Palestinian Authority should control Gaza with no armed groups, Jordan’s Foreign Minister says


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Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told a panel discussion at Davos on Wednesday that no armed groups should operate in postwar Gaza outside the control of the Palestinian Authority, which he said should assume control of the enclave.

Without mentioning Hamas, which currently governs the strip, Mr Safadi said at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort that the PA “should exclusively control matters of war and peace, with no armed groups operating outside its authority”. He said a two-state solution was the only way to escape the cycle of violence in the region, urging all parties to ensure the ceasefire holds.

Establishing an independent sovereign state for the Palestinian people is the only path to achieving a just and comprehensive peace, he added. Gaza and the West Bank should be one entity while Israel's security must be guaranteed, the minister said.

Mr Safadi said Gaza was a "wasteland" and urged the international community to immediately provide large amounts of humanitarian aid to all areas of the enclave. “Priority number one is to get the ceasefire to hold, then we need to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid immediately ... then we can start talking about reconstruction," he said.

More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in 15 months of war in Gaza, with more than twice that number injured, according to Gaza's health authorities. A fragile ceasefire took hold on Sunday after more than a year of negotiations mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people were displaced by the fighting and large, built-up areas have been reduced to rubble. The minister also said Lebanon and its institutions should be supported as the country recovers from the war with Israel, and that Syrians should be helped to build a free, unified, and sovereign nation after the fall of the dictator Bashar Al Assad last month.

He said Saudi Arabia would play a vital role in bringing peace to the Middle East and that leadership was key. “There is a moment of opportunity in the region with all that's happening in Lebanon and Syria ... we should not leave the future of the region to radicals”.

What is an FTO Designation?

FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes. 

It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.

Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.

Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.

Source: US Department of State

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly

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Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Recent winners

2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)              

2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

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Red flags
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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Established: 2008

Prize money:  $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.

Winning novels: 13

Shortlisted novels: 66

Longlisted novels: 111

Total number of novels submitted: 1,780

Novels translated internationally: 66

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

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Updated: January 22, 2025, 1:37 PM`