Author: Steven Sahiounie

Algeria reiterated the need of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and putting an end to the repeated Israeli acts of aggression on the Syrian lands. Algeria Press Service quoted the Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ammar Benjameh as saying that “We call for immediate cessation of these actions with emphasize on the respect of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and rejecting any external interference in its affairs.” Benjameh was speaking during a UNSC session about Syria on behalf of the Group A3+ (Algeria, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Guyana). Benjameh urged effective international coordination to provide…

The Palestinian Presidency has condemned the Israeli government’s decision to seize 8,000 dunams of Palestinian land as part of its efforts to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesperson for President Mahmoud Abbas, stated that “the timing of this decision, coinciding with the arrival of the US Secretary of State to the region, poses a challenge to the American administration and to the international community, which continuously condemns settlements.” He added that “the decisions of this extremist government will not succeed in imposing facts on the ground,” emphasizing that “all settlements are illegitimate. There…

 UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron has been asked by his Labour counterpart to break precedent and publish official advice given to the government on allegations of Israeli breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza.David Lammy, shadow foreign secretary, wrote in a letter to Cameron: “Given the gravity of the situation in Gaza, the degree of public and parliamentary interest and the risks to the credibility of the UK’s export controls regime, there is a compelling case to publish the government’s legal advice.”Lammy added that UK export licenses for weapons should not be granted if “there is a clear risk that…

US President Joe Biden will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani at the White House on April 15, the White House said on Friday.Biden and Sudani will consult on issues including Daesh, Iraqi financial reforms and energy independence, the White House said in a statement. source: Arab News

Russia and China on Friday vetoed a US-led draft resolution at the Security Council on Gaza, with Moscow accusing Washington of a “hypocritical spectacle” that does not pressure Israel. The US, Israel’s main ally which has vetoed previous ceasefire calls, put forward the resolution which for the first time would have supported “the imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire” and condemned the October 7 attack by Hamas. Russia and China exercised their vetoes, Algeria also voted against and Guyana abstained. The other 11 Security Council members voted in favor, including permanent members France and Britain. Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, said that…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday for talks aimed at ensuring more aid flows into Gaza, amid increasingly tense relations between the two allies over the six-month-old war. In Gaza, Israel claimed to have killed or captured hundreds of Hamas fighters in a five-day operation at the Al-Shifa hospital complex, one of the only medical facilities even partially functioning in the north. Hamas and medical staff deny fighters were present there. Blinken, on his sixth trip to the Middle East since the war broke out on Oct. 7, has been engaged in…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Mother’s Day in the Middle East is March 21. Yesterday in Gaza, mothers and their families faced war, death and starvation: not the best environment for a cake, gifts and flowers. While people across the Middle East were celebrating with their mothers, the people in Gaza were wondering why Arab leaders were unable to come to their aid.Nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and more than 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and the UN warns starvation has begun.One woman in Gaza said, “Why are they worried about…

The bloc will continue to look at options for using proceeds from frozen assets, leaders have said in a summit declaration 

New York-Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Qusay Al-Dahhak, said that the claims of some Western countries about keenness on Syria and its people, security and stability of the region require them to change their approaches that have been overtaken by events, and to abandon policies of misinformation and distortion of facts, and to follow the approach of diplomacy and dialogue, and to support the efforts of the Syrian State aimed to improve the humanitarian and living conditions of its people, and to re-establish the rule of law over its entire territory. “In this month of every year,…

Twenty-seven leaders of the European Union have called for an “immediate humanitarian pause” in the Gaza Strip leading to a sustainable ceasefire. The EU leaders requested a statement on Thursday after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels. “The European Council calls for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire,” the leaders said, while also calling for “the unconditional release of all hostages.” They also urged Israel not to launch its planned ground operation in Rafah, saying it would worsen the “already catastrophic humanitarian situation” in Gaza. They added that Rafah offensive would also prevent the provision…