Author: Gulf News Week

The State of Palestine is recognised as a sovereign nation by 157 UN member states, representing 81 percent of members.France, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Andorra and Belgium have formally recognised a Palestinian state at the 80th session of the General Assembly (UNGA).They join Canada, Australia and Portugal, as well as the United Kingdom, which announced its recognition on Sunday, as Israel pushes ahead with settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and escalates its genocide in Gaza.The UK’s decision to formally recognise a Palestinian state comes more than 100 years after the Balfour Declaration backed “the establishment in Palestine of a…

President Joseph Aoun and other officials have met with a delegation led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.Lebanon is pushing to get more support from the United States after another deadly Israeli drone attack on southern Lebanon, which this time killed five people, including three children, the latest in a series of near-daily violations by Israel of the US-brokered November 2024 ceasefire.President Joseph Aoun and other officials met with a delegation led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Lebanese presidency said in a statement on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Spread of diseases overwhelms…

September 23 marks the beginning of the high-level General Debate, where more than 150 leaders will address the UN. And a heated start awaits.Every September, leaders from around the world gather at the United Nations in New York to debate and pass resolutions on the biggest issues facing the planet.The UN General Assembly (UNGA) opens every year on the second Tuesday in September. This year, it began on September 9, when the incoming president took office, the agenda was adopted, and organisational work began. In the days since, delegates have held meetings, set up committees, and prepared for the high-level…

US president will hold a meeting with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Indonesia and Pakistan on the sidelines of the UNGA.United States President Donald Trump is expected to offer a plan and discuss his vision for ending Israel’s war on Gaza and the future of the mostly destroyed Palestinian enclave to Arab and Muslim leaders on Tuesday.Trump will hold a meeting with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, Indonesia and Pakistan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline…

Alaa Abd El-Fattah is considered among the most high-profile political prisoners held in Egypt’s prisons.Prominent Egyptian-British human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been freed after spending most of the past 12 years in prison, his family said, a day after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardoned him and five other prisoners.“I can’t even describe what I feel,” Abd El-Fattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, said from her house in Giza early on Tuesday as she stood next to her son, surrounded by jubilant family and friends.“We’re happy, of course. But our greatest joy will come when there are no [political] prisoners…

European protests are forcing leaders to act on Israel, but is this real change or just a pressure valve?From Madrid to Brussels, protesters are turning sport, culture and trade into flashpoints over Israel’s war on Gaza. Europe’s leaders are proposing sanctions on Israel and recognition of Palestinian statehood. Is this momentum strong enough to shift power? Or are governments offering small steps to manage unrest while avoiding deeper change?Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2The Take: ‘Take it down’ – the fight for the White House Peace Vigillist 2 of 2The Take: What is the future of US…

Dr Saya Aziz, working at al-Shifa Hospital, says she has lost count of the number of amputations she has had to perform.An Australian medic working at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital says she has lost count of the number of amputations she has had to perform, as two more hospitals were shut down amid Israel’s relentless bombardment of the enclave.“On the first day, I started off thinking I’ve never seen anything like this, and then in the following days I’ve seen … more. I’ve lost count of the number of amputations I’ve done,” Dr Saya Aziz, an anaesthesiologist, told media.Recommended Stories…

President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets US secretary of state in New York as he prepares to attend UN General Assembly meetings.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has renewed his call to the United States to formally lift sanctions imposed on his country while visiting New York to attend the first United Nations General Assembly by a Syrian leader in nearly six decades.Al-Sharaa led opposition fighters who overthrew President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israeli army carries out its latest ground incursion in southern Syrialist 2 of 3Talks with Israel could lead to results ‘in days’, says…

Hebron, occupied West Bank – When the headlines started dropping that Canada, then the United Kingdom, then Australia, then Portugal, then France had formally recognised Palestinian statehood, Palestinian reactions ranged from joy to dread that Israel would take this as a cue to target them more violently.More than 150 countries now recognise the State of Palestine.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘Time has come’: France recognises state of Palestine at UN summitlist 2 of 3Palestinian flag raised outside embassy in London after UK recognitionlist 3 of 3Israel-Palestine two-state solution summit to be held as recognitions surgeend of listmedia…

The announcement by President Emmanuel Macron comes as world leaders meet to revive the long-stalled two-state solution.The leaders of six countries, including France, have moved to recognise Palestinian statehood, at a high-level summit ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York.Alongside France, which co-convened the meeting with Saudi Arabia on Monday in New York, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco said they were recognising a Palestinian state.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Palestinian flag raised outside embassy in London after UK recognitionlist 2 of 2French towns fly Palestinian flag despite gov’t ban before…