UK, Australia and Canada express ‘deep concern’ over Israel’s approval of new settlement units in West Bank

LONDON: Britain, Australia and Canada have called on Israel’s government to reverse a decision to approve new settlement units in the West Bank, saying they are “deeply concerned” by an ongoing cycle of violence.

This week, Israel approved over 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank and earlier this month instituted changes to the settlement approval process which facilitate swifter approval of construction.



Iran’s Nour News dismisses Israel report of capturing Iranian agent

JERUSALEM: Iran’s state-run Nour News said on Friday Israel’s report that it had foiled an attack in Cyprus by capturing an Iranian agent was an effort to cover up its own domestic crisis.
Israel said on Thursday its Mossad intelligence service carried out an operation in Iran to capture the suspected leader of an Iranian plot to attack Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus.


UNRWA holds its 5th student parliament workshop 

AMMAN: The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has held its fifth student parliament workshop in Amman, exploring topics such as human rights, democratic practices, leadership, communications, and advocacy. 

The four-day event was attended by students from all of UNRWA’s operational areas, including the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. It allowed them to get to know each other, exchange experiences, and discuss future work plans.



How Syria’s self-administered northeast intends to bring captured foreign Daesh fighters to justice

QAMISHLI: The world breathed a collective sigh of relief in March 2019 when Daesh, the extremist group that had brought terror to vast swathes of the region since 2014, was finally defeated in its last territorial holdout of Baghouz, eastern Syria.

The battle for Daesh’s final enclave marked the end of the group’s so-called caliphate, which at its peak occupied an area spanning Syria and Iraq the size of Great Britain.



Lebanon abstains from UN vote on resolution over missing Syrians

BEIRUT: Lebanon abstained from voting on a UN resolution to establish an independent institution focused on learning the fate of around 130,000 missing or forcibly disappeared persons during the civil war in Syria.

The resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Thursday evening, with 83 votes in favor out of 193, 11 against and 62 abstentions, including some Arab states.