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Israel Advances New Settlement Plan in Jerusalem

Palestinian buildings are seen at right, behind a section of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, foreground, Thursday, June 9, 2022. (AP)
Palestinian buildings are seen at right, behind a section of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, foreground, Thursday, June 9, 2022. (AP)
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Israel Advances New Settlement Plan in Jerusalem

Palestinian buildings are seen at right, behind a section of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, foreground, Thursday, June 9, 2022. (AP)
Palestinian buildings are seen at right, behind a section of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat, foreground, Thursday, June 9, 2022. (AP)

Israel has advanced a new statement plan in Jerusalem after postponing it for several weeks due to US President Joe Biden’s recent visit to the region.
Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality issued a tender to establish 434 settlement units on lands belonging to the Palestinian town of Sur Baher, southeast of Jerusalem.

The “Grand Project” is estimated to cost about 1.07 billion shekels. Once implemented, it will reach the 1967 borders, which the Palestinians demand to be the borders of their future state.

The Israel-based Azorim Investment Development and Construction Company is set to implement the project, which has a total area of ​​about 7.3 dunums, extending to Ramat Rachel settlement, overlooking Bethlehem.

The new projects sparked anger among Palestinians who considered it an integral part of the campaigns to Judaize Jerusalem and distort its cultural Palestinian, Christian, Islamic identity.

Palestine’s Foreign Ministry denounced the tender, stressing that it is part of a racist colonial expansionist scheme that aims to isolate Jerusalem from its vicinity and an extension of the crimes of the occupation and its settlers on the ground.

“It (project) seeks to deepen settlement and the theft of more land in a way that undermines efforts to launch a real and feasible peace process and negotiations between Palestine and Israel,” the ministry explained.

It held the Israeli government fully and directly responsible for the ongoing settlement crimes and considered the settlement-deepening attempts a systematic provocation of conflicts.

The Ministry called on the international community and the US administration to take immediate action to protect the two-state solution and translate the anti-settlement stance into practical measures and steps that would force the occupying power to stop it immediately.

Hamas Movement also condemned Israel’s new plan and considered it a further Judaization attempt to target the city’s identity.

“It is a desperate attempt that will not succeed in obliterating the landmarks of the holy city and changing historical facts,” it stressed in a statement.

A Hamas spokesman said this “Zionist crime will be confronted with the unity and struggle of our people by all means.”

Hamas urged Palestinians to have more patience and stand still in the face of the occupation’s violations and Judaization schemes.

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Arab World

Appeal Trial of Tunisia Jailed Prominent Lawyer Starts

People stand outside a closed court during a nationwide strike in Tunis, Tunisia November 22, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
People stand outside a closed court during a nationwide strike in Tunis, Tunisia November 22, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
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Appeal Trial of Tunisia Jailed Prominent Lawyer Starts

People stand outside a closed court during a nationwide strike in Tunis, Tunisia November 22, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
People stand outside a closed court during a nationwide strike in Tunis, Tunisia November 22, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

The appeal trial of a prominent Tunisian lawyer jailed on anti-terror charges started on Thursday, after the judge rejected the defense's demand of his provisional release on health grounds.

Ahmed Souab's lawyers and relatives said his health condition had become critical since his jailing in April last year as part of what many said was a crackdown on political dissent.

The court rejected his provisional release and postponed the hearing to February 23, his lawyer, Fedi Snene, told AFP.

Souab -- also a rights advocate and a former judge -- was detained after claiming that judges were under political pressure to hand down hefty sentences last year in a mass trial of critics of President Kais Saied.

He had been a member of the defense team during the high-profile mass trial, and last October he was sentenced to five years in prison in a speedy trial that lasted less than two minutes.

UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor said on Wednesday Souab had been convicted on "baseless charges" and called for his "immediate release".

Snene rejected accusations against Souab, saying "he should not be in prison".

"He is a well-known man of law, who served for nearly 30 years as a judge before becoming a lawyer," Snene added.

Souab's son, Saeb, told AFP the family had submitted a "substantial medical file" asking the judge for his release pending a verdict.

Saeb said his father suffered a heart attack in 2022 and that his cardiologist had certified that prison conditions could worsen his health.

Souab had accused authorities of putting "a knife to the throat of the judge who was to deliver the verdict" during the mass trial that saw around 40 public figures sentenced to long terms on charges including plotting against the state.

Arab World

At Least 21 Drown in Nile Boat Sinking in Sudan

At least 21 people drowned when a boat sank in the Nile River in northern Sudan, according to the local state government and eyewitnesses interviewed by AFP. (REUTERS)
At least 21 people drowned when a boat sank in the Nile River in northern Sudan, according to the local state government and eyewitnesses interviewed by AFP. (REUTERS)
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At Least 21 Drown in Nile Boat Sinking in Sudan

At least 21 people drowned when a boat sank in the Nile River in northern Sudan, according to the local state government and eyewitnesses interviewed by AFP. (REUTERS)
At least 21 people drowned when a boat sank in the Nile River in northern Sudan, according to the local state government and eyewitnesses interviewed by AFP. (REUTERS)

At least 21 people drowned when a boat sank in the Nile River in northern Sudan, according to the local state government and eyewitnesses interviewed by AFP.

River Nile State said Thursday that 21 bodies had been recovered after the accident, listed their names and warned that some passengers were still missing.

The boat was crossing the river between the villages of Tayba al-Khawad and Deim al-Qarai, according to the local government's statement.

The statement did not explain the cause of the accident.

Eyewitnesses told AFP the boat was carrying 30 people.

The Sudanese Doctors Network said in a statement that six of the boat's passengers survived.

The group said the incident exposes "the fragility of river transport and the absence of basic safety requirements, as well as the complete absence of local authorities and civil defense rescue teams in the early hours of the incident".

Many Sudanese rely on river transport via single-engine boats captained by solo operators.

The country's infrastructure has been collapsing due to a war that has been ongoing for nearly three years.

The war has divided the country between the army and their enemy, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, with road closures and a severe deterioration in public services and medical and educational infrastructure.

Arab World

Syria Affirms Deep Ties with Saudi Arabia

Saudi Ambassador to Damascus Dr. Faisal Al-Mujfel visits the Kingdom’s pavilion, guest of honor at the Damascus International Book Fair (Saudi Embassy account). 
Saudi Ambassador to Damascus Dr. Faisal Al-Mujfel visits the Kingdom’s pavilion, guest of honor at the Damascus International Book Fair (Saudi Embassy account). 
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Syria Affirms Deep Ties with Saudi Arabia

Saudi Ambassador to Damascus Dr. Faisal Al-Mujfel visits the Kingdom’s pavilion, guest of honor at the Damascus International Book Fair (Saudi Embassy account). 
Saudi Ambassador to Damascus Dr. Faisal Al-Mujfel visits the Kingdom’s pavilion, guest of honor at the Damascus International Book Fair (Saudi Embassy account). 

Syria has reaffirmed the strength of its relations with Saudi Arabia during a visit by the Saudi ambassador to Damascus, Dr. Faisal Al-Mujfel, to the Saudi pavilion, guest of honor at the 2026 Damascus International Book Fair.

Saudi Arabia’s participation in the fair, held from Feb. 6-16, is led by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission.

At the start of the visit, Al-Mujfel met Syria’s Minister of Culture, Mohammad Yassin Saleh, who welcomed the Kingdom’s designation as guest of honor as a clear affirmation of the depth of Saudi-Syrian cultural relations, based on partnership and mutual respect.

Saleh praised Saudi Arabia’s cultural efforts and commended the pavilion for showcasing activities that reflect the richness and diversity of Saudi cultural heritage.

He noted that the Saudi program highlights the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting culture and literature at both the Arab and international levels. The pavilion features a wide range of events, including seminars and poetry evenings, with the participation of leading Saudi writers and intellectuals.

During a guided tour, the Saudi ambassador was briefed on the creative diversity presented at the pavilion. Exhibits include a collection of manuscripts, a section dedicated to traditional Saudi attire, displays of archaeological replicas, and a selection of publications issued by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission.

Among the featured works are titles from the “Translate” initiative, the “Saudi Literature Comics” series, and short story collections from Saudi authors, offering visitors insight into the Kingdom’s contemporary literary scene.

The commission is overseeing Saudi Arabia’s participation as guest of honor at the 2026 book fair, presenting what it described as a vibrant cultural experience that celebrates Saudi creativity and promotes dialogue through books.

The program aligns with the Kingdom’s National Culture Strategy under Vision 2030, which emphasizes cultural exchange, knowledge sharing, and constructive dialogue among nations, while reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s role in the Arab and global cultural landscape.

The visit was attended by several Arab diplomats accompanying the Saudi ambassador, including the ambassadors of Bahrain, Oman and Lebanon, as well as the chargé d’affaires of the United Arab Emirates embassy in Damascus.