LONDON: Saudi Arabia called on the international community to take firm measures against the Iran-backed Houthi militia, who obstruct all peace efforts to end the 8-year war.
The absence of firm measures against the militia is what gave the Houthis more room to harm the Yemeni people, destabilize the region and significantly affect international peace and security, the Kingdom’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Mohammed Al-Ateeq, told the Security Council.
He was speaking at a speaking at a session on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.
Al-Ateeq reiterated the Kingdom’s position toward the Palestinian cause and ending the occupation, establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and ensuring the right of return for Palestinian refugees. He said this also includes ending Israel’s occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanese territories.
He stressed the importance of comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.
“The occupation authorities continue to violate international resolutions and norms in occupied Palestine and practice the most heinous forms of injustice and aggression against the Palestinian people,” he said.
“The flagrant violation of the sanctity of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron by the Israeli president represents the tip of the iceberg of these violations,” he added.
Al-Ateeq said the time has come for the international community and the Security Council to carry out their responsibilities toward supporting the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause, by realizing the right of the Palestinian people to build their independent state guaranteed to them by international resolutions, and to firmly address the ongoing Israeli practices and violations.
“The Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia confirms day after day its indifference to the aspirations of the Yemeni people, the stability of Yemen and its subversive role in threatening regional stability and international peace and security,” Al-Ateeq added.
The biggest evidence of this is its continued threat to the safety of international navigation and the use of civilian objects and Yemeni ports to destabilize the security of the region and attack civilians in the Kingdom and the UAE, he said, the latest of which was the terrorist attack that targeted Abu Dhabi International Airport, and the hijacking of the Emirati ship Rwabee.
Al-Ateeq also expressed the Kingdom’s support for the Lebanese people, and said his country urged all Lebanese leaders to give priority to the public’s interests, work to achieve security, stability and prosperity, and stop Hezbollah’s terrorist hegemony over the country.
Saudi Arabia calls on Security Council to confront Houthi terrorism, Israeli violations
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Saudi Arabia calls on Security Council to confront Houthi terrorism, Israeli violations
After Hamas rejection of hostage deal, US asked Qatar to expel the group
- Negotiators from Israel’s Mossad spy agency have repeatedly met mediators in Doha over the last year and Qatari government officials have shuttled back-and-forth to Hamas leaders in the political office
WASHINGTON/DOHA: The US has told Qatar that the presence of Hamas in Doha is no longer acceptable in the weeks since the Palestinian militant group rejected the latest proposal to achieve a ceasefire and a hostage deal, a senior administration official told Reuters on Friday.
“After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner. We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas’s rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Qatar then made the demand to Hamas leaders about 10 days ago, the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said. Washington has been in touch with Qatar over when to close the political office of Hamas, and it told Doha that now was the time following the group’s rejection of the recent proposal.
Three Hamas officials denied Qatar had told Hamas leaders they were no longer welcome in the country.
Qatar, alongside the US and Egypt, has played a major role in rounds of so-far fruitless talks to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages the militant group is holding in the enclave.
The latest round of Doha talks in mid-October failed to reach a ceasefire, with Hamas rejecting a short-term ceasefire proposal.
The spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for confirmation or comment.
Last year, a senior US official said Qatar had told Washington it was open to
reconsidering the presence of Hamas
in the country once the Gaza war was over.
This came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
told leaders
in Qatar and elsewhere in the region that there could be “no more business as usual” with Hamas after the group led the Oct. 7 attacks on Southern Israel.
Qatar, an influential Gulf state designated as major non-NATO ally by Washington, has hosted Hamas’ political leaders since 2012 as part of an agreement with the US Doha has come under criticism from within the US and Israel over its ties to Hamas since Oct. 7.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said repeatedly over the last year that the Hamas office exists in Doha to allow negotiations with the group and that as long as the channel remained useful Qatar would allow the Hamas office to remain open.
Negotiators from Israel’s Mossad spy agency have repeatedly met mediators in Doha over the last year and Qatari government officials have shuttled back-and-forth to Hamas leaders in the political office.
Chad accuses Sudan of aiding rebel forces
Chad claims Sudan is aiding a rebellion by members of the Zaghawa ethnic group operating out of Sudan’s southwestern El Facher region.
“Sudan is financing and arming terrorist groups operating in the sub-region with the aim of destabilising Chad,” foreign affairs minister and government spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah said in a press release.
The Zaghawa rebels based in Sudan are led by Ousman Dillo, the younger brother of Chadian opposition leader Yaya Dillo Djerou, who was killed by Chadian military forces earlier this year.
In February 2008, a Zaghawa rebel group based in Sudan launched a lightning offensive in Chad along with other groups, forcing former president Idriss Deby Itno to take refuge in his presidential palace, before he was able to repel them with help from France.
In 2021, Idriss Deby Itno died fighting other rebel forces near the border with Libya and the army named his son Mahamat Idriss Deby as president.
Sudan’s government has accused Chad of meddling in its own civil war by helping to deliver weapons from the United Arab Emirates to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary forces, which Chad and the UAE have denied.
The Sudanese war, which pits the army against the RSF, broke out in April 2023 and has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million, including 3.1 million who are now sheltering beyond the country’s borders, monitors say.
Elon Musk joined Trump’s call with Ukraine’s Zelensky, media reports say
- Ukraine's President Zelensky called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his election win, Axios reported
- Trump reportedly said he would support Ukraine, without providing details, and Musk reportedly said he would continue supplying Starlink satellites
WASHINGTON: When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Donald Trump to congratulate him on his presidential election victory, Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk joined the call, according to media reports on Friday. During the 25-minute call on Wednesday, the day after the election, Trump told Zelensky he would support Ukraine, without providing details, and Musk said he would continue supplying Starlink satellites, Axios reported, citing unidentified sources.
Musk owns SpaceX, which provides Starlink satellite communication services that are vital for Ukraine’s defense effort, but his statements have sometimes angered Kyiv since Russia invaded its neighbor in 2022.
Zelensky was telling Trump how important the satellites had been for Internet service during the war when Trump said Musk was with him and put the billionaire on the line, the Washington Post reported.
Trump and Musk were at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Palm Beach residence and club, when the call took place, according to the New York Times.
Musk gave millions of dollars to support Trump’s presidential campaign and made public appearances with him. Trump has said he would offer Musk, the world’s richest person, a role in his administration promoting government efficiency.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Trump campaign said it did not comment on private meetings.
Zelensky was among the first leaders to congratulate Trump, who has been critical of US military and financial support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Zelensky said in a post on social media platform X on Wednesday that his conversations with Trump should continue.
“We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace,” the Ukrainian president said.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘A Hunger Artist’
- Kafka’s exploration of the artist’s suffering is a metaphor for the broader human experience — where the search for authenticity and recognition often leads to despair and isolation
Author: Franz Kafka
“A Hunger Artist” is a novella by Franz Kafka, which was published in 1922.
The narrative follows a professional hunger artist whose act is to fast for extended periods, presenting his art as a spectacle for an audience.
Initially, his performances drew significant attention, and he became a celebrated figure, embodying the artist’s struggle against societal norms and expectations.
As the story progresses, the artist’s popularity wanes, and he becomes increasingly alienated.
The public’s fascination shifts to more modern forms of entertainment, and the hunger artist becomes a relic of a bygone era.
The hunger artist’s ultimate fate is tragic. Despite his dedication to his craft, he becomes a victim of societal indifference.
The book is a poignant 14-page short story that delves into themes of art, isolation, and the quest for meaning.
Kafka’s exploration of the artist’s suffering is a metaphor for the broader human experience — where the search for authenticity and recognition often leads to despair and isolation.
He masterfully captures the conflict between the artist’s inner world and external interpretations, demonstrating the need to understand and appreciate real creative expression.
The story culminates in the realization that true artistry is frequently unrecognized and undervalued.
In “A Hunger Artist,” Kafka crafts a powerful commentary on the complexities of identity, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the often lonely path of the artist, making it a compelling and thought-provoking work that resonates with anyone grappling with the meaning of creativity and existence.
His prose is spare yet evocative, employing a surreal tone that enhances the existential themes.
The story challenges readers to consider the nature of art, the role of the audience, and the sacrifices artists make for their craft.
Kafka is renowned for his surreal and existential narratives that still resonate with readers more than a century later. His best-known works include “The Metamorphosis,” “The Trial,” and “The Castle.”
US defense chief holds first call with new Israeli counterpart
- Katz was sworn in before parliament the previous day
- The US defense chief also discussed “the need to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza“
WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Lebanon and Gaza on Friday in his first call with his new Israeli counterpart Israel Katz, the Pentagon said.
Katz was sworn in before parliament the previous day, after his predecessor’s shock dismissal by the prime minister over a breakdown in trust during the war in Gaza — a conflict that began with a devastating Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
Austin “held an introductory call today with the new Israeli minister of defense, Israel Katz, and congratulated him on his recent appointment,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said in a statement.
He told Katz that Washington is committed to a deal that allows Lebanese and Israeli citizens displaced by more than a year of cross-border violence to return to their homes, as well as to the return of hostages seized by Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ryder said.
The US defense chief also discussed “the need to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza,” after he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel in a letter earlier this month that it needed to allow more aid into the small war-wracked coastal territory.
