El-Sisi in Beijing to attend China-Arab cooperation forum

El-Sisi in Beijing to attend China-Arab cooperation forum
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on a state visit to China and to attend the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum after an invitation from President Xi Jinping. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 28 May 2024
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El-Sisi in Beijing to attend China-Arab cooperation forum

El-Sisi in Beijing to attend China-Arab cooperation forum
  • The visit coincides with the 10th anniversary of relations between Egypt and China
  • El-Sisi is also scheduled to meet the heads of several major Chinese companies

CAIRO: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Beijing on Tuesday on a state visit to China and to attend the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum after an invitation from President Xi Jinping.
El-Sisi will hold talks with Xi and senior Chinese officials focusing on ways to forge closer relations and unlock broader prospects for cooperation in several fields.
The visit coincides with the 10th anniversary of relations between Egypt and China being raised to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Ahmed Fahmy, spokesman for Egypt’s presidency, said the talks will also focus on regional and international issues of common interest, primarily the war in Gaza and ways to restore stability in the region and achieve the aspirations of its peoples for peace, security, and development.
El-Sisi is also scheduled to meet the heads of several major Chinese companies.
The meetings are expected to explore opportunities to attract more investment to Egypt in light of the state’s orientation toward enhancing mechanisms for the localization of industry and technology transfer.
Egypt is eager to collaborate closely with the private sector and encourage foreign direct investment.
El-Sisi will attend a meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, to be held on May 30, with the participation of the Chinese president and a number of Arab leaders.
The forum will discuss various aspects of China-Arab relations and ways to further advance them.
Egypt’s government said the forum is a framework for dialogue and cooperation between Arab states and China. Its founding document was signed in September 2004 at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo following a visit by the Chinese president.


Gazans rush to vaccinate children as new polio drive launches

Gazans rush to vaccinate children as new polio drive launches
Updated 56 min 29 sec ago
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Gazans rush to vaccinate children as new polio drive launches

Gazans rush to vaccinate children as new polio drive launches
  • “I have been vaccinated,” five children said proudly one by one, their inked fingers proof of their inoculation against polio
  • At tent camps for the displaced, schools-turned-shelters and health centers, parents brought babies, infants and teenagers for vaccines provided by UN agencies

KHAN YUNIS, Palestinian Territories: Children in Khan Yunis tilted their heads back, mouths open, as they received oral drops during the second phase of a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, which began on Thursday.
“I have been vaccinated,” five children said proudly one by one, their inked fingers proof of their inoculation against polio.
Gaza’s health ministry reported the first case of polio in 25 years last month, amid the devastating Israel-Hamas war in the Palestinian territory.
At tent camps for the displaced, schools-turned-shelters and health centers, parents brought babies, infants and teenagers for vaccines provided by UN agencies.
“I live in a tent next to a sewage pond with significant disease and epidemic issues, and mosquitoes and worms have affected us,” said Amani Ashur, 37, who brought his one-year-old son Abdul Rahman to be vaccinated.
Like most Gazans, Ashur has been displaced at least once, finding shelter in the Al-Amal neighborhood of Khan Yunis. His child, like many others, has fallen ill from diseases spreading through the makeshift shelters.
Gazans said they feared the spread of diseases due to the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in the camps and shelters.
“I was worried about my child, so I brought him to be vaccinated,” said Safaa Al-Balbisi, 34, about her two-year-old son Yahya.
“The war, lack of cleanliness, and living in tents and streets, along with the widespread sewage issues, have all contributed to the spread of diseases.”
Raafat Tuman, 46, brought his two-year-old son Adam to Khan Yunis’s Nasser hospital after learning of the campaign on social media.
“I decided to vaccinate my child to protect him from (polio) and other illnesses,” he said.
Hundreds of families gathered at a school-turned-shelter, waiting for the vaccines to arrive.
Thursday marked the fifth day of polio vaccinations in Gaza and the first in the south of the coastal territory.
UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) spokeswoman Louise Wateridge said the aim was to vaccinate 200,000 children against the disease during this phase.
So far, the vaccination drive was going as planned, said Majdi Dahir, Gaza health ministry technical director for the polio campaign.
“The campaign in the Central governorate proved to be highly successful, exceeding the target, which is very positive,” he said, hoping for similar success in the south.
Overall, the campaign aims to fully vaccinate more than 640,000 children in Gaza, with a third phase set to be launched in the north.
Wateridge warned, however, that “in the southern area it’s going to be more difficult to reach a lot of the population,” as the designated humanitarian zones — where Israel has agreed not to strike during the campaign — do not cover all children.
A relative lull in fighting in these areas has offered a brief respite to families after weeks of intense bombing and fighting.
There were still “a lot of strikes this morning and through the night,” Wateridge said, but “one thing I noticed yesterday was, you know, going an hour without hearing a bomb, you notice that.”


Tunisia’s law professors warn presidential election legitimacy at risk

Tunisia’s law professors warn presidential election legitimacy at risk
Updated 05 September 2024
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Tunisia’s law professors warn presidential election legitimacy at risk

Tunisia’s law professors warn presidential election legitimacy at risk
  • The warning came in a statement by scores of academics in Tunisia, where rights groups accuse President Kais Saied of unpicking the democracy introduced after the Arab Spring
  • Znaidi, Daimi and Mekki said they would continue their legal battle against what they say is a “fraud” by the commission aimed at paving the way for Saied to win a second term

TUNIS: Tunisian legal scholars warned on Thursday that the legitimacy of next month’s presidential election will be damaged if the electoral commission does not respect court decisions last week to reinstate three disqualified candidates.
The warning came in a statement by scores of academics in Tunisia, where rights groups accuse President Kais Saied of unpicking the democracy introduced after the Arab Spring.
Last week, the administrative court, the highest judicial body that adjudicates over electoral disputes, reinstated three prominent candidates, Mondher Znaidi, Abdellatif Mekki and Imed Daimi, in the Oct. 6 vote after the commission had rejected their candidacy.
But this week the election commission rejected the court ruling. It approved only the candidacies of Saied and two others, Zouhair Magzhaoui and Ayachi Zammel, for the election.
The decision has sparked widespread criticism among all parties, activists and rights groups.
Znaidi, Daimi and Mekki said they would continue their legal battle against what they say is a “fraud” by the commission aimed at paving the way for Saied to win a second term.
The statement, by about 90 law professors and academics widely seen as neutral in Tunisia’s complex political landscape, called on the commission “to abide by the Court’s decision to ensure the credibility of the electoral process and protect the rule of law.”
“The commission’s decision puts the electoral process at risk as it affects its credibility and integrity and necessarily leads to questioning the election results,” they added.
The public prosecutor on Wednesday ordered the detention of Zammel after he was arrested on suspicion of falsifying popular endorsements. Zammel has denied wrongdoing and says he is being intimidated because he is serious rival in the race.
Saied was democratically elected in 2019 then tightened his grip on power and began ruling by decree in 2021 in a move the opposition described as a coup. He said last year he would not hand over Tunisia to “non-patriots.”


Alleged Hezbollah financier expected to plead guilty in US sanctions case

Alleged Hezbollah financier expected to plead guilty in US sanctions case
Updated 05 September 2024
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Alleged Hezbollah financier expected to plead guilty in US sanctions case

Alleged Hezbollah financier expected to plead guilty in US sanctions case
  • Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said in a court filing on Thursday that lawyers for Mohammad Bazzi told them he wishes to change his plea
  • He pleaded not guilty last year to three felony counts, including attempting to transact with a sanctioned terrorist organization.

NEW YORK: A dual Lebanese-Belgian citizen accused by the United States of financing Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is expected to plead guilty in a criminal case charging him with sanctions evasion and money-laundering conspiracies.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said in a court filing on Thursday that lawyers for Mohammad Bazzi told them he wishes to change his plea. Bazzi, 60, pleaded not guilty last year to three felony counts, including attempting to transact with a sanctioned terrorist organization.
Bazzi’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US Treasury Department placed Bazzi on its sanctions list in 2018 over his alleged ties to Hezbollah, which Washington considers a terrorist organization.
Prosecutors said Bazzi covertly sold real estate he owned in Michigan and transferred the funds abroad, in violation of those sanctions.
Bazzi was extradited to the United States in April 2023 from Romania, where he had been arrested two months prior.
Prosecutors and Bazzi’s lawyers jointly asked US District Judge Dora Irizarry to schedule a hearing later this month for Bazzi to change his plea.


‘Justice must be seen to be done,’ ICC chief prosecutor says regarding arrest warrants for Israeli ministers

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan. (File/AFP)
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan. (File/AFP)
Updated 05 September 2024
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‘Justice must be seen to be done,’ ICC chief prosecutor says regarding arrest warrants for Israeli ministers

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan. (File/AFP)
  • Khan told the BBC that he had been pressured by some world leaders not to issue the warrants
  • The request for the warrants has yet to be approved by ICC judges

LONDON: After seeking an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in May, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has said that justice must be seen to be done.

Speaking to the BBC’s “Political Thinking with Nick Robinson” radio program, Karim Khan said it was important to show that the ICC would hold all nations to the same standard in relation to alleged war crimes.

He also welcomed the new British government’s decision to drop opposition to the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

“There’s a difference of tone and, I think, of substance in relation to international law by the new government. And I think that’s welcome,” he told Robinson.

Khan had also sought warrants for three Hamas leaders, two of whom have since been killed.

The prosecutor said the court needed to request warrants for leaders on both sides of the war to ensure people around the world saw that the court was applying “the law equally based upon some common standards.”

Khan said: “If one had applied for warrants in relation to Israeli officials and not for Gaza, (some would) say: ‘Well, this is an obscenity’ and ‘How on earth is that possible?’

“You can’t have one approach for countries where there’s support, whether it’s NATO support, European support (or) powerful countries behind you, and a different approach where you have clear jurisdiction,” he added.

Khan said in May that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity from Oct. 7 onwards.

The request for the warrants has yet to be approved by ICC judges.

Khan said Israel’s prime minister and defense minister were suspected of crimes including starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, murder, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, and extermination.

He accused the Hamas leaders of crimes including extermination, murder, hostage taking, rape and sexual violence, and torture.

Israel and Hamas have both rejected the allegations. US President Joe Biden said the application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders was “outrageous.”

Khan told the BBC that he had been pressured by some world leaders not to issue warrants.

“Several leaders and others told me and advised me and cautioned me,” he said.

Khan also told the BBC that unlike his critics, he had reviewed the evidence the warrant requests were based on.

“I have one advantage at least. Hopefully, even they will concede, I’ve seen the evidence. They haven’t,” he said.

“The application is not public. It is confidential. It is filed to the chamber. So, they are guessing what evidence has been submitted,” he said.


UK may suspend more arms export licenses to Israel over war crimes fears: Report

Israeli military vehicles maneuver during an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP)
Israeli military vehicles maneuver during an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP)
Updated 05 September 2024
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UK may suspend more arms export licenses to Israel over war crimes fears: Report

Israeli military vehicles maneuver during an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP)
  • Britain reportedly concerned also about Tel Aviv’s actions in West Bank
  • Govt had on Monday suspended 30 of 350 arms export licenses to Israel

LONDON: The UK may suspend more arms export licenses to Israel over fears that the weapons would be used to violate international humanitarian law in Gaza and the West Bank.

Export licenses are reviewed every six weeks and ministers could act again should more evidence of potential war crimes emerge, The Times reported on Thursday citing a government source.

“No one’s patting themselves on the back and declaring an end to the matter,” the source said.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Monday that Britain would immediately suspend 30 of its 350 arms export licenses with Israel because there was a risk such equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law.

Lammy said the decision to suspend the licenses did not amount to a blanket ban or an arms embargo, but only involved those that could be used in Israel’s war on Gaza.

“We recognize, of course, Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods that Israel’s employed, and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure particularly,” Lammy told parliament.

A summary of the government’s legal position published on Monday cited “credible” claims that Palestinian prisoners of war were being mistreated and “insufficient” supply of aid to Gaza as reasons for the weapons embargo.

According to the legal advice, the government was unable to reach a “determinative judgment” about Israel’s conduct of hostilities in Gaza, where there is an “opaque and contested information environment.”

There has been significant international coverage from the West Bank, unlike in Gaza where Israel has blocked foreign journalists from reporting on the conflict.

According to the government source, Lammy has condemned recent Israeli military operations in the West Bank, and a deterioration of the security situation in the occupied territory could prompt further action.

However, the source added there were few weapons exported from Britain that were likely to be used in the West Bank that have not already been covered by the existing ban.

Britain’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel was roundly criticized on Tuesday with some British politicians and Jewish groups accusing the Labour government of abandoning Israel, while others said the decision did not go far enough.

Although Britain is a smaller exporter of arms to Israel than the US and Germany, the decision was seen by some analysts as a sign of Tel Aviv’s increasing diplomatic isolation.