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sure of sanctions under pandemic Outlaw... conditions, Washington like Brussels (Continued From Page One) decided to prolong measures against Syria,” Putin told the conference. Palestinian Civil Society Rejects general and the UN Security Council “In addition, new sanctions pre- in particular are facing an important de- sumably aimed at economically suf- cision,” Zarif told the council. “Do we focating Syria have been adopted.” maintain respect of the rule of law, or Erdogan said ’s “fundamen- do we return to the law of the jungle by tal priorities are to safeguard Syria’s EU’s Conditional Funding surrendering to the whims of an outlaw political unity and territorial integ- bully?” rity, restore peace on the ground and WEST BANK (Dispatches) – Palestinian civil The Trump administration this month find a lasting political solution to the circulated a draft resolution to extend conflict”. society organizations have formed a national the arms embargo on Iran, but veto- “We will continue to do what we campaign that rejects the European Union’s con- wielding China and Russia signaled can to restore peace and security to ditional funding based its so-called “anti-terror they would not support the U.S. plan. our neighbor Syria as soon as pos- clause”. European powers also reacted coolly to sible,” said the Turkish president. The stipulation, which was included in EU the resolution, but Foreign Policy said After delivering their opening they were expected to introduce their grant proposals late last year, identifies at least statements, the three presidents were own stopgap proposal to extend parts of to discuss Syria in private. seven Palestinian political parties as “terrorist the arms embargo for up to six months. Putin said Iran, Russia and Turkey groups”, and calls for Palestinian civil society Iran is impossible to agree to anything had drafted a joint statement “re- organizations to vet individuals to ensure they short of a total lifting of the arms em- flecting the harmonized approaches are not affiliated with such parties. bargo. of the three countries towards further Pompeo said that if the United Na- However, these organizations have described action”. tions did not extend the arms embargo, “Among other things, it set out the these conditions as “criminalizing” the Pales- it would pave the way for Iran to pro- task of destroying terrorist groups tinian national struggle against the Zionist re- cure advanced military hardware from once and for all and advancing the gime’s occupation. Russia and China that would undercut political process,” he said. “The EU’s imposition of the clause and re- regional stability and potentially threat- As well as Idlib, Turkey also con- en capitals in Europe and even South strictive measures constitutes the criminaliza- trols a stretch of territory along its Asia—reiterating misleading claims he border in neighboring Aleppo prov- tion of the Palestinian liberation struggle and its made last week about the operational ince following a series of military freedom fighters based on Western criteria and range of high-end Russian and Chinese offensives since 2016. standards,” said Lubnah Shomali, the spokes- fighters. woman for the anti-EU conditional funding “If you fail to act, Iran will be free to purchase Russian-made fighter jets Zionists... campaign. that can strike up to a 3,000-kilometer (Continued From Page One) “It does not take into consideration the legal A Palestinian woman drums of a cooking pot during a protest against a U.S. decision to cut funding radius, putting cities like Riyadh, New status of Palestine under international law - as Delhi, Rome, and Warsaw in Iranian international criticism. The United to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), outside an aid distribution center, in the a country and a people facing oppression and a crosshairs,” Pompeo told the council Nations, the European Union and key city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip ,on September 4, 2018. foreign colonial domination.” during Tuesday’s virtual meeting. Arab countries have all said the annexa- campaign as being forced to play the role of a Center for Research and Development, said In Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani tion would violate international law and According to Article 1.5 of Annex II listed in said the UN Security Council meet- undermine the already diminished pros- the “General conditions applicable to European “security accomplice against its people”. signing the so-called ‘anti-terrorist clause’ rep- ing once again put on display another pects of establishing a viable indepen- Union-financed grant contracts for external This will create a situation in which recipient resents an agreement with the EU position. American political defeat for the world dent Palestinian state. Even close allies, actions”, several Palestinian factions - includ- organizations are forced to determine who can “The vetting process includes banning anyone to see. like Britain, have opposed it. ing Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and the Popular and cannot benefit or participate in EU-funded involved in a potential project that was ever ar- The Americans, he said, might think In a front-page article in the Yediot projects, Shomali told Al Jazeera. rested by ,” Hussein said. they have made some gains in their eco- Ahronot daily, one of Israel’s largest Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) – nomic pressure on Iran, but “they have newspapers, British Prime Minister Bo- are allegedly listed as ‘terrorist’ groups or enti- “Such policing actions fall under the purview “This is completely devoid of the context of certainly failed politically, legally and ris Johnson wrote that as a “passionate ties on the EU’s sanctions list. of states and government agencies, not civil or- our reality, which is living under an Israeli oc- morally on numerous occasions during defender of Israel,” he was particularly The clause also calls on civil organizations to ganizations,” she said, adding the credibility of cupation. Are we, as civil society organizations the past three and a half years”. troubled by its intentions. He noted his screen individuals involved in projects based Palestinian organizations will suffer in terms of that work for the betterment of Palestinian so- “Yesterday, they suffered another de- long links to the occupying regime, dat- their relationship with civil society. ciety, supposed to vet everyone who has been feat,” Rouhani told a cabinet session ing back to when volunteered on a kib- on the EU Restrictive Measures - which have Wednesday. butz as an 18-year-old and his “many been denounced by the Palestinian national Hanan Hussein, who works with the Bisan arrested by Israel?” The president went on to say that Teh- visits” since then. ran will meet all its obligations under Johnson warned annexation “would the nuclear agreement provided that the put in jeopardy” the gains Israel has remaining sides do the same. made in recent years in improving rela- Senior Commander Defects From UAE-Backed He further criticized France, Britain tions with the Arab world. and Germany for failing to keep up their The Zionist entity captured the West end of the bargain following Washing- Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast Militants to Ansarullah ton’s exit from the nuclear deal, which war. The international community con- SANAA (Dispatches) – A bureau, Mohammed Al- UAE. UAE-backed Yemeni forces prompted Tehran to take a set of retalia- siders the territory occupied land, and senior military commander Bukhaiti, announced that According to Al-Bukhaiti, Al- fighting against the Houthis tory measures. Israel’s more than 120 settlements there has defected from UAE-backed Brigadier General Abdulma- Abyadh joined the ranks of the operating under interchange- “We waited for a whole year and re- illegal. The , who seek all of militants in Yemen’s West lik Al-Abyadh who was chief Houthi forces to fight against able umbrella names of “Joint mained committed to all of our obliga- the West Bank as part of a future state, tions, but they did not do anything. In have rejected the Trump plan. Coast Front and was received of advanced operations under the occupiers and issued an Forces” and “National Re- the second year, we gradually took five Several thousand Palestinians marched by the Houthi Ansarullah forc- Tariq Saleh’s so-called “Re- apology to the homeland. sistance Forces”, included in steps away from the deal. Again, they in Gaza City for a “day of rage” on es in the capital Sana’a. publican Guards”, which are In addition to the so-called these are Tariq Saleh’s Re- did not do anything,” Rouhani said. Wednesday to protest the annexation Houthi spokesperson and loyal to the Saudi-led coali- Southern Transitional Coun- publican Guards formed in Rouhani warned that the Islamic Re- plans, one of several demonstrations member of their political tion and are supported by the cil (STC), there are various 2018. public would take a decisive action if that were expected in Palestinian areas. the U.S. undermined the nuclear deal, The protesters waved Palestinian flags apparently meaning if it succeeded in and held signs calling the plan a “decla- having the UN extend the arms embargo ration of war” on the Palestinian people. Boat With 60 Refugees on Board Sinks in Turkey’s Van on Iran. The rally ended peacefully by the early afternoon. Israel has built scores of set- ISTANBUL (Dispatches) – A boat that sank in Lake Van in eastern Tur- According to them, the boat, which had a capacity of 20, was overloaded tlements in the West Bank that are now key is believed to have been carrying up to 60 refugees and migrants when it and sank after it travelled nearly 8km (5 miles) in lake waters. occupied by nearly 500,000 Zionists. went down in stormy weather, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. Haberturk television said the refugees and migrants in the boat were Putin... The international community considers Speaking to reporters in Van province on Wednesday, Soylu said au- believed to be from Pakistan and Afghanistan. (Continued From Page One) the area occupied and its settlements to thorities detained 11 people in connection with the incident, which the In December, seven people had died, and 64 were rescued when a boat be illegal. Netanyahu has defended his in Syria and the region in general.” provincial governor’s office said took place late on Saturday. carrying refugees and migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghani- annexation plan on both security and Putin raised similar concerns. He religious grounds and says the friendly Search and rescue operations continue, he said, adding that six bodies stan sank on Lake Van. said the objective of the conference Trump administration has provided a have been recovered so far. He said a total of 11 other people had been More than a million people reached Greece from Turkey in 2015 and was to analyze the situation and rare opportunity to redraw the occupied detained in connection with the tragedy. 2016, although the numbers dropped sharply under a 2016 agreement be- agree on steps “to ensure the long- borders. He is eager to move forward “The information the interior minister has is dependent on the testimo- tween the European Union and Turkey on Ankara taking back refugees in term normalization in Syria”. before November’s U.S. presidential nies of witnesses,” said Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Is- return for funds. “Above all, it is a question of con- election, especially with Trump’s re- tanbul. Earlier this year, tens of thousands of refugees tried to cross into Greece tinuing the fight against international election prospects in question, and made terrorism,” he said. She said the head of a nearby village reported the sinking of the boat to via land and sea borders after Ankara said it would no longer stop them. sure that the coalition agreement for his “The most tense situation is still new regime included the July 1 date for the police, and the search for the sunken vessel is still under way. Turkey, home to 3.6 million Syrians, the world’s largest refugee popula- being observed in territories outside him to introduce a plan to parliament. Local officials told Koseoglu that multiple traffickers who claimed to tion, had said it would open the frontier because it was alarmed by the the control of the Syrian army, par- be on the boat when it sank gave their testimonies to the local authorities. prospect of another wave of refugees fleeing war in northwest Syria. ticularly in the de-escalation zone of Idlib and in northeastern Syria. How... “We need to actively help advance (Continued From Page 2) an inclusive inter-Syrian dialogue,” Egypt Sentences One Monk to Death, Another to Life for Abbot’s Killing said the Russian leader. The Raad 2’s hull seems to be the CAIRO (AFP) – An Egyptian court upheld a fied “differences” between the bishop and crimes”, according to a court official. Idlib is held by Takfiri terrorists Iranian Boragh, itself a copy of the and other groups, some of them death sentence for one Coptic monk and life in the two monks. “(Their) status as monks did not stop them Soviet-designed BMP-1, a 1960s-era backed by Turkey, which has de- amphibious armored personnel carri- prison for another over the killing of the abbot Isaiah, whose original name is Wael Saad from carrying out this crime, the place of the ployed forces in several military er. Like the BMP-1, the Boragh has of a desert monastery in 2018, a judicial source Tawadros, was later defrocked. crime did not deter them, and they did not posts in the region as part of a 2018 dual tracks, though the hull is an odd said. An earlier sentence passed down in April care about the advanced age of the victim or deal with Russia. choice for a mobile artillery piece, as In a case that shocked the Middle East’s 2019 condemned them both to death. his religious status,” it said. Putin also denounced as “illegiti- the platform is relatively small, and largest religious minority, Bishop Epipha- It was later referred to Egypt’s Grand Muf- In the wake of the bishop’s killing, Egypt’s mate” a new raft of U.S. sanctions at first glance lacks the suspension nius was found with a bleeding head wound ti, the country’s top theological authority, Coptic Church placed a one-year moratori- against Syria. He stressed “the nega- and track width to support a large ar- after being bludgeoned to death in July 2018. who is required by law to give his legally um on accepting new monks. tive impact of the sanctions put in tillery system like the Raad 2. Most place against Syria, bypassing the self-propelled howitzers are not am- Epiphanius was the abbot of the Saint Ma- non-binding opinion in cases of capital pun- It also banned monks from social media, UN Security Council”. phibious like the BMP-1, due to their carius monastery in the plains of Wadi al- ishment. tightened financial controls and refocused The Caesar Act, which took effect high curb weight, which tends to be Natrun, northwest of the capital Cairo. Wednesday’s verdict, which cannot be ap- attention on spiritual life. in mid-June, punishes under U.S. quite top-heavy. Prosecutors said one of the monks, Isaiah, pealed after the Cassation Court upheld it, Coptic Christians make up about 10-15 per- law any company that works with The Raad 2 likely has a crew of confessed to beating the cleric with a metal reduced the sentence for Philotheos to life in cent of Egypt’s predominantly Muslim popu- Syria. The measures have cast a three, similar to a tank crew—gun- bar as the second monk, Philotheos, kept prison. lation of over 100 million. cloud over efforts to rebuild the war- ner, commander, and driver. Some ravaged country. watch. The court said in last year’s ruling the de- The country’s vast desert is home to some later models have been reported to “Despite the call from the UN Sec- have a higher output diesel engine of Authorities blamed the killing on unspeci- fendants had carried out “one of the greatest of Christianity’s oldest monasteries. retary-General for easing the pres- Ukrainian origin.