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US, Israel, UAE hold secret meeting on Gaza: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

The meeting was hosted by Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan and attended by the White House’s top Middle East official, Brett McGurk, State Department counsellor Tom Sullivan, and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, according to Axios.

The meeting came on the heels of an opinion article published in The Financial Times that backed the deployment of a temporary international force in Gaza to provide “law and order”.

Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s former ambassador to the United Nations, now an assistant minister for political affairs in the UAE, said an international force could be sent to Gaza at the invitation of the Palestinian Authority as part of efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

It was not immediately clear why the UAE decided to lay out its vision for the Gaza Strip a day before the previously undisclosed meeting with senior US and Israeli officials.

But at least some of Nusseibeh’s pre-conditions for a peacekeeping force in Gaza appear to contradict the stated positions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Nusseibeh, who hails from a prominent Jerusalem family, said an international force would not bring stability to Gaza unless Israel lifts its blockade of the Gaza Strip and ends settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

Her call for the international force to be a stepping stone towards a two-state solution also directly challenges the Israeli Knesset, which overwhelmingly voted to reject a Palestinian state last week.

Analysts are sceptical about whether the US can recruit Persian Gulf states to provide security and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, particularly as Israel continues to batter the enclave and talks on a ceasefire stall. However, privately, US and Arab officials who have spoken to MEE suggest that some tentative progress has been made.

The US is working on crafting a plan for post-war Gaza security that would see a US-backed mission led out of Cairo, Egypt. Last month, Middle East Eye reported that the US was weighing plans to shift the Palestinian Authority’s security forces into CENTCOM’s area of responsibility. Israel was placed under CENTCOM’s area of responsibility in 2021.

A senior US defence official previously told MEE that Bahrain told the US it would be willing to deploy peacekeepers to the blockaded territory. Manama’s police and security forces are staffed by many Pakistanis and Jordanians of Palestinian descent.

The FT’s opinion article suggests that the UAE no longer sees discussing its participation in a temporary international force as a private matter.

That represents a sharp turnaround from May when the UAE issued a statement pushing back against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Israel had made progress with the Persian Gulf State in taking part in the administration of the Gaza Strip after the war.

Palestine condemns Israeli bill to designate UN refugee agency as ‘terrorist entity’

By
IFP Media Wire
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UNRWA

The Knesset (Israel’s parliament) early Monday passed three bills to shut down the UNRWA and deem it as a “terrorist” organization. The bills will require two more readings to become effective.

Secretary-General of the PLO’s Executive Committee Hussein Al-Sheikh termed the Knesset’s decision as a “disregard for the international community and its international organizations”.

“We affirm that the Israeli occupation is the ugliest form of terrorism practiced daily against the Palestinian people,” he said in a statement.

“The Knesset’s decision towards an international humanitarian organization must be faced with an international position that supports this organization politically, financially and morally so that it can continue its humanitarian and moral role towards a people who are victims of the Israeli occupation.”

Last May, the Knesset passed a preliminary motion to approve a bill designating UNRWA as a “terrorist organization”.

Israel has lobbying hard to have UNRWA closed as it is the only UN agency to have a specific mandate to look after the basic needs of Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA was established by a UN resolution in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to refugees in its five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

Baghdad labels PKK as ‘banned organization’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Kurdistan Militants

According to local media reports, an official letter sent to the Iraqi Parliament included new instructions from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani regarding the PKK.

Al-Sudani directed that the term “banned organization” be used in all official institutional correspondence when referring to the PKK.

Previously, the Iraqi government had declared the PKK as a “banned organization”.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated all groups and facilities in Iraq and Syria that are affiliated to the PKK militant group are “legitimate targets”.

Ankara regards the PKK as a terrorist group and regularly carries out airstrikes in northern Iraq.

Iran says has broken monopoly in nuclear products, services

By
IFP Media Wire
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Mohammad Eslami

Mohammad Eslami made the remarks in an interview with the khamenei.ir website, which was published on Monday.

“The capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in nuclear technology have broken the monopoly in this sector, so that our services and products are present in the world’s markets, with some of them being exported to several countries,” he said.

Eslmai also noted that Iran has the capacity to export radiopharmaceuticals to different countries, adding that the country is also exporting heavy water and its derivatives.

Iranian researchers have succeeded in producing stable isotopes that are strategic, expensive, and of high quality, he continued.

He further added that Iran received requests for cooperation after holding the 1st International Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology with the participation of 22 countries back in May.

Over the past years, Iran has recorded many achievements in its peaceful nuclear energy program in defiance of US sanctions as well as hurdles created by the West.

Venice Film Festival 2024 to feature strong Iranian presence

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Venice Film Festival

“Shahed,” a film by Iranian filmmaker Nader Saeivar, and a collaborative effort between Iran, Germany, and Austria, has been accepted into the Horizons section of the festival.

Additionally, “Boomerang”, directed by Shahab Fotouhi and produced by Majid Barzegar, both from Iran, is one of the ten films competing in the Venice Days section.

“Anytime, Anywhere,” directed by Iranian filmmaker Milad Tangshir, will represent Italian cinema in the Critics’ Week competition. Renowned Iranian filmmaker Ali Asgari has been selected as a jury member for the Horizons section.

Acclaimed French actress Isabelle Huppert will chair this year’s main competition jury. The jury also includes notable figures such as American director and writer James Gray, British writer-director Andrew Haigh, Polish director-producer-screenwriter Agnieszka Holland, Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, Mauritanian director-screenwriter Abderrahmane Sissako, Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore, German director Julia von Heinz, and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, known for her roles in “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

The 81st Venice Film Festival, the world’s oldest film festival, will run from August 28 to September 7, 2024.

Iran’s Kharrazi urges support for active, respectful foreign relations during Pezeshkian’s tenure

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Masoud Pezeshkian

In his remarks following a meeting with President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian, Kharrazi outlined the role of the Strategic Council in shaping various foreign policy strategies.

Stressing the importance of supporting the government in its efforts to establish active and respectful foreign relations, he said, “This will significantly impact Iran’s relationships with other countries and address regional issues effectively”.

Kharrazi reiterated that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei determines foreign policy strategies, and it is the responsibility of various governments to implement these strategies through their unique approaches.

He emphasized the importance of how these strategic goals are achieved.

Kharrazi noted, “Pezeshkian’s perspective is based on fostering connections and enhancing relations with other nations, including those we currently have issues with. He believes in engaging in dialogue and creating opportunities for relationship development, which is a positive outlook.”

According to Kharrazi, the former Iranian Foreign Minister, the president-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian, also expressed his intention to leverage the council’s expertise, highlighting his commitment to strengthening ties with other countries.

EU punishes Hungary over PM’s Ukraine ‘peace mission’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Orban and Putin

Speaking at a press conference in the Belgian capital, Borrell said the bloc must “send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal”, to punish Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his Ukraine “peace mission”, which EU officials have condemned as contrary to the bloc’s policies.

Hungary currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and the bloc’s foreign and defense ministers were due to gather in Budapest late next month. Politico earlier reported that EU officials were planning to boycott the meeting in the Hungarian capital.

The snub comes after numerous Western officials condemned Orban over his visit to Russia to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine conflict. After concluding his tour, which also included trips to Ukraine, China, and the US, Orban accused the EU of pursuing a “pro-war policy”.

Borrell stated that the bloc’s members strongly rejected Orban’s claim, “with only a single exception”, referring to Hungary’s neighbor, Slovakia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed support for his Hungarian counterpart for his m

Borrell further accused Orban of “disqualifying” the bloc’s policy, adding that his actions must have “formal consequences”. It was therefore decided “to call for the next [informal] Foreign and Defense Council meeting in Brussels,” Borrell added.

Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen canceled a planned visit of EU commissioners to Hungary in protest over Orban’s actions. She also lowered the level of the commission’s representation at informal meetings during Hungary’ six-month EU presidency.

Von der Leyen later slammed Orban’s visit to Moscow as an “appeasement mission”, while the European Parliament described it as “a blatant violation of the EU’s treaties and common foreign policy.”

Moscow announced last week that the EU’s criticism of Orban goes to show that Brussels has resolved to support Ukraine militarily, and that its “pro-war” policies will not change.

Iran detects dengue fever-causing Aedes mosquito in six provinces

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Fever

The Iranian Health Ministry’s Department of Controlling Transmittable Diseases, in its update on Tuesday, said 151 cases have been reported across the nation.

It said, “130 cases have a history of traveling to the UAE, 7 cases to Pakistan, and one case has a history of traveling to Oman and one case to Benin in West Africa.”

According to the technical images, the mosquitoes are dotting the provinces of Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchistan, Bushehr, Gilan, Mazandaran, and Ardabil, all of them on the country’s borders.

Health officials have advised precautionary measures by staying in roofed spaces and windows with nets, wearing long and bright clothes, and using insect repellants to help prevent mosquito bites.

The most common symptoms of the acute viral disease are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash. In severe cases, it will have hemorrhagic manifestations.

Kurdish authorities free dozens of Daesh-linked prisoners in Syria’s Hasakah

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Daesh

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) issued a general amnesty for hundreds of Syrians who have been held by the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) over their alleged role in Daesh.

Syrian news agency North Press reported that hundreds of people gathered in front of the al-Sinaa prison in the Ghweran district of Hasakah on Sunday, as they awaited the release of the detainees.

The SDF is holding over 10,000 Daesh fighters, including 2,000 foreigners whose home countries have refused to repatriate them, in around two dozen detention centres in northeast Syria.

The amnesty offered to over 1,500 prisoners, including 60 women, was a result of pressure from influential tribes and figures in the region, according to North Press.

The amnesty, however, will not include Daesh officials and members who fought in battles against the SDF, nor those who carried out deadly bombing attacks.

Among the prisoners slated for release are those who have incurable illnesses and are serving life sentences, in addition to detainees who are 75 years of age and above.

AANES also added it has reduced life sentences to 15 years.

In April, Amnesty International reported that hundreds of detainees have died as a consequence of torture and inhumane treatment in Kurdish-run prisons in northeast Syria for people suspected of links to Daesh.

Amnesty accused the AANES authorities of committing war crimes at prisons and detention facilities, where it said more than 56,000 people – the majority of them children – remain detained.

The rights organisation also said that scores and possibly hundreds of Yazidis captured and enslaved during Daesh militants’ genocidal campaign against the minority group in Iraq and Syria likely remained among about 14,500 women and 30,000 children being held at al-Hol and al-Roj detention camps in northeast Syria.

Most of those held in the camps were rounded up during the final battles between Daesh militants and the SDF near Baghouz, a town in Deir al-Zor province, in 2019, and many women were victims of trafficking and forced marriages with Daesh militants, it noted.

Many countries have refused to repatriate their own nationals from the camps or have only repatriated small numbers of prisoners.

AANES has previously highlighted the difficult conditions it faces, including continuing conflict and a lack of resources to manage and maintain the prisons and camps.

It added members of the international community had failed to “fulfil their legal and moral obligations” by failing to repatriate their own nationals.

Iran constructing wall to fortify border with Afghanistan

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iranian Border Guards

The 4-meter-tall wall will block 300 kilometers of the over 900-kilometer border with Afghanistan, the Commander of the Army’s Ground Force Engineering Squad, General Ahmad Akbari, said.

The wall is expected to prevent drug trafficking and boost security for the residents in the border areas and the entire country amid the influx of illegal refugees from Afghanistan.

It will seal areas known for frequent illegal activities, including drug trafficking and the movement of outlaws.

The plan, revealed earlier this year, includes building the concrete wall, along with barbed wire, fencing, and proper roads along the borders.

Iran has been one of the main hosts for millions of Afghan refugees for decades who drain the country’s resources already strained by sanctions.

The flow of Afghan refugees into Iran has expedited since the 2021 takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Official sources put the number of Afghan refugees in Iran at 5 million.

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