye.

"God willing, with the recent developments in Syria, the bonds of shared destiny between Beirut, Tripoli, Antakya, Damascus, Gaziantep and Istanbul will be restored, as they were in the past," he said.

"The people of these cities will once again engage in trade, cooperation, partnership and brotherhood."

He stressed the need to revive cooperation between Tripoli and cities in Syria and Türkiye, strengthening economic and social ties and reconnecting communities across the region.

Addressing Israeli attacks, Bilal Erdogan said regional unity and solidarity could deter further assaults and prevent wars from continuing.

He cited what he described as genocide in Gaza, violations against villages and homes in the West Bank, destruction in southern Lebanon and attacks in Syria.

“Those demolishing homes and seizing land in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria and southern Lebanon would not dare continue if the region's peoples stood united,” he said.

Bilal Erdogan toured Tripoli's old markets, the Mevlevi lodge, citadel and several Ottoman-era mosques.

He is due to visit Kouachra in the northern Akkar region on Saturday to meet residents of Turkmen descent before traveling to Beirut for talks with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who will host a luncheon in his honor to conclude the visit.

He kicked off his Lebanon visit on Thursday with meetings with President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut Elias Audeh.

Arab World

UN Rights Chief Demands Houthis Return Body of Yemeni Staff Member

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a statement at the United Nations Offices in Geneva, on September 16, 2025. (AFP)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a statement at the United Nations Offices in Geneva, on September 16, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Rights Chief Demands Houthis Return Body of Yemeni Staff Member

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a statement at the United Nations Offices in Geneva, on September 16, 2025. (AFP)
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers a statement at the United Nations Offices in Geneva, on September 16, 2025. (AFP)

The UN's ‌human rights chief on Friday demanded the return of the body of a Yemeni staff member of his office who died of unknown causes weeks ago after being held in Houthi custody for more than two years.

Mohammad el-Shami's family learned of his death on October 30, more than a month after it occurred, but ‌they have received no ‌explanation of the cause ‌or ⁠circumstances. El-Shami ⁠had been held by the Houthi militia since June 6, 2024.

"Our colleague must be laid to rest in a dignified manner, in accordance with the wishes of his family – which was denied contact with him ⁠for two years while he ‌was in detention," ‌said United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker ‌Turk.

His family said the Houthis had ‌agreed in principle to an investigation in a statement earlier this week. "Do not allow Mohamed to die twice: once when he was taken from ‌his family and disappeared, and again when the truth about his ⁠fate ⁠is allowed to disappear from the world."

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis, who have previously alleged those detained were part of a spy network working for the United States and Israel.

More than 70 UN employees and dozens of humanitarian workers remain in detention in Yemen. A video circulating this week appeared to show one of them "confessing", Turk's office said, voicing fears that the group may be subject to torture or ill-treatment.