Abbas to Putin: We Can't Accept Israel's Plans to Divide or Separate Gaza

Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin (File photo: AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin (File photo: AP)
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Abbas to Putin: We Can't Accept Israel's Plans to Divide or Separate Gaza

Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin (File photo: AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in the Kremlin (File photo: AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has insisted that Gaza is an integral part of Palestine and cannot be separated or subjected to the Israeli occupation's plans for division.

In a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Abbas emphasized that Gaza remains the responsibility of Palestine.

The President underscored the necessity of intervening to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

He emphasized the need to release Palestinian tax funds, currently withheld by Israel, and reiterated that Gaza remains the responsibility of Palestine.

Sputnik news agency said Putin invited Abbas to visit Russia and stressed the importance of "ending the bloodshed" in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible and resuming the political settlement process in the Palestinian territories.

On Friday, the European Commission said it had adopted a $130 million aid package to support the Palestinian Authority.

The commission said the aid would help pay salaries and pensions of civil servants in the West Bank, social allowances for vulnerable families, and the payment for medical referrals to East Jerusalem hospitals.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is also ready to continue helping the Palestinian Authority in the longer term.

"We are reflecting on a wider mid-term package for next year to contribute to the economic and political stability of Gaza and the West Bank, once conditions allow on the ground, as part of wider international efforts to reinstate a two-state solution," von der Leyen said.

For 2024, the EU has also set aside 125 million euros in humanitarian aid for people in the besieged Gaza Strip, where EU commissioner Josep Borrell said food shortages had reached unprecedented levels.

"This is a grave development and should be a wakeup call for the whole world to act now to prevent a deadly human catastrophe," the EU's top diplomat said.

"Aid needs to reach those in need through all necessary means, including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs."



Syria to Start Currency Swap on January 1st, Central Bank Governor Says

Syrian pounds are pictured inside an exchange currency shop in Azaz, Syria February 3, 2020. Picture taken February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
Syrian pounds are pictured inside an exchange currency shop in Azaz, Syria February 3, 2020. Picture taken February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
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Syria to Start Currency Swap on January 1st, Central Bank Governor Says

Syrian pounds are pictured inside an exchange currency shop in Azaz, Syria February 3, 2020. Picture taken February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
Syrian pounds are pictured inside an exchange currency shop in Azaz, Syria February 3, 2020. Picture taken February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo

Syria will start swapping old banknotes for new ones under a ​plan to replace Assad-era notes starting from January 1, 2026, Central Bank Governor Abdelkader Husrieh said on Thursday.

Husrieh announced the introduction of the new Syrian currency, saying the decree "sets January ‌1, 2026, ‌as the start date ‌for ⁠the ​exchange ‌process". Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in August that the country will issue new banknotes, removing two zeros from its currency in an attempt to restore ⁠public confidence in the severely devalued pound.

The ‌step is intended ‍to strengthen ‍the Syrian pound after its purchasing ‍power collapsed to record lows following a 14-year conflict that ended with President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December.

Husrieh ​said the operation will take place through a smooth and orderly ⁠swap - a move bankers hope will ease fears that the new currency could fuel inflation and further erode the purchasing power of Syrians already reeling from high prices.

He added that a press conference will soon outline the exact regulations and mechanisms.


Türkiye Begins Black Box Analysis of Jet Crash That Killed Libyan Military Chief and 7 Others

Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Begins Black Box Analysis of Jet Crash That Killed Libyan Military Chief and 7 Others

Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)

The technical analysis of the recovered black boxes from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, began as the investigation proceeded in cooperation with Libyan authorities, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said Thursday.

The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officials and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

The wreckage was scattered across an area covering 3 square kilometers (more than a square mile), complicating recovery efforts, according to the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

A 22-person delegation, including five family members, arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to assist in the investigation.


Lebanese President: We are Determined to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
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Lebanese President: We are Determined to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated on Thursday that the country’s parliamentary elections are a constitutional obligation that must be carried out on time.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency quoted Aoun as saying that he, alongside Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, is determined to hold the elections on schedule.

Aoun also emphasized that diplomatic efforts have continued unabated to keep the specter of war at bay, noting that "things are heading in a positive direction".

The agency also cited Berri reaffirming that the elections will take place as planned, with "no delays, no extensions".

The Lebanese parliamentary elections are scheduled for May next year.