'Genocide' and 'ethnic cleansing': Arab League summit calls for protection of Palestinians in Gaza


Sinan Mahmoud
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Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Leaders and dignitaries gathered at the Arab League summit in Baghdad on Saturday issued condemnation of Israel's war in Gaza, calling it “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” amid mounting humanitarian crisis.

In his opening speech, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid criticised the “systematic genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza by Israeli forces, renewing Iraq's opposition to their forcible displacement.

Mr Rashid called on Arab countries to “unify stances to face the mounting challenges”, adding: “We cannot compartmentalise the security we have in common”. He underlined that dialogue is the only way forward for a real solution to regional conflicts.

The annual meeting begun as Israel's army announced it was launching “initial stages” of another Gaza operation, and Palestinian officials said more than 100 people had been killed in the latest attacks.

The army said it had launched “extensive strikes” as part of the new offensive in Gaza.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said there was an urgent need to “stop the massacres” in the enclave and called for the doors of humanitarian aid to open and for a “responsible Arab position to save Gaza”.

“We saw the pictures of children in the hundreds fighting for a piece of bread that they might obtain or go back empty-handed,” said Mr Al Sudani, pledging $20 million to rebuild Gaza.

Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani attends the 34th Arab League Summit. AFP
Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani attends the 34th Arab League Summit. AFP

For his part, Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Aboul Gheit told the delegates that Israel is carrying out “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza as the world watches.

“It is shameful for a country to carry out ethnic cleansing on a people while the world is silent, and for the killing of children and civilians to become normal,” said Mr Aboul Gheit. He thanked Egypt and Qatar for their efforts in attempting to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

The summit's final communique will focus on “stopping the genocide in Palestine and will express support for the Syrian people’s choices, solidarity with Lebanon and Yemen and a call for political solutions in Sudan and Libya” an Iraqi diplomat told The National.

Gaza's Health Ministry on Saturday said 153 had been killed and 459 wounded in Israeli attacks since Friday.

In an announcement on Telegram, the Israeli army said it had begun the “initial stages” of the offensive, known as Operation Gideon’s Chariots.

The operation is part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all the war’s objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas,” it said in a post in Arabic.

A separate statement in English said the army was “mobilising troops to achieve operational control in areas of the Gaza Strip.”

The Arab Summit also comes a day after US President Donald Trump wrapped up his four-day tour of the Gulf, which took him to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

During the visit, Mr Trump said that “good things” would come to Gaza within the next month.

Mr Trump said he wanted to “help out” Palestinians as he acknowledged that “a lot of people are starving in Gaza”.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was the first Arab leader to arrive in Baghdad on Friday, followed by the President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, led the UAE delegation.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, were also in attendance.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, left, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the annual Arab League Summit. AP Photo
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, left, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the annual Arab League Summit. AP Photo

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had arrived for the summit along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has sharply criticised Israel's offensive in Gaza. He addressed the gathering as a guest of honour.

Among those missing the summit is Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara after an invitation from the Iraqi prime minister sparked protests over his past links to Al Qaeda. Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani will represent Damascus.

In an interview with Iraqi state TV late on Friday, Mr Al Shaibani expressed his country's desire for “full support from Arab brothers” in facing challenges and ensuring stability and security. “We want Syria to be stable and secure, free from foreign interference,” he said.

He emphasised the strong ties between Syria and Iraq, stating that their security is “common” and that they have had “high-level co-ordination” since the overthrow of Bashar Al Assad in December. He added that what “harms Iraq harms Syria, and what harms Syria harms Iraq.”

Syria is willing to develop ties in various fields, including politics, economics, and investment, Mr Al Shaibani added.

“We will go wherever Iraq chooses in this relationship,” he added.

Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

if you go

The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.

The trip 

Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.

Places to go for free coffee
  • Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day. 
  • La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
  • Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
  • Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

How to avoid crypto fraud
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The burning issue

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.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Premier League results

Saturday

Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2

Cardiff City 2 West Ham United 0

Huddersfield Town 0 Bournemouth 2

Leicester City 3 Fulham 1

Newcastle United 3 Everton 2

Southampton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Manchester City 3 Watford 1

Sunday

Liverpool 4 Burnley 2

Chelsea 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0

 

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
Results

Stage Two:

1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45

2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix

3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates

4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma

5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ

General Classification:

1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03

2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04

3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06

4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10

5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12

2019 ASIA CUP POTS

Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia

Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand

Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam

Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan

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Result

Tottenhan Hotspur 2 Roma 3
Tottenham: Winks 87', Janssen 90 1'

Roma 3
D Perotti 13' (pen), C Under 70', M Tumminello 90 2"

 

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

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How does ToTok work?

The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.

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RESULTS

Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)

Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)

Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)

Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)

Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)

Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)

Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)

Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)

Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)

MATCH INFO

Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)

Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14

Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)

Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31

Bangla Tigers win by six wickets

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

RESULTS

2.30pm Jaguar I-Pace – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt)
1,600m 

Winner Namrood, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
(trainer) 

3.05pm Land Rover Defender – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
1,400m 

Winner Shadzadi, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar 

3.40pm Jaguar F-Type – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m 

Winner Tahdeed, Fernando Jara, Nicholas Bachalard 

4.15pm New Range Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m 

Winner Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly 

4.50pm Land Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 2,400m 

Winner Autumn Pride, Bernardo Pinheiro, Helal Al Alawi 

5.25pm Al Tayer Motor – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000  T) 1,000m 

Winner Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi 

6pm Jaguar F-Pace SVR – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m 

Winner Scabbard, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson  

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: May 17, 2025, 4:05 PM`