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Palestinian Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: European Recognitions a First Step towards Statehood

Warm applause from members of the Spanish government for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after he announced recognition of the State of Palestine (AFP)
Warm applause from members of the Spanish government for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after he announced recognition of the State of Palestine (AFP)
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Palestinian Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: European Recognitions a First Step towards Statehood

Warm applause from members of the Spanish government for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after he announced recognition of the State of Palestine (AFP)
Warm applause from members of the Spanish government for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after he announced recognition of the State of Palestine (AFP)

Leader in the Fatah movement, Mounir Al-Jaghoub, said that the strong Saudi pressure and Arab diplomacy in the past few months had a major role in influencing the three European countries, Spain, Norway, and Ireland, to recognize the Palestinian state.
Al-Jaghoub noted that several reasons led to this recognition, including the strong Saudi position regarding the establishment of the Palestinian state, Arab and Palestinian diplomacy, and the feeling of remorse in many countries that were unable to stop the Israeli crimes.
Norway, Spain, and Ireland announced the recognition of the State of Palestine, to come into effect on May 28, in a step that the Palestinians considered a strong support for the two-state solution.
The decisions came a few weeks after the meeting of the ministerial committee assigned by the joint extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, which was chaired by Saudi Arabia, and attended by foreign ministers of several countries, including the three European states.
The meeting discussed the recognition of the Palestinian state and the necessity to adopt a comprehensive approach towards a reliable and irreversible path to implementing the two-state solution in accordance with international law and agreed upon standards.
“Saudi Arabia has great political power. It has a pivotal and pressing role, and enjoys a strong economy,” the Palestinian official underlined.
The Palestinians widely welcomed the tripartite recognition of their state, describing it as a “historic moment,” but Israel pledged that the consequences would affect the Palestinians and the relevant countries.
Tel Aviv recalled its ambassadors to Ireland, Spain and Norway “to conduct emergency consultations,” and later rebuked the ambassadors of these countries to Israel. Israeli sources said that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering taking further diplomatic steps against Norway, Ireland and Spain, “including canceling the official visit to Israel and entry visas for diplomats.”
President Mahmoud Abbas’ advisor for international relations, Riyad al-Maliki, said that the recognition of the State of Palestine by Spain, Norway, and Ireland is a pressure card on the Security Council countries to deal responsibly and seriously with the Palestinian request to become a “permanent member” of the United Nations.
Meanwhile, as Portugal was expected to join the rest of the European countries, Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said on Thursday that his country would maintain the position taken by the previous socialist government, which resigned last year, to be a mediator in the peace process while awaiting the right time to make this decision.
The Portuguese Foreign Ministry spokesman had stated that his country supports a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis, but does not consider the present time to be appropriate to issue this decision.

 

 

 

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Arab World

Talks in Baghdad Aim to Halt Attacks on US Embassy

The US Embassy compound in Iraq inside the Green Zone in Baghdad (AFP) 
The US Embassy compound in Iraq inside the Green Zone in Baghdad (AFP) 
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Talks in Baghdad Aim to Halt Attacks on US Embassy

The US Embassy compound in Iraq inside the Green Zone in Baghdad (AFP) 
The US Embassy compound in Iraq inside the Green Zone in Baghdad (AFP) 

A series of meetings held over the past two days inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone have produced a preliminary framework aimed at halting attacks on the US Embassy, according to an informed Iraqi source.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source said the discussions brought together representatives of armed factions and a senior Iraqi political figure, resulting in a proposed agreement that has been conveyed to the United States. The proposal includes conditions set by Kataib Hezbollah.

The meetings were intended to “test the positions of both sides” as a step toward broader implementation if the arrangement proves successful in Baghdad, the source added. However, the outcome will depend on the nature of the US response.

Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a newly appointed security official for Kataib Hezbollah, announced a five-day suspension of attacks on the US Embassy, conditional on several demands. These include an end to Israeli strikes and displacement in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Additional conditions call for a US commitment not to target residential areas in Baghdad and other provinces, as well as the withdrawal of CIA personnel from the vicinity of the embassy.

The group warned that failure to meet these conditions would prompt a “direct and concentrated” response, with an escalation in attacks after the deadline. It also urged Iraqi authorities to protect diplomatic missions and economic entities of countries not involved in the conflict, excluding what it described as Israeli entities and US occupation forces.

The United States announced it is carrying out strikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq. General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated during a Pentagon briefing that US AH-64 Apache helicopters are being used in these operations.

Western sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington is not engaged with such proposals and is likely to continue its current approach of responding to attacks targeting diplomatic facilities and US interests in Iraq.

Recent strikes, believed to have been conducted by the United States, targeted locations used by militia leaders for meetings. Kataib Hezbollah acknowledged in statements that several of its security leaders were killed in those attacks.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged Iraqi authorities to prevent attacks on diplomatic missions amid rising regional tensions.

Speaking on the sidelines of a European summit in Brussels, Macron said France has been present in Iraq since 2015 to combat ISIS and support the country’s sovereignty. He confirmed recent contacts with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, reaffirming France’s support for Iraq’s territorial integrity.

Macron called on Iraq to act decisively against groups targeting French nationals and facilities, warning that such actions undermine the country’s security and stability.

Baghdad Security Measures

Iraq’s Interior Ministry denied reports circulating on social media claiming that US forces had raided a unit of the Rapid Response Division at Baghdad International Airport.

Spokesperson Colonel Abbas al-Bahadli described the reports as “entirely false” and urged reliance on official sources, warning against the spread of misinformation.

Baghdad Operations Command confirmed that extensive security measures have been implemented across the capital. Lieutenant General Walid al-Tamimi said efforts include securing areas that could be used to launch indirect fire, assuring diplomatic missions that “the situation in Baghdad is stable and secure.”

 

 

Arab World

Israel Says it Struck Syrian Military Post after Attacks on Druze

Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
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Israel Says it Struck Syrian Military Post after Attacks on Druze

Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Israel’s military said Friday it struck sites in Syria in response to attacks against the Druze.

The army said it struck infrastructure belonging to Syria in response to attacks on the Druze population in Sweida in southern Syria.

The Israeli military said it targeted a ⁠command center and weapons in military compounds, and said it will not tolerate harm toward the Druze population, adding ⁠it ⁠will continue to operate to defend them and monitor developments in the region.

Arab World

Arms Smuggling Attempt Foiled on Syria-Lebanon Border

Border guards in outskirts of Flita, west of Damascus, foil arms smuggling attempt on Syria-Lebanon border (SANA)
Border guards in outskirts of Flita, west of Damascus, foil arms smuggling attempt on Syria-Lebanon border (SANA)
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Arms Smuggling Attempt Foiled on Syria-Lebanon Border

Border guards in outskirts of Flita, west of Damascus, foil arms smuggling attempt on Syria-Lebanon border (SANA)
Border guards in outskirts of Flita, west of Damascus, foil arms smuggling attempt on Syria-Lebanon border (SANA)

Syria’s defense ministry said border guard forces in the outskirts of Flita area west of Damascus had foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons across the Syrian-Lebanese border after what it described as a tightly executed ambush.

The ministry’s media and communications office said the operation led to the arrest of four people, including two Lebanese nationals, and the seizure of a quantity of weapons and ammunition.

It said the suspects had been referred to the relevant authorities for legal action.

The operation came amid growing tension and anxiety along the Syrian-Lebanese frontier after the Syrian army reinforced its deployment on the border with Lebanon, reviving memories of the Syrian military’s intervention in Lebanon in the 1970s.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji said in a post on X that, on the sidelines of an emergency consultative meeting held in Riyadh, he had a brief conversation with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani, who told him the deployment of Syrian forces on the border with Lebanon was aimed solely at protecting Syrian territory and securing the frontier against any security breach or smuggling activity.

Shibani stressed that Syria did not intend to enter Lebanon or interfere in its internal affairs in any way.

Syria’s border guard forces continue to work to secure the frontier and combat armed groups, drug and weapons smuggling, and other illegal activities that exploit security conditions in some border areas. They are also working to regulate movement along the border and monitor any activity that poses a security threat.

Earlier this month, the Rif Dimashq Media Directorate announced the seizure of a shipment of weapons prepared for smuggling across the Syrian-Lebanese border.

It said the shipment was found in the Nabek area of the Qalamoun region in the Damascus countryside and that the operation was part of efforts to combat organized crime and crack down on smuggling.

The Internal Security Directorate in the Zabadani area of Rif Dimashq also said it had foiled an attempt on Dec. 17 to smuggle a shipment of weapons into Lebanon.