Author: Steven Sahiounie

Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas called on Palestinian people across al-Quds, the West Bank, and the ’48 occupied territories to urgently defend al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan. The Resistance movement urged active participation in breaking the Israeli siege imposed on Al-Aqsa, insisting that Palestinians must be able to pray and gather within its courtyards. In its statement, Hamas said, “Gaza, which brought forth the glorious Al-Aqsa Flood, is still fighting the greatest of battles against the enemy after 160 days,” urging “our people to actively partake in breaking the occupation’s siege on Al-Aqsa, pray in it, defend it, and…

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Riyadh on Thursday.During the meeting, the ministers discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and ways to advance and strengthen them. They also discussed developments and topics of common interest.Earlier, Mekdad was received at King Khalid International Airport by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji. source: Arab News

Egypt’s foreign minister calls on Israel to open its land crossings to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. “Israel controls six other crossings that it should open,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said at a news conference during a visit to Cairo by his Spanish counterpart. “There is a long line of trucks waiting to enter but are subject to the procedures of vetting that must be complied to so that the trucks can enter safely, that the drivers are not targeted, that they are received on the other side,” Shoukry said. “We have the capacity to increase the…

European foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters in Washington that world leaders need to put more pressure on Israel to open its crossings for humanitarian access to Gaza. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza isn’t a natural disaster but a “man-made” one, he said. Earlier this week, Borrell accused the Israeli government of using starvation as a “weapon of war”. Israel described his comments as “false” and “outrageous”. source: AlJazeera

Schumer’s fiery speech reflects growing frustration in Washington with Netanyahu, his management of the war, the failure to do more to protect Palestinian civilians and obstruction of aid deliveries in Gaza. While Schumer didn’t mention the possibility of introducing legislation to tie the provision of US weapons to Israel easing the humanitarian crisis, the senator raised the possibility of Washington using its influence if Israel doesn’t change its policies. “If Prime Minister Netanyahu’s current coalition remains in power after the war begins to wind down and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance,…

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the government to immediately begin implementing the tasks outlined in his presidential address. “If I’m wrong about something, my colleagues will correct me, but the trends that we are now observing give us reason to believe that the plans proposed as part of the address to the Federal Assembly are quite feasible. This work must be started immediately,” Putin said when opening a meeting with members of the Cabinet of Ministers. The head of state drew attention to the importance of ensuring detailed planning of all elements of each national project. “Such planning should…

The United States and the United Kingdom are “obstructing the settlement efforts led by the UN envoy to Yemen,” First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said on Thursday. “The United States only knows Gunboat diplomacy,” Polyanskiy said when referring to the US ongoing Naval aggression on Yemeni territories. He said that Washington and London are fueling the fire in Yemen instead of working toward de-escalation in the region. The Russian diplomat warned against the consequences of militarizing the Red Sea, saying that such actions “will not lead to de-escalation but [have the] opposites [effects].” War on…

During a meeting dubbed Iran-Venezuela Cultural Relations, Iranian and Venezuelan academics and intellects strongly condemned Meta’s removal of the Instagram and Facebook accounts of Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei A joint statement described Meta’s decision as “proof of the absurdity of the West’s claim regarding freedom of expression.” This comes after Meta Platforms, Inc. removed Ayatollah Khamenei’s Persian- and English-language accounts on Instagram. In the inaugural ceremony at the Bolivarian University of Venezuela in the capital Caracas, messages from the ministers of culture of both nations were read to denounce the decision. Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili…

The secretary-general of the Arab League and Spain’s foreign minister on Thursday discussed plans for an international peace conference to stop the war in the Gaza Strip.During a meeting in Cairo, Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Jose Manuel Albares explored the possibility of organizing talks aimed at ending the conflict.Aboul Gheit’s spokesperson, Jamal Rushdi, said the league’s leader had lauded Spain’s ongoing support for the rights of Palestinians, which he pointed out reflected the country’s commitment to principles, shared human values, and justice.The rising death toll as a result of Israeli attacks on the Strip were “directly stemming from the tacit…

The Palestinian Presidency has rejected statements made by the hard-right Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, regarding his refusal to renew the signature on a document that provides Israeli banks, involved in dealings with Palestinian banks, protection against lawsuits. “This move contradicts signed agreements, including the Paris Protocol that regulates these financial relations,” said the Presidency in a press statement on Thursday evening. Additionally, the Presidency called on the U.S. administration “to take necessary measures to halt these reckless actions, especially amidst the all-out war waged against the Palestinian people. This includes the deduction and piracy of Palestinian tax funds under…