AMMAN: Israel’s actions have sabotaged the landmark Oslo peace accords of the 1990s, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday.
“There is no Oslo,” Abbas told a meeting of Palestinian leaders in Ramallah called to discuss the recognition by US President Donald Trump of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Israel ended Oslo.”
Abbas told the 28th session of the Palestinian Central Council: “We said ‘no’ to Trump and we will not accept his project. The deal of century is the slap of century and we will not accept it.
“We do not take instructions from anyone and we say ‘no’ to anyone if it is about our destiny, our cause, our country and our people.”
The president said he regretted that there were no delegates at the meeting from Hamas in Gaza.
“What made me upset was that our brothers did not participate in this meeting because the place was not suitable for making fateful decisions,” he said.
“Where, in their opinion, is the place to make crucial decisions? We meet here to defend and protect Jerusalem, and there can be no argument from anyone that the place is not suitable. We are at a crucial moment and our future at stake.”
Abbas Zaki, a member of the Fatah central committee, told Arab News that Hamas leaders were afraid of participating in any effort to rewrite Palestinian liberation strategy.
“We are at the stage of coming up with a new strategy and we want all Palestinians to help us come up with a joint agreement because we know that such strategies require a level of sacrifice.”
Zaki said he hoped even those with differences of opinion would attend and express their ideas.
“We are holding our session in Palestine and the Council can accept all points of view.”
However, Zaki said he was worried that Hamas wanted the current Palestinian effort to fail.
“They want free gifts without having to work for them. They are waiting for the Palestinian National Authority to fail so that they can take over,” he said.
Zaki said all Palestinians rejected Trump’s position and wanted Arab countries to react in a strong way.
“Arab summits in Amman, Baghdad and Cairo all resolved unanimously that Arab countries would cut off relations with any country that moves its embassy to Jerusalem. It is time for our Arab brothers to act according to their own resolutions.”
Salim Zanoun, speaker of the Palestine National Council, said the US had opposed its own allies and ignored Palestinian rights with the aim of removing the issue of Jerusalem from final status talks, and had thus forfeited its role as a peace mediator.
“We are therefore asked to come up with a review of the recognition of Israel until it recognizes Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.
Speaking on Palestine TV, Jamal Muhaisen, a member of the Fatah central committee, said the 1993 mutual recognition between the PLO and Israel should be withdrawn.
“We want to withdraw the recognition of Israel and not to suspend the recognition. When they are ready to recognize us we will recognize them,” he said.
Muhaisan, who is in charge of Fatah recruitment and enlisting, called on all Palestinians “including ministers and government employees” to participate in the popular struggle against the occupation.
The Palestine Central Council is the intermediary body between the Palestinian parliament in exile, the Palestine National Council and the Executive Committee.
Analysts say it is likely that the Palestine National Council, which was last held in Gaza in April 1996, will meet again this year to formulate a new Palestinian strategy.
Israel has sabotaged Oslo peace accords, Palestinian leader says
Israel has sabotaged Oslo peace accords, Palestinian leader says
Macron to head to Lebanon after election of new president
Macron spoke with the general hours after Aoun was announced as the leader to end a two-year vacuum in the country’s top post.
France “will continue to be at the side of Lebanon and its people,” Macron told Aoun in a telephone call, the French presidency said in a statement. Macron said he would go to Lebanon “very soon.”
“Congratulations to President Joseph Aoun on this crucial election,” Macron wrote on X earlier.
“It paves the way for reform and the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty and prosperity,” he added.
Aoun must oversee a ceasefire in south Lebanon and name a prime minister able to lead reforms demanded by international creditors to save the country from a severe economic crisis.
“The head of state indicated to President Aoun that France would support his efforts to quickly complete the formation of a government capable of uniting the Lebanese, answering their aspirations and their needs, and carrying out the reforms necessary for the economic recovery, reconstruction, security and sovereignty of Lebanon,” said the statement released after the telephone talks.
Macron also vowed support for the “national dialogue” that Aoun said he will launch and called on all groups to “contribute to the success of his mission,” the statement said.
France administered Lebanon for two decades after World War I and has maintained close ties even since its independence in 1944.
Israel rallies global support to win release of a woman believed kidnapped in Iraq
- The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week
- Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations
JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official says the government is working with allies in a renewed push to win the freedom of an Israeli-Russian researcher who is believed to have been kidnapped in Iraq nearly two years ago.
The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week.
He said the envoys met the family of Elizabeth Tsurkov and that Israel asked the representatives – from the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Canada – to have their embassies in Baghdad lobby the Iraqi government and search for a way to start negotiations. Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations. He said he hopes other countries will help.
“We are counting on our allies,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing closed-door discussions. “And I hope that other nations will suggest assistance in helping us release Elizabeth. Many nations have embassies and contacts with the Iraqi government.”
Tsurkov, a 38-year-old student at Princeton University, disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for her doctorate. She had entered the country on her Russian passport. The only sign she was alive has been a video broadcast in November 2023 on an Iraqi television station and circulated on pro-Iranian social media purporting to show her.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. But Israel believes she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia that it says also has ties to the Iraqi government.
The Israeli official said that after months of covert efforts, Israel believes the “changes in the region” have created an opportunity to work publicly for her release.
During 15 months of war, Israel has struck Iran and its allies, and Iran’s regional influence has diminished. Iraq also appears to have pressured militia groups into halting their aerial attacks against Israel.
Gaza war deaths pass 46,000
- The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded
- The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants
GAZA: Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.
The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for their deaths because it says the militants operate in residential areas.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.
All Jordanians living in Los Angeles are fine, Foreign Ministry says
- At least 5 people have been killed by wildfires raging in and around the US city; more than 100,000 forced to flee homes
LONDON: The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Thursday that all Jordanian nationals living in Los Angeles, California, are “fine” as deadly wildfires continue to rage through neighborhoods in several areas in and around the US city.
The fires have claimed at least five lives, more than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, and hundreds of buildings have burned down.
The ministry sent its sincere condolences to the victims, the American people and the US government, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Japan grants Sudan about $1 million in food aid
- The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan
- The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded
TOKYO: Japan, in cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP), decided to grant Sudan 150 million yen (nearly $1 million) as ‘food aid’ to improve the situation in that country, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo stated.
Suzuki Satoshi, Japan’s Ambassador to International Organizations in Rome, and Ms. Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director of the Partnerships and Innovation Department, World Food Programme, signed and exchanged notes regarding the grant aid in Rome on January 8th.
The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan, where armed conflict between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023.
The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded and become protracted.
According to the WFP, several regions in Sudan are at risk of famine, approximately half of the population is facing acute food insecurity, and hunger-related deaths have been recorded.
At the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) held in August 2022, Japan announced its commitment to “responding to the food crisis and supporting sustainable agricultural production.” This cooperation is a concrete step in realizing this commitment.
The Republic of Sudan has an area of approximately 1.88 million square kilometers (about five times the size of Japan), a population of approximately 50.04 million, and a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $880, according to the 2023 World Bank data.
