As Israeli president arrives in Davos, many Arabs slam WEF ‘bias’

People stand behind a logo of the World Economic Forum during the 54th annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 18 January 2024
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As Israeli president arrives in Davos, many Arabs slam WEF ‘bias’

  • There are ‘double standards in international system,’ Palestinian investment chief tells Arab News at World Economic Forum

DAVOS: Several Arab participants of the World Economic Forum slammed the meeting for its alleged bias towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict when compared with its response to the Ukraine-Russia war.

A senior Palestinian official told Arab News on Tuesday how the international system has failed the Palestinian people, and that it is nothing new.

Mohammed Mustafa, chairperson of the Palestinian Investment Fund and a former deputy prime minister, was speaking as Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Davos to take part in a “special conversation” with the forum’s founder, Klaus Schwab, and its president, Borge Brende.

In contrast, Mustafa is one of only three high-profile Palestinians invited to Davos; President Mahmoud Abbas is not attending and there are no senior Palestinian diplomats present.

“We always say that there is a double standard in the international system,” Mustafa told Arab News in Davos. “The international system has failed us all the time. It’s nothing new and it just reconfirms it every once in a while.”

Mustafa is joined in Davos by Palestinian business chief Samer C. Khoury and Hisham Shawa, chairman of the Bank of Palestine.

Despite the limited Palestinian presence, Mustafa said: “We are determined to stay the course and to reach our goal. The good news about Davos it that it is an institution. A lot of good people attend … and this is a good opportunity to be able to engage with these people.”

Amal Enan, the chief investment officer at the American University in Cairo and a Young Global Leader, said that while the Gaza issue has been addressed on a global stage at the WEF gathering, she would have hoped to see it addressed more.

She added: "We could have been more vocal as Young Global Leaders as well."

Davos organizers defended the Middle East representation at the forum.

“The serious security and humanitarian situation … will be a key focus of the dialogues this week,” a spokesman said.

“We will be providing a platform for key stakeholders from the region and beyond to share views on how to deescalate and find ways back to diplomacy. Overall, we will have over 50 leaders from the Middle East.”

Mustafa said the world “should not underestimate the size of the humanitarian crisis” in Gaza. More than 350,000 homes had been damaged or destroyed in the territory, he added.

“Even if the war stopped tomorrow, most of these people will not find a place to go back to,” he said. “So before even talking about reconstruction, the question is: how do you deal with the immediate issue of finding a place for these people to live?”

While Mustafa maintained an optimistic approach at the forum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave an impassioned address to attendees in which he called for support for his country against Russia and its “predator” president.

In 2022, the WEF did not shy away from expressing staunch support for Ukraine. It banned Russian diplomats, oligarchs and business executives from attending the event and even went so far as to turn the former Russia House on the promenade into a Russia War Crimes House.

Many were taken aback by the forum’s critical stance, as it had long been seen as a neutral platform for dialogue and negotiation between warring parties. In his book “From Rulership to Leadership,” Bahraini author and pundit Khalid Janahi asked questions about this unprecedented positioning, in response to which a WEF official said that Russia had breached international law by invading a sovereign country.

When Janahi reminded the official of the presence of the US and UK in Davos despite their unlawful invasion of Iraq in 2003, he was simply told: “The Arabs did not make any noise then.”

At the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Israel is currently facing charges of genocide for its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, where more than 20,000 civilians have been killed, most of them women and children.

“The issue is that we (the Gulf region and wider Middle East) are irrelevant here. The only relevant people here are the Palestinians,” Janahi told Arab News.

“And while there are a few panels discussing the conflict, they will be focusing on security in Israel and looking at a terrorist Hamas and the Iran-backed militias. Who is speaking for the women and children being killed?”

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, about 70 percent of the residential buildings and homes in Gaza have been destroyed by the Israeli bombardment. The raids have also damaged churches and mosques, as well as schools, hospitals and other vital healthcare infrastructure.

Of the 36 hospitals in Gaza, only eight are still functioning, at the time of writing, which has created a medical crisis as doctors are forced to perform surgeries in the dark, often without anesthetic.

“Despite its motto, the forum appears to improve the state of the world for some people but definitely not improve it for all people in the world,” Janahi said.


Palestinian detainee says he was tortured in Israeli detention center

Updated 11 sec ago
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Palestinian detainee says he was tortured in Israeli detention center

KHAN YOUNIS: Palestinian medic and ambulance worker Tarek Rabie Safi, freed from an Israeli jail as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, said he was underfed and abused during almost a year in captivity.
Safi, a 39-year-old father of two, was released along with 368 other Palestinian detainees on Saturday, after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages from Gaza.
Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages have both complained of harsh treatment in the hands of their captors.
“I was held by the Israeli army in the Gaza ‘envelop’, which is Sde Teiman where I stayed for four months (and I was subjected to) torture of our bodies (physical torture) and hunger,” a gaunt-looking Safi said.
“(There was) no (decent) food, or drinks, or (medical) treatment. My arm was broken, and they did not treat me, and they did not get me checked by a doctor.”
The Israeli military rejected the claims in an emailed response to Reuters’ queries, saying detainees are given food and drink regularly and have access to medical care, and that if necessary, they are transferred to a medical facility with advanced capabilities.
Safi, who was detained in March last year near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said a detainee who was in the same room with him had died as a result of his treatment.
“A young man who was with me was martyred, Mussab Haniyeh, may God have mercy on him, in the same room. This young man was strong, but due to the lack of food, lack of drinks and frequent torture, he was martyred in front of our eyes,” Safi said.
After four months in the detention center, Safi was moved to other Israeli jails until his release in Khan Younis, where he was reunited with his family in emotional scenes.
The Israeli military said it is aware of incidents of detainee deaths, but cannot comment since investigations are pending.
The Palestinian Prisoner Association, which documents Israeli detentions of Palestinians, said that Israel is carrying out “systematic crimes and revenge attacks” against prisoners, most recently in the Israeli-occupied West Bank’s Ofer prison.
Abdullah Al-Zaghari, head of the association, said that the group had documented horrific testimonies, including severe beatings and shackling prisoners for days and weeks without food or water.
Reuters is unable to independently confirm the reports.
Human rights group Amnesty International said last year that 27 released detainees it had interviewed consistently described being subjected to torture on at least one occasion during their arrest.

Israel will leave troops in 5 locations in Lebanon after Tuesday deadline, military spokesperson says

Israeli army forces patrol in the village of Kfarshuba in southern Lebanon on February 17, 2025. (AFP)
Updated 25 min 36 sec ago
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Israel will leave troops in 5 locations in Lebanon after Tuesday deadline, military spokesperson says

  • “We need to remain at those points at the moment to defend Israeli citizens, to make sure this process is complete,” military spokesperson said
  • Lebanon’s President Aoun said Monday he was “afraid that the complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow”

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: Israel will keep troops in several posts in southern Lebanon past a February 18 deadline for them to withdraw, a military spokesperson said on Monday, as Israeli leaders sought to reassure northern residents that they can return home safely.
Under a truce deal brokered by Washington in November, Israeli troops were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a ground offensive against fighters from Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah since early October.
That deadline was extended to February 18, but Israeli and Lebanese officials as well as foreign diplomats had anticipated that the military would retain some troops on parts of the Lebanese side of the border.
“We need to remain at those points at the moment to defend Israeli citizens, to make sure this process is complete and eventually hand it over to the Lebanese armed forces,” military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told a briefing with reporters, adding that the move was in accordance with the mechanism of the ceasefire agreement.
He said the locations were close to Israeli communities or occupying strategic vantage points overlooking Israeli towns like Metula, at the northernmost point of Israel.
“Basically the security situation is very, very complex,” he said.
A Lebanese official and two foreign diplomats said Israeli troops would likely leave villages in south Lebanon but stay in overlook points to reassure residents of northern Israel who are set to return home on March 1.
Tens of thousands of people were displaced from northern Israel by Hezbollah rocket fire and more than a million people in Lebanon fled Israeli air strikes in the year-long war conflict playing out in parallel with the Gaza war.
The fighting ended in late November with a truce ordering Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon, Hezbollah fighters and arms to leave and Lebanese troops to deploy.
The ceasefire deal stipulates that only “official military and security forces” in Lebanon can carry arms and that the Lebanese government must prevent any transfers of arms or related material to non-state armed groups.
Its language — sharper than previous United Nations Security Council Resolutions — appears to spells out ways that the Lebanese state will be expected to constrain Hezbollah, diplomats and analysts said.
The deal’s implementation is being overseen by a committee chaired by the US and France.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, who has said Israeli troops should leave by the February 18 deadline, said on Monday he was “afraid that the complete (Israeli) withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow.”
The two diplomats said talks were still underway on alternatives to Israeli troops staying, including possibly deploying more UN peacekeepers to the border.
France has proposed that UN forces including French troops replace Israeli forces at key border points.
Hezbollah said on Sunday that Israeli forces still in Lebanon after Tuesday would be considered an occupying force.
Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 22 years, withdrawing in 2000 after continued attacks on its positions in occupied Lebanese territory by Hezbollah, founded in 1982 to counter Israel’s invasions.
In the latest war, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire for nearly a year, mostly around the border. Israel significantly escalated in September, eliminating much of Hezbollah’s top leadership in air strikes and sending ground troops into south Lebanon.


UN appeals for $6 billion for Sudan crisis aid in 2025

Updated 17 February 2025
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UN appeals for $6 billion for Sudan crisis aid in 2025

  • The aim is to provide assistance to nearly 26 million people this year, UN bodies say
  • Civil war has displaced 12 million people, of whom around 3.5 million have fled the country

GENEVA: The UN appealed Monday for $6 billion to provide desperately-needed aid to people in war-ravaged Sudan and millions of refugees fleeing “appalling” conditions.
The aim is to provide assistance to nearly 26 million people this year, the United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA and refugee agency UNHCR said in a joint appeal.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been locked in a brutal conflict between army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The UN agencies said the civil war has displaced 12 million people, of whom around 3.5 million have fled the country.
They stressed that at the same time, nearly two-thirds of Sudan’s population needs emergency aid, as swathes of the country face famine conditions.
“Sudan is a humanitarian emergency of shocking proportions,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.
“Famine is taking hold. An epidemic of sexual violence rages. Children are being killed and injured. The suffering is appalling.”
Famine conditions have already been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including in displacement camps in Darfur and in the western Nuba Mountains, the UN statement said.
And “catastrophic hunger is expected to worsen by May when the lean season begins,” it warned.
The UN said it was appealing for $4.2 billion to reach nearly 21 million people inside Sudan with life-saving aid and protection.
Fletcher said the UN plan would provide “a lifeline to millions.”
The United Nations said it would also need $1.8 billion to support 4.8 million people – both Sudanese refugees and their host communities – in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.
“Today, one-third of Sudan’s entire population is displaced,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said in the statement, highlighting that “the consequences of this horrific and senseless conflict spread far beyond Sudan’s borders.”
The UN cautioned that without immediate funding, two-thirds of refugee children would be denied access to primary education, “threatening an entire generation.”
And “up to 4.8 million refugees and host community members will continue to face severe food insecurity, with at least 1.8 million going without food assistance,” it said, warning that “already strained health systems may collapse.”
Last year, humanitarian organizations received $1.8 billion for Sudan – 66 percent of the $2.7 billion requested – and managed to reach more than 15.6 million people across the country.
They also provided life-saving food assistance to over a million people in neighboring countries, as well as medical support to half a million and protection services to over 800,000, the statement said.


Israel kills Hamas official in southern Lebanon

Civil defence workers and Lebanese soldiers gather next to remains of burned car that was hit by an Israeli drone strike.
Updated 55 min 39 sec ago
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Israel kills Hamas official in southern Lebanon

  • Israeli military said Muhammad Shaheen was the head of the operations department of Hamas in Lebanon
  • A Hamas official confirmed Shaheen’s killing to Reuters

BEIRUT: Israel killed on Monday a Hamas leader in southern Lebanon’s Sidon area, the Israeli military and a Hamas official said.
The military said Muhammad Shaheen was the head of the operations department of Hamas in Lebanon and that he had recently been involved in promoting “terrorist plots” with Iranian direction and funding from Lebanese territory against Israeli citizens.
A Hamas official confirmed Shaheen’s killing to Reuters.
An Israeli strike on a car in Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon targeted an official in the Palestinian militant group, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters earlier.
Lebanon’s state news agency said rescuers had removed one body from the car but did not identify the victim.
The Israeli military has been carrying out strikes against members of Hamas, allied Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and other factions in Lebanon, in parallel with the war in Gaza.
Those armed groups have launched rockets, drones and artillery attacks across the border into northern Israel.
Under a truce brokered by Washington in November, Israeli troops were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a ground offensive against fighters from Iran-backed Hezbollah since early October.
That deadline was later extended to February 18, but Israel’s military requested that it keep troops in five posts in southern Lebanon, sources told Reuters last week.


Cairo building collapse kills 10: state media

Updated 17 February 2025
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Cairo building collapse kills 10: state media

  • Eyewitnesses told the state-owned outlet that “a gas cylinder explosion” caused the collapse

CAIRO: A building collapse in the Egyptian capital killed 10 people and injured eight more on Monday, with several others believed to be missing under the rubble, state media reported.
Ambulances were dispatched to the scene in the working class neighborhood of Kerdasa, where civil defense teams searched for people thought to be missing under the rubble, according to the Al-Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper.
Eyewitnesses told the state-owned outlet that “a gas cylinder explosion” caused the collapse, and a police investigation was under way.
Building regulations are unevenly enforced in the sprawling metropolis of Cairo, home to over 26 million people.
The city has seen a number of deadly building collapses in recent years, both due to the dilapidated state of some and, at times, failure to comply with building regulations.