Category: General

Scores of Palestinians rallied today in the village of Saffa, to the west of Ramallah, in protest of Israeli plans to confiscate large swathes of Palestinian lands in the village in favor of the construction of an industrial complex for Israeli settlers, according to local sources. During the rally, held immediately following the Friday prayer and sermon, the protesters shouted slogans condemning the Israeli colonial settlement policy and affirming their right to their own lands that are at risk of confiscation by the Israeli occupation authorities. Israel has already confiscated nearly 400 dunums of Palestinian lands in the village for the construction of an industrial complex for Israeli settlers.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Armed Israeli settlers today assaulted and opened fire on Palestinians in the Ein Samia village, east of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, according to local sources. They said that as the villagers headed to their farmland in the village, they were shocked to find out that dozens of armed settlers, under army protection, barged their way into the area. The settlers opened live ammunition and fired barrages of bombs towards the villagers, but there was not any injury. On 21 May 2023 overnight, according to the Israeli human rights organization BTselem, the last residents of the community of ‘Ein Samia, a community next to Ramallah that was home to about 200 residents, were forced to leave their land. Israel has made their lives unbearable, leaving residents with no other choice. For years, residents of the community have suffered from violence carried out by Israeli forces, from settler violence carried out with the full backing of the State, and from extreme restrictions on building homes and infrastructure, as well as demolitions. The community’s school is set to be demolished soon, following a recent court approval. In his article, Israeli journalist Gideon Levy said that most of the villagers’ property had been left in their village, to which they feared to return. Israeli settlers had rushed in to forcibly appropriate its lands, use their fields for grazing, and prevent their return – even clearing away some of their furniture. ‘This displacement, spurred by violent settler abuse, is not an isolated incident. It is the ‘silent transfer’ model in all its ugliness: a systematic scheme that serves the settlers’ vision to ultimately remove all Palestinians from the occupied West Bank,’ he said. ‘From the Bedouin and Palestinian standpoint, Ein Samia is unequivocal proof that the Nakba, the Palestinian national catastrophe that accompanied Israel’s founding in 1948, is still not over. It has continued mostly without interruption since then; the catastrophe has not ended.’ ‘Israel continues using the same methods with the same national goals. The ultimate intention has been revealed as a state for all Jews – and for Jews only, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Ein Samia is the model for what some term the second Palestinian Nakba. Only the international community can prevent this from happening.’

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

On his way back from China, President Mahmoud Abbas made a stop today in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, where he met with the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov. During the meeting, President Abbas briefed his Kyrgyz counterpart on the latest developments in Palestine, the ongoing Israeli occupation violations against our people, the unilateral Israeli measures of settlements and daily killings, and the attacks on Christian and Islamic sanctities in Jerusalem by Israeli occupation forces. President Abbas also briefed Japarov of the talks he recently held with the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping. After the meeting, the President of Kyrgyzstan held a luncheon in honor of President Mahmoud Abbas and his accompanying delegation.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim AlKhorayef met with Roland Weigert, Vice Minister in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs,

Regional Development and Energy, during his official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany.

The two sides discussed ways to enhance the Saudi-German partnership, exchange expertise, and promising investment opportunities between the two countries in the industrial and mining sectors.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, has met Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, as part of his working visit to Bangkok.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the meeting touched upon relations between the UAE and Thailand and means to further develop prospects for joint cooperation between the two countries in various fields, especially the economic and investment ones.

They also reviewed the efforts of the two countries to reach a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) following the signing of the joint statement last May to announce the launch of relevant talks between the two sides.

Shaikh Abdullah and Pramudwinai also reviewed a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed commended the UAE’s developed relations with Thailand, highlighting both countries’ interest in strengthening these relations, developing their joint cooperation and establishing a comprehensive partnership that supports their efforts to achieve sustainable development.

He reiterated that both countries are keen to promote their cooperation on the economic level, and in this regard, many initiatives were launched, including the establishment of the first Emirati-Thai Business Council in February 2023.

Source: Bahrain News Agency

House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Friday welcomed at his Ain Al-Tineh residence, MP Elias Bou Saab, who said in the wake of the meeting: “I suggested to Speaker Berri that we hold early parliamentary elections in case we are unable to complete presidential elections.” ‘Dialogue is the best was out, and the House Speaker has every intention to call for a second session to elect a president,’ he added.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

The head of the Turkmen Parliamentary Bloc, MP Arshad Al-Salihi, congratulated the press family on the occasion of the anniversary of the Iraqi Press Day, the 154th anniversary of the issuance of the first issue of Al-Zawraa newspaper in 1869.

In his congratulation, Al-Salihi said: “On the 154th anniversary of the Iraqi Journalism Day, I extend my congratulations and blessings to the press family, wishing all those working in the field of news industry and information progress and prosperity.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agency announced, on Friday, the seizure of a large amount of oil derivatives inside a plant for the production of oxidized asphalt, illegally in Basra.

The agency stated in a statement, that its detachments were able, based on accurate intelligence information, to seize a plant for the production of oxidized asphalt in Basra Governorate, which is used for trading and recycling oil and its derivatives informally.

It added that: “Inside the factory, cylindrical tanks with a capacity of (5 tons) were seized containing an oil product that is believed to be (kerosene), in addition to a large pit containing an oil product of unknown quantity and quality, and a ground tank with a capacity of (10) tons.”

It confirmed that “the seized materials were dealt with duly and handed over with the accused to the concerned authorities.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Minister of Interior, “Abdul Amir Al-Shammari,” arrived in Maysan Governorate, this morning, Thursday, to find out about the security situation in the governorate.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The head of the National Wisdom Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, called for protecting and honoring journalists, preserving mechanisms for expressing opinion, and ensuring freedom of the press without restricting its movement.

Al-Hakim said in a statement on the occasion of the National Day of the Iraqi Press: “As we celebrate the 154th anniversary of the founding of the Iraqi national press, we express our pride in its heritage and leadership in the region and the world.”

He stressed the need to ensure freedom of the press without restricting its movement, as long as it plays a national role that contributes to building Iraq and preserving the unity of its people through coverage and constructive criticism.

The head of the National Wisdom Movement called for protecting and honoring journalists, preserving mechanisms for expressing opinion, expanding and investing the space of freedom and democracy available in our country within legal and ethical frameworks.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

A Palestinian young man was martyred and two others were wounded, one of whom was in a critical condition, when the Israeli occupation forces stormed the city of Nablus in the West Bank at dawn on Thursday.

WAFA news agency quoted medical sources at al-Najah Hospital in Nablus as saying that the young man, Khalil Yahya al-Anis, from Al-Ain camp, succumbed to his bullet wounds.

Two young men were also shot in the head and thigh, one of whom was in a critical condition, and another was run over by an occupation vehicle, while 170 others suffered from suffocation due to inhaling toxic gas fired at them by Israeli forces, according to the Agency.

The news agency added that the occupation forces prevented the medical staff from reaching the injured, targeted an ambulance with a gas bomb, and opened fire on another.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

On the centennial anniversary of the establishment of Damascus University, a remote electronic platform was launched in cooperation with “T’azur Foundation for Development” at the university’s presidency building, and a medicinal and aromatic plants’ garden and the butterfly exhibition were opened in the College of Agriculture.

The educational laboratory for the magnetic resonance imaging machine, the high voltage laboratory, and the Smart Networks Research Center were also inaugurated, in addition to the opening of Martyr Basil al-Assad gymnasium in the Faculty of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, in addition to the opening of the Center for the Development of Digital Medical Education in the Faculty of Human Medicine at the university.

In a press release, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Bassam Ibrahim stated that Damascus University represents a scientific edifice, of which “we are proud with all its buildings, faculties, staff, students, and graduates.”

President of the National Union of Syrian Students, Dareen Suleiman, stressed that Damascus University is one of Syria and the Arab world’s most important and oldest universities, with many notable scientific, political, and academic figures graduating from it.

She also underlined that the opening of laboratories equipped with modern devices and high educational and research value is the most significant aspect of today’s celebratory activities, despite all the challenges and unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria.

University of Damascus is celebrating Thursday the centennial anniversary of Resolution No. 132’s issuance. The resolution regulated the Syrian University, which consisted of the Medical Institute, Law Institute, Arab Scientific Assembly, and Damascus Museum on June 15, 1923. As a result, it is the oldest government-owned university in the Arab world.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency