Israel’s attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine extremist security minister’s role

Israel’s attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine extremist security minister’s role
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, one of PM Netanyahu's well-known extremist allies, has been accused of interfering in police matters. (AFP)
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Updated 15 November 2024
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Israel’s attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine extremist security minister’s role

Israel’s attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine extremist security minister’s role
  • National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized for interfering in police matters

JERUSALEM, Nov 14 : Israel’s Attorney General told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reevaluate the tenure of his far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing his apparent interference in police matters, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Thursday.
The news channel published a copy of a letter written by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in which she described instances of “illegitimate interventions” in which Ben-Gvir, who is tasked with setting general policy, gave operational instructions that threaten the police’s apolitical status.
“The concern is that the government’s silence will be interpreted as support for the minister’s behavior,” the letter said.
Officials at the Justice Ministry could not be reached for comment and there was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
Ben-Gvir, who heads a small ultra-nationalist party in Netanyahu’s coalition, wrote on social media after the letter was published: “The attempted coup by (the Attorney General) has begun. The only dismissal that needs to happen is that of the Attorney General.”


UK’s Starmer says Syria needs ‘non-sectarian’ governance

UK’s Starmer says Syria needs ‘non-sectarian’ governance
Updated 6 sec ago
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UK’s Starmer says Syria needs ‘non-sectarian’ governance

UK’s Starmer says Syria needs ‘non-sectarian’ governance
“All leaders agreed that Syria’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty must be respected,” the spokesperson added

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday caution was needed regarding Syria’s prospects after the end of Bashar Assad’s rule and that the country required “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance on behalf of all Syrians.”
“Discussing the unfolding situation in Syria, the Prime Minister said that the fall of Assad’s brutal regime should be welcomed, but we must be cautious about what comes next,” a spokesperson for Starmer said after the prime minister took part in a call with other Group of Seven leaders.
“All leaders agreed that Syria’s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty must be respected throughout the transition process and in future,” the spokesperson added.
The language was similar to that in a G7 statement about Syria issued on Thursday.
Starmer also called on G7 leaders to increase military support for Ukraine against Russia’s 33-month-old invasion and tighten sanctions against Moscow.

King Abdullah stresses need for regional stability in call with Greek PM as Jordanians march in solidarity with Gaza

King Abdullah stresses need for regional stability in call with Greek PM as Jordanians march in solidarity with Gaza
Updated 56 min 24 sec ago
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King Abdullah stresses need for regional stability in call with Greek PM as Jordanians march in solidarity with Gaza

King Abdullah stresses need for regional stability in call with Greek PM as Jordanians march in solidarity with Gaza
  • Two leaders discussed key regional developments, particularly ongoing crisis in Syria and escalating conflict in Gaza

AMMAN: King Abdullah II of Jordan emphasized the importance of regional stability and of coordinated international efforts during a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday, according to a report from Petra, the Jordan News Agency.

The two leaders discussed key regional developments, particularly the ongoing crisis in Syria and the escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip.

King Abdullah said securing Syria’s stability was essential to strengthening broader regional security and reiterated that the immediate cessation of Israel’s military actions in Gaza was critical to halting the escalation of violence in the region. He also called for the urgent delivery of uninterrupted humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.

The king also highlighted the necessity of maintaining international efforts to uphold the ceasefire in Lebanon, which remains a vital factor in preventing the conflict from spreading further across the region, Petra added.

Also on Friday, a large march was held in downtown Amman following prayers at Al-Husseini Mosque. Participants protested the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, decrying what they described as “global double standards and the international community’s silence on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” Petra reported.

Marchers called on Arab nations and the international community to take decisive action to end the aggression and support Palestinian rights. They commended Jordan’s firm opposition to the war on Gaza and advocacy for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Protesters criticized the actions of Israeli forces and also demanded that crossings be opened to facilitate the entry of critical aid.


Arab League condemns Israeli incursion into Syria, calls for UN Security Council action

Arab League condemns Israeli incursion into Syria, calls for UN Security Council action
Updated 13 December 2024
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Arab League condemns Israeli incursion into Syria, calls for UN Security Council action

Arab League condemns Israeli incursion into Syria, calls for UN Security Council action
  • Concerns over Israel’s actions, violation of agreement

CAIRO: The Arab League, which convened an emergency meeting on Thursday, has strongly condemned Israel’s recent incursion into Syria, describing it as a serious threat to regional and international peace, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Matar, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the organization, attended the meeting in Cairo, which culminated in a resolution denouncing Israel’s incursion into the demilitarized zone near Mount Hermon and the continued occupation of Syrian territories in the Quneitra and Rif Dimashq governorates.

An Arab League statement said that these actions represented a violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and various UN resolutions. The statement further condemned Israeli airstrikes on Syrian civilian and military sites, urging Israel to provide compensation for the resulting damage.

The Arab League called on the international community to hold Israel accountable for its activities in the occupied Golan Heights, and emphasized the need to halt the expansion of illegal settlements in the area.

The organization requested in its resolution that the Arab group at the UN, in coordination with Algeria, worked to convene a special session of the UN Security Council. The proposed session would address what the Arab League described as an “escalating threat to international peace and security,” the SPA reported.

The Arab League’s resolution reflects growing regional concerns about Israel’s activities in Syria and the occupied Golan Heights, with Arab states urging stronger international intervention to prevent further destabilization in the region after the fall of Bashar Assad’s government.


Kyiv ready to supply food to Syria as Russia supplies suspended

People walk with food in plastic bags, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar Assad, in Damascus on Thursday.
People walk with food in plastic bags, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar Assad, in Damascus on Thursday.
Updated 13 December 2024
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Kyiv ready to supply food to Syria as Russia supplies suspended

People walk with food in plastic bags, after rebels seized the capital and ousted Syria's Bashar Assad, in Damascus on Thursday.
  • Russian wheat supplies to Syria had been suspended over uncertainty about the new government

KYIV: Ukraine, a global producer and exporter of grain and oilseeds, is ready to supply food to Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad, Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Vitaliy Koval told Reuters on Friday.
Russian and Syrian sources said earlier that Russian wheat supplies to Syria had been suspended over uncertainty about the new government and payment delays.
Syria imported food from Russia during the Assad era and it is unclear how relations between Damascus and Moscow will take shape under the new government.
“Where it is difficult, we have to be there with our food. We are open to supplying our food and if Syria needs food — then we are there,” Koval told Reuters.
Ukraine’s exports were buffeted by Russia’s February 2022 invasion, which severely reduced shipments via the Black Sea. Ukraine has since broken a de facto sea blockade and revived exports from its southern ports of Odesa.
Kyiv traditionally exports wheat and corn to Middle Eastern countries, but not to Syria.
Traders say that only about 6,000 metric tons of Ukrainian corn reached the Syrian market in the 2023/24 season, out of a total corn export volume of 29.4 million tons.
However, small parcels of Ukrainian-origin grain may have reached Syria from neighboring countries, but not been captured by those statistics, analysts said.
Since the fall of Assad, a close Russian ally, Kyiv has voiced a desire to restore relations with Syria.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Kyiv was ready “to pave the way for the restoration of relations in the future and reaffirm our support for the Syrian people.”


Blinken meets Iraq PM in unannounced stop on Syria crisis tour

Blinken meets Iraq PM in unannounced stop on Syria crisis tour
Updated 13 December 2024
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Blinken meets Iraq PM in unannounced stop on Syria crisis tour

Blinken meets Iraq PM in unannounced stop on Syria crisis tour
  • The top US diplomat flew to Baghdad from Ankara

BAGHDAD: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Iraq’s prime minister on Friday in an unannounced visit as he seeks to coordinate a regional approach to Syria following the overthrow of Bashar Assad.
The top US diplomat flew to Baghdad from the Turkish capital Ankara and headed into talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, an AFP journalist traveling with Blinken said.