Written by: Bakr Awaida

During an internet research tour earlier this week on the latest developments in the relationship between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, I was drawn to more than one important development that would draw the attention of observers of the developments of a relationship that has been important over the centuries, like the relations of neighboring countries with each other in all the different continents of the world. Of course, Gaza is not officially a state - at least not yet - but is part of the internationally recognized state of Palestine. Truth be told, this fact is something that has always been confirmed by the “Hamas” authority that has been ruling the Strip since the summer of 2007, although it distances its administration from the official government of Ramallah as far as those who do not want any rapprochement, as if the two are from a different planet. During the research, and based on the premise that every event that means the general public deserves to be given precedence over others, I found myself stopping, first, in front of news published by “Al-Masry Al-Youm” website last Friday, in which it stated that the Rafah crossing witnessed the movement of 6,693 passengers in both directions during the period from the fifth to the ninth of March. The report, written by Khaled Mohamed for the website, expands and includes in detail that 3,163 people crossed into Egyptian territory from the Strip, compared to 3,530 travelers crossing from Egypt to Gaza, during the aforementioned period.

In a context not far from the concerns of the general public as well, reports published by several websites that referred to an important development project taking place in North Sinai caught my attention. For example, Egypt began to modernize the road networks between Egypt and the Gaza Strip and build new roads, including a fourteen-kilometer road that connects Rafah to the Kerem Shalom crossing, where the border triangle between Egypt and Palestine is located, and another that connects Rafah and the Suez Canal directly across the desert. Passing through Sheikh Zuweid, Al-Arish, Bir Al-Abd, and Al-Qantara East, and it will allow access to Cairo without passing through the cities of North Sinai.

Realistically, it can be said: Egypt's economic interests and its strategic security necessities have always required Cairo's keenness to distinguish relations with Palestine in general, and the Gaza Strip in particular, with a clear vision based on unshakable elements, and the visions of people whose agendas may differ at some point do not affect their strength. What, with the requirements of a common destiny relationship originated since ancient times. in this context; It is known that the relationship between Egypt and Gaza predates the modern era by several centuries, as it, by virtue of its geographical location, dates back to the Pharaonic era. essential. Moreover, Gaza was the first Palestinian city that the Islamic Army of Conquest, led by Amr ibn al-Aas, entered in 635 AD, coming to it from Egypt.

Since that distant time, up to the contemporary time, the rule of Gaza passed between the hands of more than one ruler, each of whom belonged to the power that prevailed during a specific stage. It is also known that the rule of the sector, since the loss of most of Palestine in the Nakba of 1948, was entrusted to Egypt, and it remained so until the rest of the Palestinian lands were lost by virtue of the situation that resulted in the 1967 catastrophe. However, the shadows of the ghosts of the Israeli occupation are still looming uneasily when it comes to the full independence of the Gaza Strip.

Such a situation will not negate the fact that the relationship between Egypt and Gaza was, and always will be, a relationship of a common destiny. I was a boy when I witnessed with my own eyes one of the truest examples of this fateful relationship. This happened sixty-six years ago from this day, specifically on Thursday corresponding to the fourteenth of March 1957. On that day, the young Muhammad al-Musharraf climbed the flagpole of the government brigades to lower the flag of the international emergency forces and put the Egyptian flag, in response to ideas that were being proposed at the time regarding the internationalization of the Gaza Strip. After the defeat of the Israeli forces, and the failure of the 1956 British-French-Israeli aggression against Egypt. This relationship of common destiny will remain one of the facts of history and geography that no emergency circumstance will succeed in canceling, no matter how long that circumstance takes. In agreement with the "Middle East"

By: Gershon Baskin

In demonstrations to save Israeli democracy, I carry a sign that says, "No democracy with occupation." It's not a very common sign and at every demonstration some people feel compelled to tell me it's not in the right place. My answer to them is that these words are essential to the struggle for Israel's democracy and if they don't like it, they have to deal with it. For me, this is the crux of my objection. I know that the majority of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets are not there because of the occupation. Most Israelis still accept the anomaly in the concept of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. I also once believed that Israel could be a democratic nation-state for the Jewish people. I can't believe it anymore. Many years of systematic discrimination against Palestinian citizens of Israel. Many years of Israeli occupation and control over millions of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Many years of talking about the Palestinians as a "demographic threat". Israel is not a democracy and cannot be based on Jewish supremacy, which means the preference for Jewish citizens of Israel. The unfortunate truth is that for 75 years we have maintained a facade of democracy. We can even convince the majority of Israelis that there is real democracy. We can even make the majority of the member states of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development believe that Israel is a democracy. But if we are really honest with ourselves, we all know that democracy and inequality cannot exist together. No honest Israeli citizen can claim that the Palestinian citizens of Israel live as equal citizens of the State of Israel. Israel has never seriously considered issuing a Basic Law of equality for all of its citizens. No honest Israeli can claim that military control over millions of Palestinians without the most basic civil, human and political rights can truly be called democratic. No one on the right wing of Israeli politics has any plan for the future of the Occupied Territories (even if they call it liberated Judea and Samaria) that includes equality and democracy for the Palestinians who live there. Most leftists still cling to the two-state solution, which may be unworkable for the territories, and do not consider any real democratic option, including equality.

Since the founding of the State of Israel in 1948, more than 900 towns (villages, towns, and cities) have been built for Israeli Jews, but none for Palestinian citizens of Israel except for a small number of towns planned by the government to house Palestinians displaced from their lands and communities of origin by Israel. There are also dozens of Palestinian villages and communities in Israel, some of which predate the establishment of the state, which are not recognized by the government, receive no government services, and are not even included in official maps. Only about 3% of the total land in Israel falls under the authority of Palestinian municipalities, even though Palestinian citizens of Israel make up 21% of the population.

The Israeli government directly controls 93% of the land in Israel and systematically discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel in its allocation through official agencies such as the Israel Land Authority and the quasi-governmental Jewish National Fund. Combined with the discriminatory admissions committee law, approximately 80% of state land is off-limits to Palestinian citizens of Israel, who face significant legal obstacles in accessing this land for residential, agricultural, or commercial development. Just drive near the Palestinian towns and cities in Israel and witness the massive traffic. For example, it is very clear that something is very wrong with driving from the beautiful and spacious Zikhron Ya'aqov, south of Haifa, to Fureidis which is more like a Brazilian favela than a place anyone would like to live.

Citizenship and Entry into Israel Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip (including those expelled from the towns and villages that became Israel in 1948) who are married to Palestinian citizens of Israel are denied residency or citizenship. The law forces thousands of Palestinian citizens of Israel to leave Israel or live apart from their spouses and families. This law has been renewed every few years since the second intifada in 2000, although there is no real security justification for its renewal. It's all about demographics - which means it's all about racism and discrimination.
The Law of Return allows Jews from anywhere in the world to immigrate to Israel and obtain automatic citizenship, regardless of their family origin, while denying the original Palestinians the right to return to the lands from which they were expelled during the establishment of Israel, which prevents the reunification of many Palestinian families. This also applies to Palestinians living abroad who want to reside in the West Bank or Gaza, not just in Israel.
There are also numerous attempts to systematically erase and deny Palestinian identity and history. This applies to many readers of my articles in Israeli newspapers who claim that I should use the patriarchal term "Israeli Arabs" and not the term I use "Palestinian citizens of Israel". Sorry, but the Arab citizens of Israel are 100% Palestinian, no different from their brothers and sisters in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

The so-called Nakba Law, passed in 2011, prohibits public funding of institutions and groups involved in activities commemorating the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians during the creation of Israel as a Jewish-majority state in 1948.

As hundreds of thousands of Israelis take to the streets feeling like a rope is about to choke off their basic freedoms and destroy their democracy, we may finally have reached our "wake up moment". The ultimate goal of the current Israeli government's anti-democratic agenda is not to weaken the Supreme Court so that it can rule without any interference. Their goal is to allow them to annex the West Bank and implement policies that have the potential to lead to another Nakba - first against the Palestinians in the West Bank and then, or in parallel, with the Palestinian citizens of Israel. The current laws being passed will give the government the power to pass additional laws that will make it almost impossible for Palestinians to be elected to the Knesset, unless they accept the basic tenets of Zionism - that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people and that Palestinians have no right to a collective national identity - not only in Israel itself But even in the West Bank and of course in East Jerusalem.

While many Israelis have finally awakened to the distortions of our democracy and the threats facing us all, they may now also be awakening to the need to confront the central core of our existence. As a modern liberal society there must be full equality for all those who live under the same system.

Written by: Hamada Pharaoh

For every Palestinian prisoner in the colony’s detention centers, there is a story, narration, sacrifice, and an act of resistance, raising the head, for the Arabs, Muslims, and Christians, as a price for freedom and independence, and restoring dignity, rights, homes, land, and what is on them to their owners, whether they are steadfast residents on the land of their homeland, which they have no homeland other than, or if they are Among those who have been displaced and expelled, who have suffered from alienation and are still looking forward to returning, as there is no alternative to their land and property in Palestine.

Fouad Al-Shobaki, one of these detained prisoners, spent his entire 17-year arbitrary sentence in the colony's detention centers, and they released him after the end of his sentence.

Fouad Al-Shobaki with Marwan Al-Barghouti, the most prominent Fatah activist who paid the price for the bombing of the second intifada in 2000, participating in its activities, and even leading it, in response to the decision of the Palestinian President, in response to the failure of the Camp David negotiations.

In July 2000, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat participated in the Camp David negotiations in the face of Yehud Barak, the head of the colonial government, under the auspices of US President Clinton. Hebron.

The Camp David negotiations lasted from 12 to 17 July 2000, but they failed and did not achieve what was required to address the issues of the final stage related to Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security, water and other titles for completing Palestinian independence.

Abu Ammar returned from Washington with his conviction that the Israelis and Americans did not and will not respond to the minimum requirements of Palestinian rights, the non-completion of the Israeli withdrawal and the reluctance to respond to the issues of Jerusalem, the refugee valley and the removal of settlements, so he decided to activate the struggle.

Abu Ammar returned carrying a description launched by the American-Israeli coalition that he is "not a partner in making peace and settlement in accordance with the Israeli expansionist interests, and he refuses to submit to the demands of the colony and Washington and its unfair conditions."

Abu Ammar decided to cooperate and coordinate with Ahmed Yassin and the leaders of Hamas, and direct attention and priority towards combative action against the colonial forces and their tools. She is the one who carried out these operations, and this is why Sharon described him to US President Bush in April 2004, as like a revolving door, on the one hand working to carry out operations against the Israelis, and on the other hand condemning them, and for this he paid the price and was assassinated by Sharon with the consent of US President Bush.

Marwan Al-Barghouti was the leader of Fatah in implementing and programming the struggle, and Fouad Al-Shobaki was Abu Ammar’s channel and tool for smuggling weapons across the sea to Palestine. He was put on trial for arms smuggling and supplying the fighters with their needs. He served his sentence and gained his freedom a few days ago, bearing the suffering of the prisoners and the joy of freedom that does not stop.

(AFP) - The Egyptian football poles, Al-Ahly and Zamalek, face the danger of early exclusion from the African Champions League competition, as the first faces its host, Coton Sport, Cameroon, and the second comes to the Algerian youth club, Belouizdad, in the fifth round of the group stage.
On the other hand, the defending champion, Moroccan Athletic Wydad, is looking forward to continuing its victories and achieving its qualification to the quarter-finals, and thus catching up with its rivals, Raja, who reserved the first seat in the quarter-finals.
Al-Ahly, the runner-up of the previous edition and the record holder with the number of titles (10 titles), does not have his fate in his hands, as he moves to the Cameroonian city of Garoua to face its host, Cotton Sport, on Friday, in the second group competitions, where he needs to win and nothing but him, in addition to his supplication that the result of the second match in the group be poured. Between Al-Hilal of Sudan and its guest, Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa, in his favor.
Sundowns secured early qualification by leading the group with ten points, following its crushing victory over Al-Ahly 5-2. Al-Merreikh comes second with nine points, the Egyptian Genie third with four points, and Cotton Sport without points.
Al-Hilal is waiting for Al-Ahly to stumble, before meeting the Sudanese champion in a decisive match in the last round, while Al-Hilal is sufficient to win any result over the South African champion to ensure passage to the quarter-finals.
Al-Ahly Swiss coach Marcel Koller, whose position became threatened after the humiliating loss, regained the services of his player, Mohamed Abdel Moneim, and the Swiss called on the team’s players to show determination, persistence, and not give up.
And he stressed that Al-Ahly must play to win in Cameroon, stressing during a session with his players that Al-Ahly is a great team and must continue to perform with determination, persistence and enthusiasm, even if he is subjected to harsh results, similar to his last meeting with Sundowns.
The assistant coach of the home team, Ernest Agbor, said, "Our motives will be greater, and we will play to improve the club's image, and we will do everything in our power, and we will play a serious match against Al-Ahly, we have no absences, and we will play the match with a full team."
Al-Hilal hopes to benefit from the ground workers and the public to ensure its qualification by beating its guest, Mamelodi, at the “Blue Jewel” stadium in Omdurman, on Saturday.
The South African team, seeking its second title after 2016, revealed that a large number of its players are threatened with absence due to injury, and coach Rolani Mokoena stated that his team is playing to win, "because he wants to continue his record of consecutive matches without defeat, and his calculations are all related to achieving victory in all confrontations."
As for Al-Hilal coach Florent Ibenge of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he said, "I expect that the Sundowns coach will tell his players that you must win in all matches, and we will also play to win."

Zamalek will go through a difficult journey to the Algerian capital to face its host, Shabab Belouizdad, at the “5 July” stadium, on Friday, in the fourth “Arab” group, while the Tunisian Esperance will meet with the Sudanese Mars.
Esperance leads the group (9 points) against Belouizdad (6 points), while Zamalek came third (4 points) and Merreikh fourth (4 points).
The ′′ White Castle ′′ team needs to win its next two matches against Belouzdad youth and then against Mars to ensure that it officially qualifies for the eight rounds, while it will find itself outside the championship in case of loss.
Veteran striker Mahmoud Abdel Razek "Shikabala" and Mohamed Abdel Shafi are absent from the squad of Portuguese coach Gisualdo Ferreira.
Zamalek prepared for the meeting with a loss against Enppi in the league, and the fate of the Portuguese coach was at stake, and therefore the match may be decisive for Ferreira's future.
The Algerian team is looking forward to repeating its victory over its Egyptian opponent, after it was knocked down in the first round, with a clean goal.
Al-Taraji hopes to return from the “Benina Martyrs” stadium in the Libyan city of Benghazi, with a qualifying point, when it arrives at the Sudanese Mars on Friday.
After three consecutive victories, the “Bab Souika” team suffered a first loss against Zamalek 1-3 in the last round.
Esperance coach Nabil Maaloul realizes that the meeting will be difficult, as he will play on artificial turf and in front of a team that does not seem easy and is full of good players, especially Brazilians Alex da Silva, Paolo Sergio and coach Heron Ricardo.

Moroccan Wydad seeks to catch up with the qualifiers to the next round, when it is a heavy guest on Vita Club from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saturday, in Group A.
Wydad leads the standings with nine points, ahead of Algeria’s second JS Kabylie (7 points), while Angola’s Petro Atletico ranks third (4 points), and Vita Club ranks fourth (3 points).
“Wydad El Omma” achieved four victories and a draw in its five matches since Spain’s Juan Carlos Garrido took over the supervision of the team instead of Tunisian Mahdi El Nafti, and is looking forward to continuing its positive results after it defeated Ittihad Tangiers by three in the local league.
Garrido misses a few of the team's most prominent stars, including midfielder Ayman Al-Hassouni, but he relies on the columns of the squad, goalkeeper Ahmed Reda Al-Taknaouti, full-back Yahya Atiyatallah, and midfielder Yahya Gebran, to Senegalese striker Pauly Sambo, who finds the way to the net heavily under Garrido's supervision.
The Spanish coach considered that the victory over Tangiers liberated the team. He added, "We travel comfortably, and we will face Vita Club free from pressure and in a good mental state."
JS Kabylie hopes to settle its qualification by defeating its guest, Petro Atletico.
In the third group, Raja Athletic seeks to achieve a fifth successive victory when it faces its Ugandan host Vipers on Saturday in Luanda, while Tanzanian Simba plays with its guest Houria of Guinea in Dar es Salaam.

(AFP) - Real Madrid, Spain, and Napoli, Italy, once again beat their guests, Liverpool, England, and Eintracht Frankfurt, and completed the quarter-finals of the European Football Champions League, with the first winning 1-0 and the second 3-0 on Wednesday in the second leg of the final price.
And if Real is accustomed to reaching this role with its record of 14 titles in the competition, Napoli will play it for the first time in its history.
The lottery will be drawn on Friday, when it will be open, with confrontations between clubs from the same country and clubs that were together in the group stage allowed.
Real and Napoli joined Manchester City and Chelsea, Benfica of Portugal, AC Milan and Inter of Italy, and Bayern Munich of Germany.
At the “Santiago Bernabeu” stadium, Real renewed its victory over its guest, Liverpool, with the goal of Frenchman Karim Benzema, after he swept him 5-2 in England in the first leg.
The English club's knot continued against its Spanish counterpart, and it failed to take revenge on the team that dropped it in last season's final in Paris.
Liverpool entered the match realizing that the task was very difficult after its humiliating loss at home in the first leg, despite its two-goal lead, before conceding for the first time in its history five goals at home in European competitions.
Liverpool also fell to the Royal Club in the final of the 2018 tournament, leaving the English team without any victory against Real Madrid in the last eight matches (7 defeats and a draw).
The last victory of the Reds against Real goes back to the two final price matches in the 2008-2009 season, with a total of 5-0 (4-0 and 1-0).
And while the task of Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti's team is getting more and more difficult to defend his title in the Spanish League, due to his nine-point distance from his rival Barcelona, knowing that they meet Sunday in El Clasico at the Camp Nou, he is looking to continue his career in his beloved championship.
"We did our job in the first leg and respected them in the second leg," Benzema said. "It was a great match with a lot of momentum. These are high-level matches, they are never easy and it's all about the details".
And he continued, "It can be said that we have mastered our lesson. When you have the opportunity, you should translate it, and we were able to do that," referring to what he suffers from in his ankle by saying, "It is a mild pain, a blow, nothing serious."
Regarding the focus on the Champions League, he said, "In order to prepare for the Champions League, we must not give up anything in the Spanish League. We will go there (to Barcelona on Sunday) to win and try to catch up with them. Nothing is finished."
As for Liverpool, after recovering from its shocking loss at home against Real Madrid, it achieved a resounding victory after that in the league over rivals Manchester United 7-0, before returning to the cycle of shaky results by losing to humble Bournemouth 0-1, to drop to sixth place.
He will end his season without a title after leaving the England Cup and now the Champions League, and he will wage an intense struggle in the league to qualify for the continental competition next season.
Benzema scored the only goal of the match after the ball reached him from his compatriot Eduardo Camavinga in the depths on the outskirts of the area, he tried to shoot it, it collided with Dutch defender Virgil van Dyck to reach the Brazilian Vinicius Junior inside the area, he tried to follow it “on the fly” low, but he slipped and managed to pass it purely despite harassment From Van Dyck to the Frenchman on the goal, he easily followed it into the net (78).
Napoli achieved a historic achievement after reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in its history, by defeating its guest, Eintracht Frankfurt, 3-0.
The meeting was held without the presence of the fans of the German guest in the stands of the “Diego Armando Maradona” stadium, by decision of the local authorities, but that did not prevent them from traveling to southern Italy and clashing with the police, with the support of fans of the local competitor, Atalanta, according to the media.
And after winning the first leg outside the bases 2-0, coach Luciano Spalletti's team renewed its supremacy over the German team, which is competing in the main continental competition for the first time, as a result of winning the "Europa League" title last season.
As usual, Nigerian Victor Osimhen was the key to Napoli's victory by scoring a goal in each half (2 + 45 and 53), raising his tally to four goals in the Champions League and 23 in 28 games in all competitions this season, before adding Poland's Piotr Zelensky III from a penalty kick ( 64).
Osimhen said after qualifying, "It is wonderful to make history with this victory, and I am proud that I contributed to it. We want to continue in this way. I think I played a good match and the team played a great match against a difficult team."
In response to a question about the possibility of winning the Champions League, "We will continue to dream, we have the team to do it. I think we are on the right track. We have a great coach. We will see what the future holds for us, I think we have a good opportunity."
And Napoli confirmed that what he is achieving locally and moving steadily towards winning the Italian League title for the first time since 1990, with an 18-point lead over his closest pursuers, is not a coincidence, but was accompanied by this continental achievement.
In a city that had not dreamed of glory since the days of the late Argentine legend Diego Armando Maradona, Osimhen and Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia came to ignite the enthusiasm of the Naples fans again and give them hope not only to win the local league title, but also to achieve the miracle of winning the Champions League title.

Written by: Attorney Ibrahim Shaaban

The many Palestinian trade unions of different names, including doctors, engineers, lawyers and teachers, have entered into numerous confrontations with the current Palestinian government at different stages of time and still are. .

It seems that the system of public rights and freedoms and their provisions stipulated in the Basic Law of 2003 in its second chapter have become an effect after an eye in the eyes of the current government. No one pays any attention to it and gives it any importance in the application, as if it were ink on paper. Rather, this human rights system has become linked to the politician's mood, his political interest, and his interpretation of it. If he wanted, he took it and if he wanted, he neglected it and did not act on it with various arguments and pretexts, the simplest of which is the argument of the broad and supreme Palestinian interest.

The Palestinian Basic Law, which is like a constitution, stipulated in its second article that the people are the source of authorities and that the principle of the rule of law is the basis of governance in Palestine (Article Six), and that human rights and basic freedoms are binding and must be respected (Article Ten), and that trade union organization is a right that regulates the law Its provisions (Article 25, Section 3), and that the right to strike is exercised within the limits of the law (Article 25, Section 4), and that Palestinians have the right to form syndicates, associations, federations, leagues, clubs, and popular institutions in accordance with the law (Article 26, Section 2).

On top of this and that, the Charter of Civil and Political Rights of 1966 and the Charter of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966, to which the State of Palestine acceded, explicitly and clearly stipulated the right to strike and to form professional and trade unions, especially in Article 8 of the last charter and Article 22 of the first charter.

In evidence of this and drawing inspiration from these references and sources and what was previously practiced before and after Oslo as a binding custom, the current Palestinian Prime Minister stated upon assuming his duties that public rights and freedoms are sacred and may not be infringed upon. Many were optimistic, especially on the many professional trade union levels and in light of the many constitutional texts. However, the daily authoritarian government practices, as a result, pointed to an isthmus and a gap between application and theory, and between the authoritarian government concept and the trade union professional concept.

We must not forget that the Palestinian trade unions and their complex historically played a pivotal role in the struggle of the Palestinian people to resist the Israeli occupation and its military rule. Together with the national forces, they founded what was called the National Steering Committee at the time, and they also founded the Higher Education Council, which sponsored Palestinian universities while they were in their infancy. It is no secret that professional unions with student councils in universities (doctors, pharmacists, engineers, lawyers, dentists, and agricultural engineers) contributed to, drew, and implemented elections as a democratic means at a time when democracy escaped the time of military occupation, to take power in a union, student council, club, or association. These unions remained as a lever of democracy and used free, fair and transparent elections to represent their general assembly and defend their professional interests. It goes without saying that these trade unions have their own laws, subsidiary legislation, public bodies, boards of directors, and budgets that are independent of the executive authority, i.e. from the government and its administrative decisions.

Therefore, it has its own decisions, visions, and policies, and a financial liability that is separate from the government, and may even conflict with the government and its policies sometimes.

This clearly happened during the last period of time, when the interests of the elected conflicted with the interests of the appointed.

In the absence of presidential elections, and in the absence of the legislative and national council elections, and in the absence of elections for political frameworks, there is nothing left but the elections of professional associations with their different names as a facade for Palestinian democracy and its free elections, with the student councils not being overthrown. Not only that, but the Palestinian legal structure remained frozen at the point at which the last legislative council ended, despite the changes that occurred in Palestinian society.

For example, the president, through his powers through Article 43 of the Basic Law, enacted hundreds of necessary (temporary) legislation, which we call a transgression (decisions by law) on various issues, although it is not a necessity that does not tolerate delay and accepts postponement in its content, but unfortunately he did not enact legislation for trade unions The workers who fell or were removed according to Labor Law No. 7 of 2000, despite the intention to enact it at the time. Likewise, the president did not enact legislation necessary to establish a teachers' union, although our neighbors in Jordan worked to enact such a law, despite their previous strong objections to its enactment. Hence, we had a legislative vacuum, and we had a trade union movement. It is inconceivable for such a large number of teachers to remain without professional representation of their interests, and without a union that constitutes a legal framework for them. At the same time, it is unreasonable to say that the government or the Ministry of Education is the representative of teachers and is keen on their interests, in the absence of a budget approved by a legislative council, and a parliament that monitors the work of the government and holds it accountable, but rather overthrows it and withdraws confidence from it, weak public opinion oversight, and organizations Human rights do not affect government decisions.

This article is not devoted to a historical account of the confrontations that took place between professional unions and their demands, and we add the Teachers Syndicate to it bypassing it. But the essential matter is how can a government that represents its people collide legally and practically with a segment of this diversity, professionalism and popularity with its long history of struggle. Rather, how can a government whose members are mostly enlightened professionals not sympathize with the just demands of this wide segment that plays and has played a very important and patriotic role, while people like them are getting paid exponentially for their limited demands. These are demands that could have been responded to and achieved despite all the different circumstances and crises.

Public utilities, at the core of which are trade unions, emanate from their public bodies and their elected boards of directors. And it does not need the weapons of boycott and strike or waving them, in order to achieve these interests, as it is more useful to achieve them through productive and transparent negotiations under the rule of law, and without condemnation or threat from any party even if it is supported by the various security forces, as those born in storms do not fear wind blowing!!!

Gaza - Ahmed Al-Masharawi

Nama Association and Al-Aqsa Sports Club qualified for the first group, and Al-Radwan Sports Club and Al-Qadisiyah for the second group, at the end of the first assembly of the first-division championship, the second classification of the sector clubs in the tournament launched by the Palestinian Table Tennis Federation on the halls of the martyr and captive Hassan Salameh in its permanent headquarters in the Nusseirat camp in the center Gaza strip.

The launch of the tournament, which comes with the conclusion of the Premier League – the course of the late Saeed Nassar, the former mayor of Nusseirat, as well as the classification matches, was attended by Adeeb Abu Ghazal, head of the Federation’s competitions committee, tournament director, assistant supervisor Yasser Aslim, a number of participating club departments, and a crowd of fans and fans. popular backgammon game.

The start of the first gathering

The first gathering of the tournament witnessed 19 matches in both groups, while 6 matches remain to conclude the group stage meetings, where two clubs will advance from each group, and the federation will organize, among the four teams that will qualify for the second stage, another league tournament from one round to determine the two promotion cards to the Premier Division. .

In the first group, the struggle is taking place for the first and second places between Al-Aqsa Club, and it has 4 victories, and it has one match left with the Nama Association Club, and the Nama Club has 3 wins, and it has two matches remaining, the first with Al-Aqsa Club, and the other with the Police Union.

With regard to the second group, Al-Radwan topped without any defeat, followed by Al-Qadisiyah Club with one defeat, while the relegation of the Khan Younis Club from the second group was decided, pending the last arrangement of the first group to accompany those who will be relegated with the Khan Yunis Club to the second division.

This and the Competitions Committee in the Game Federation set on Thursday 3/16/2023 at 3:30 pm to complete the first group meetings to determine the group champions and the team that will be relegated to the second degree.

The referee of the meetings: the referees are Dooley Muhammad Samama, Dooley Imad Al-Jaal, Dooley Abdel-Hadi Abu Shamala, and the referee Omar Salmi.

The Hebrew newspapers, issued Thursday, focused on the details published by the Israeli army about the detonation of a side bomb at the Megiddo intersection, killing the perpetrator of the operation, who was found to have come from Lebanon and was carrying an explosive belt and in possession of a bomb and weapons.

According to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, until this moment, the extent of Hezbollah's involvement in the attack was not known, although direct suspicions indicate that the Shiite organization was already involved in it, or at least was aware of it prior to its occurrence.

She pointed out that it was not clear why the bomber who planted the device and activated it there, why he chose to try to return to Lebanon while he still had an explosive belt and a weapon, noting that his killing seemed to have prevented another attack, and perhaps prevented days of escalation with Lebanon, which is the front that maintains On the quiet since 2006.

The newspaper saw that the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah , has been seeking revenge for a long time for the attacks that led to the killing of leaders and members of his party and caused the destruction of important targets for him, in addition to the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh in 2008, and therefore he wanted revenge because he feels that the ground is currently shaking from under the feet of the president. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

And the newspaper says, it is possible that Nasrallah sees at the present time that Netanyahu is weaker than ever and will refrain from embarking on a military adventure even if Israelis are killed in the attack, and that any response by Netanyahu will fuel Israeli public opinion against him in the event of a confrontation and he will be accused of dragging The Israelis went to war to escape from his current plan to weaken the judicial system.

The newspaper drew attention to the statements of Marwan Issa, deputy commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas , who said that any change in the current situation at Al-Aqsa would lead to an earthquake in the region, which indicates that Hamas also does not intend to condone any damage to Al-Aqsa Mosque now and in other words if it tries. The Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, stormed Al-Aqsa during the "Jewish Passover", as this may lead to a fire in the area.

The newspaper believes that the possibility of escalation on several fronts may have become more evident, and that the Netanyahu government's continuation of its plan may lead to a major escalation.

In another report, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that the Israeli army does not yet know whether the port has infiltrated from above or underground, but its infiltration is considered a catastrophic failure that illustrates the extent of neglect of the security wall for many years in the face of the growing power of Hezbollah.

And she indicated that successive Israeli governments had rejected for years plans submitted by the Israeli army to build a new and appropriate wall on the border with Lebanon, noting that only last year a partial project was launched and a budget was allocated for it to build a new wall, but not all of the border area was covered.

She indicated that the Israeli army did not rule out that the port had infiltrated from an underground tunnel, and therefore did not know the exact point of infiltration, and that it might have used a glider under the cover of the large forest on both sides of the border, or through the sea.

The Israeli army has not yet known the actual time of its infiltration, and its failure to use the explosive belt in its possession and its ease of killing dozens of Israelis at any time, and its failure to resort to that, raises questions in the security system.

She pointed out that all intelligence methods failed this time to access prior information about such an event, and only contacting the Shin Bet and creating a quick intelligence picture of the scene of the bomb explosion helped determine the location of the perpetrator's move and kill him, which prevented a more deadly attack.

For its part, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz said that elements in Lebanon, whether from Hezbollah or the Palestinian organizations, and perhaps both, want to pour fuel on the fire in the West Bank , in addition to the acute internal political crisis in which Israel is mired, and with that the risks of an escalation are increasing. a broader regional one, which may not necessarily be under the control of the parties involved.

It showed that the characteristics of the explosive device led to the hypothesis that this device was smuggled to Israel after it was manufactured in Lebanon, and not coming from the West Bank.

She indicated that this was the first attack by the Lebanese element inside "Israel" after many years, where in 2002, in a joint operation with Hezbollah, elements of the Islamic Jihad infiltrated from Lebanon and killed 6 Israelis in a shooting operation near the border, and in 2012 it was revealed A network of arms and drug smugglers received large quantities of C4 explosives used by Hezbollah, and explosive devices were discovered in Nazareth that may have been smuggled for use by others before they were received.

She believed that knowing who was behind the attack was linked to the developments of the intelligence investigation, especially since the perpetrator was killed, and it is not known whether he carried out the operation by planning on his own, or whether someone is standing behind him and wants to send a message.

The newspaper estimates that Israel's lack of reaction on the ground, in addition to Netanyahu's departure on a short official visit to Germany today, reinforces the assessment that the event will be contained, and that this may be due to the fact that the device did not lead to the killing of Israelis, which would have required it to respond.

And it believed that the event requires an in-depth investigation among the Israeli army, and to examine how the bomber infiltrated without anyone noticing, in addition to investigating the ability of the bomber to move 10 hours between the detonation and until reaching it, considering that it is necessary to fix the defect that occurred and that there be a quick treatment. And comprehensive, because any further attacks may undermine the sense of relative security for the residents of the north, and the success of such operations may lead to an Israeli response that ends in an unplanned deterioration of the situation.

For its part, the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom says that Nasrallah's assessments that Israel will not respond as it happened after the kidnapping of the two soldiers in 2006, is what prompted him to encourage the attack, whether he was standing behind it or supporting it, taking advantage of the Israeli internal conditions, in addition to the political developments in the region after the reconciliation. Saudi-Iranian, and Syrian-Turkish relations, which Russia seeks to reform.

The newspaper said: “All lines are interconnected, and it is seen as the weakness of Israel on the one hand, and the weakness of the Joe Biden administration on the other, and the latter’s turbulent relations with Netanyahu, which creates an opportunity for Israel’s enemies and Washington’s opponents in the Middle East, to do what is in line with their interests.”

And she adds, "Across the Arab world, Israel has begun to be treated somewhat like international credit rating agencies. It is still strong, but it has begun to erode from within," considering what happened in the Megiddo incident as a wake-up message from Netanyahu and his government.

While the Hebrew Maariv newspaper said that the attack is a red alert on the map of security threats, and indicates that the Iranians and their supporters such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Jihad, are working with full force to take advantage of the division in Israel to further undermine the current reality.

She added, "Acts of terror, especially in the heart of the State of Israel under the rule of the right-wing government, increase division, frustration and chaos in Israel, and all this while benefiting from the disintegration of the Palestinian Authority, which with every hour loses more and more of its legitimacy among the Palestinian public." according to her expression.

And she believed that these facts encourage the Iranians to pump more money for the benefit of the Palestinian armed cells, which is the way in which the “Tik Tok” youth cells were born, which work intermittently with Iranian encouragement and money, such as “Araben Al-Aswad”, which managed to drag the Israeli army into carrying out counter- and security operations. Widespread in the Palestinian territories in light of the collapse and imbalance of power.

She referred to the increase in Iranian influence and Tehran's efforts to strengthen the link between Gaza, the West Bank and Hezbollah, by establishing several armed cells in the West Bank to carry out various attacks. As the Hebrew newspaper says.

The administration of a public hospital in the city of Lyon, in southeastern France , sued an employee of the burial authority on suspicion of photographing dead bodies and publishing the footage on social media.

A statement from the "Ospice Civil de Lyon", which includes 13 public hospitals, stated that it "received a report over the weekend about photographs taken by an employee of the funeral service at the Croix-Rousse hospital."

The authority confirmed that "an administrative investigation has been conducted since Monday into these reprehensible and unacceptable behaviors."

The local newspaper Le Progres reported that the concerned employee had posted on social networks pictures of dead bodies in the hospital's mortuary department.

Soon, an Instagram user named Marvin L. mentioned the name of the first employee, reposted some of her photos, and called on his followers to inform the Hospital Authority about her. It is not yet clear what made her do it.

While the authority expressed its "strong condemnation of these acts," it indicated that the concerned employee was immediately suspended from work and subject to disciplinary procedures.

And the Public Prosecution Office in Lyon told Agence France-Presse that, following the filing of the lawsuit, it had opened "an investigation on charges of infringement of privacy by taking, recording or transmitting pictures."

The Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Eissa, announced today, Wednesday, that 11.7 million tourists visited Egypt during the year 2022, up from 8 million in 2021.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Issa said, "The number of tourists who visited Egypt during the past year 2022 amounted to 11.7 million," according to a statement by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which it published on its official Facebook page.

Eight million tourists visited Egypt during the year 2021, according to a previous statement by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, while about 3.7 million tourists visited it in 2020, and 13.1 million tourists in 2019.

The Egyptian minister added, "There are estimates that this year will witness a growth in incoming tourism by 28%, which contributes to bringing the number of tourists to 15 million."

The largest number of tourists was recorded in Egypt in 2010, when 14.7 million tourists visited, with revenues at that time amounting to $12.5 billion.

Eissa explained that incoming tourism to Egypt in January and February witnessed a growth of 35% compared to the corresponding period last year.

He referred to a set of important measures taken by the Egyptian state to increase the incoming tourist movement to Egypt, including facilities for obtaining tourist visas, and pointed to improving the legislative environment for the tourism sector and issuing new legislation.

He noted that the hotel capacity witnessed a development during the period between 2018 and 2022, and this development continued significantly from December 2022 to February 2023.

The Egyptian tourist expert, Mohamed Karem, commented on the increase in the number of tourist arrivals during the past year, saying that Egypt is one of the important tourist destinations in the world, and the return of the number of tourists who visited it to rise is a good thing.

Karem told Xinhua that Egypt did not rely only on beach and cultural tourism during the past period, but also attracted many other types of tourism, including festivals, conferences and Nile tourism, all of which contributed to the flow of tourism to Egypt.

However, the Egyptian expert saw that his country had not yet reached the tourist status it deserved, and pointed to several reasons that led to the decline in tourism in Egypt in recent years, such as the Corona virus crisis and the Ukrainian crisis.

He expected an increase in the number of tourists to Egypt during the coming period, especially that Cairo participates in many international tourism exhibitions such as the Berlin Tourism Exchange and others.

The second national airline in Saudi Arabia intends to place an order for the purchase of new aircraft before launching its first flights in early 2025, the CEO of the company confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Riyadh Airlines , which was officially launched on Sunday, announced that it had placed an order for 39 long-haul 787 Dreamliners and raised the possibility of purchasing an additional 43 aircraft.

The order is part of a larger agreement that includes the other national carrier based in Jeddah, with a total of 121 aircraft.

Thus, it is the fifth largest order in terms of value received by Boeing, and the White House estimated it at about $ 37 billion.

"These aircraft are now being assembled in the United States and delivered to us on a schedule that allows us to be ready to enter service in early 2025," Tony Douglas, former president of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, told AFP.

The new carrier intends to submit "other orders during the year" to build a "large" fleet that would allow it to "launch flights to more than 100 destinations," according to the CEO.

On the possibility of concluding contracts with Airbus, the CEO of Riyadh Aviation praised the advantages of the European aircraft manufacturer, saying that "the same strict measures and certainly the same global manufacturers will be on the table" when issuing future tenders.

Saudi Arabia is pursuing ambitious aviation goals as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's wide-ranging "Vision 2030" reform, including more than tripling annual air traffic to 330 million passengers by the end of the decade.

The fledgling company aims to make the capital, Riyadh, an international aviation hub, to compete with regional hubs such as Dubai and Doha.

And last November, Saudi officials announced plans to build a new airport in the capital, which is supposed to accommodate 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million passengers by 2050.

Some analysts note that the regional market is "saturated", but argue that the two Saudi carriers, compared to their competitors Emirates Airline or Qatar Airways, have the potential to count on a domestic market of about 35 million people.

The CEO of the company said, "Riyadh Airlines will be an international, regional and national airline even within Saudi Arabia itself, and therefore we will reach all points of the network."

"This is the kingdom's declaration of intent. It's the sign of Riyadh. It's about making the hub in the capital and enabling the kingdom to better communicate with the world and, just as important, improving the world's connection to the kingdom," he added.

"The company is expected to contribute to the growth of the non-oil gross domestic product of the Kingdom by a value of up to 75 billion riyals ($20 billion) and to create more than 200,000 direct and indirect job opportunities," the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

About 73,000 people applied for the job Tuesday night through the company's website, according to Douglas.

Yesterday, Wednesday, the activities of the tenth edition of the Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition kicked off in Doha, with the participation of (20) Jordanian agricultural companies working in the field of production, distribution, marketing and export of agricultural products.

The participating Jordanian companies represent the agricultural sector, food and animal production in the field of vegetables, fruits, dates, fertilizers, pesticides, industrial and agricultural equipment, plastic houses, drip irrigation tools, medicinal herbs, spices and foodstuffs.

The Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition will be held over five days, with the participation of more than 675 companies specialized in agriculture, food and animal production, representing 55 Arab and foreign countries.

The exhibition was inaugurated by the Ministers of Municipality, Transportation, Communications, Environment and Climate Change.

Through the Jordanian pavilion, Jordanian companies display the latest methods and technologies used in the field of agricultural production, processing and marketing in Jordan. They also promote, through their participation, the agricultural sector in Jordan and the areas of investment in it.

The director of the Jordanian pavilion at the Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition, and the director of export promotion at the Export House Company, the organizer of the Jordanian participation, Khaled Al-Saub, said that the Jordanian companies seek, through their participation in the exhibition, to explore any new and successful investment opportunities with Qatari companies, as well as to promote for Jordanian agricultural products and to consolidate its presence in the Qatari market.

In statements to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Al-Saub stressed that Jordanian agricultural production in general enjoys great demand in the Qatari market and the Gulf markets in general, which provides a solid ground for enhancing the marketing and development of these products, and concluding contracts and partnerships with investors, businessmen and owners of Qatari companies. concerned with Jordanian agricultural products.

He pointed out that the officials of the Jordanian companies are keen every year to actively participate in this exhibition, which is being held today in its tenth edition, explaining that the Jordanian participation achieves great and tangible success every year.

The exhibition highlights the interest of Arab countries in the agricultural sector in recent years, with the aim of achieving great leaps in local production to increase self-sufficiency rates and achieve food security, especially after the challenges posed by the Corona pandemic.

In addition, in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition, the specialized scientific conference was launched, which serves as a scientific, cultural and research platform, aimed at exchanging information, expertise and scientific data specialized in food security, agriculture, livestock and fisheries, as well as discussing the impact of the environment and climate change on food security.

More than 1,500 scientists, experts, researchers, academics, officials in the government and private sectors, and academics in various agricultural sectors will participate in the conference, and 50 scientific research papers will be discussed.

A number of Qatar Leadership Center graduates of the Class of 2022 for executive leaders expressed their happiness with the rich experience they had with the center over the course of a year, during which they witnessed many training courses and practical experiences that were reflected in their personalities and contributed to further development in their various fields of work. Al-Raya graduates told Al-Raya that the program has a great impact on the work of those enrolled in it, due to the great experiences it provides, not only on the academic side, but also in exchanging a lot of experiences with participants from various state institutions.

The graduates thanked all those in charge of the Qatar Leadership Center for the distinguished experience, which would have enriched their knowledge, which would be directly reflected in their work in all fields, stressing that the program had a significant impact on their professional performance, which contributed to refining their leadership capabilities and talents. Which, of course, will be greatly reflected in bringing about comprehensive development in all fields in a way that serves our beloved country, Qatar.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Wednesday that about 2.5 tons of natural uranium had disappeared from a site in Libya , according to an announcement received by Agence France-Presse.

A report prepared by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, to the member states stated that the inspectors of the UN body discovered during a visit they conducted on Tuesday that "ten containers containing about 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of uranium concentrate ('yellow cake') are no longer in the The site that the authorities had announced."

The agency stated that it would conduct "additional" verification operations in order to "determine the circumstances of the disappearance of this nuclear material and its current location."

The report did not give any details about the aforementioned site.

Libya had abandoned in 2003 its program to develop nuclear weapons, during the reign of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

However, since the overthrow of Gaddafi in 2011 after 42 years of dictatorial rule, Libya is witnessing a major political crisis, as two governments compete for power, one in the capital, Tripoli (west), headed by Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba, recognized by the United Nations, and the other in Sirte (center) headed by Fathi Bashagha is supported by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strong man in eastern Libya.

The head of the Wagner Military Group called on Wednesday for Russian citizens to be allowed to criticize senior military leaders, after the Russian parliament passed a law toughening penalties for defaming forces fighting in Ukraine.

And on Tuesday, Russian lawmakers approved a law that includes harsh prison sentences for people who criticize even mercenaries, a measure that previously only applied to the regular army.

Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Wednesday that people should have the freedom to express their opinions, and only ordinary soldiers are above any criticism.

He added on Telegram, "I believe that the anti-defamation law should not apply to the staff of the command, that is, me, the Minister of Defense and other commanders who commit or could commit mistakes during a special military operation," referring to the Russian invasion.

And he continued, "Society must say what it deems necessary about them," noting that "only the soldier is sacred. Therefore, the soldiers must be left alone."

And Prigozhin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, suffers from problems with the Russian Defense Ministry, as he claimed victory on the battlefield against the Russian army and accused the ministry of not supplying him with the required ammunition.

Prigozhin stressed that he had not "defamed" anyone, saying "I am only telling the truth" and that his statements were vetted by his lawyers before being published.

"Of course anyone can be imprisoned, even me," he added.

"But in this case, we must not forget that 146 million Russians could also go to jail, and this does not lead anywhere," he warned.

Sanctioned by Washington and Brussels, Prigozhin had been operating in the shadows for years, but has been in the spotlight since the start of the offensive in Ukraine.

The leader of the mercenary group sought to show that his forces were more efficient than the Russian army.

China succeeded in sending a new test satellite into space on Wednesday evening, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The Xian-19 satellite was launched at 7:41 p.m. Wednesday (Beijing time) on a Long March-11 carrier rocket, and successfully entered the planned orbit.

The said satellite will be mainly used for earth resource surveying, urban planning, disaster prevention and mitigation, and other tasks.

The launch of the satellite is the 467th mission of the Long March series of carrier rockets.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday that he "wants to go to a vote" in the National Assembly on his project to reform the pension system, which is sparking a wave of protests in France , after an eighth day of demonstrations and strikes in the country.

The French presidency told AFP on Wednesday evening, after a meeting between Macron, French Prime Minister Elizabeth Born and ministers, that the president "wants to go to the vote" in the National Assembly on Thursday.

Sources close to the president added, "We have to mobilize parliamentarians in a spirit of responsibility," adding, "Consultations will continue tomorrow," at a time when it is not yet known whether there is a parliamentary majority that supports reform and would decide the vote in the National Assembly.

And identical sources in the presidential team stated that the president has not yet decided to adopt the reform under Article 49.3 of the constitution, which allows the approval of a text without a vote.

On Wednesday, deputies and senators reached a common formula for the controversial project, which raises the retirement age from 62 years now to 24 years.

This text will be referred Thursday to the vote of the Senate, where it will likely be approved by the majority composed of the right and the center, and then to the National Assembly, where the presidential team does not have an absolute majority.

The strike continued in several sectors in France on Wednesday, most notably transportation and waste collection, while several regions witnessed protests against the project.

Since January 19, millions of French people have demonstrated eight times to express their rejection of this reform.

France is one of the European countries that adopts the lowest retirement age, although the retirement systems are not similar and cannot be completely compared.

Nearly 50,000 teachers and professors in New Zealand went on strike Thursday after talks between unions and the Ministry of Education aimed at improving pay and working conditions stalled.

Teachers calling for higher wages held banners reading "We can't afford a dentist" and "Too poor we can't print new banners". The one-day strike shut down kindergartens, primary and secondary schools across the country.

Education sector unions say the government's latest wage offer is out of step with inflation and that the education sector has reached a "crisis point" due to a shortage of teachers.

"A quality education is a basic human right," said Chris Abercrombie of the Post-Primary Teachers Union.

"Unfortunately, as educators, we see this right being slowly and surely being eroded," he added.

He said improving teachers' salaries and working conditions is necessary to retain experienced staff and recruit graduates.

Mark Potter, president of the New Zealand Institute of Education, said the teachers "want to send a message to the government about how seriously we need change".

"We all want the best for our students, but without a change in the system we cannot provide it for them," he added.

Education Minister Jean Tinetti said she was disappointed to see teachers on strike and wanted the row to be resolved quickly.

The cost of living has become a major political issue in New Zealand as the government struggles to control inflation.

Recent figures indicate that the New Zealand economy is contracting, raising fears of a looming recession.

The UN Security Council voted Wednesday to extend the UN mission in South Sudan for a year, as the world's youngest country struggles to implement a fragile peace deal that ended a civil war amid continuing violence.

Thirteen out of 15 council members voted to extend the mandate of the mission known as "UNIMS" until March 15, 2024, while Russia and China abstained.

Earlier this month, the head of the mission, Nicholas Haysom, urged the South Sudanese government to implement the peace agreement with a view to holding "credible" elections next year.

UNIMS, the most expensive UN mission with a budget of $1.2 billion, is expected to maintain "strength levels with a maximum of 17,000 soldiers and 2,101 police."

The Mission's mission under the adopted Security Council resolution is to protect civilians, improve conditions for the delivery of humanitarian aid, support the implementation of the peace process, and monitor and report violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.

And in 2018, after the end of the five-year civil war in southern Sudan that claimed the lives of at least 380,000 people, President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar formed a transitional government and agreed to unite efforts under one army to protect the population from conflicts and climate disasters.

Despite this, violence continues in the oil-rich country, where the majority of the population lives below the poverty line.

Haysom acknowledged last week that there were still conflicts that "have an increasingly ethnic or tribal dimension and, as President Kiir has indicated (...) threaten to undermine hard-won peace gains."

The United States expressed "grave concern" about the escalation of violence against civilians in South Sudan.

أظهرت بيانات رسمية أصدرتها الهيئة الوطنية للإحصاء اليوم الخميس، زيادة في أسعار المساكن بشكل عام في المدن الصينية الرئيسية في الشهر الماضي، ما يضيف دليلا على استقرار قطاع العقارات في البلاد.

وفي فبراير المنصرم، شهدت 55 مدينة من أصل 70 مدينة كبيرة ومتوسطة الحجم زيادات على أساس شهري في أسعار المساكن الجديدة، ارتفاعا من العدد المسجّل البالغ 36 مدينة في يناير الماضي؛ بينما شهدت 40 مدينة زيادة في أسعار المساكن المستعملة، مقارنة بـ13 مدينة في الشهر الأسبق، بحسب البيانات.

On Wednesday, a Brazilian court gave former President Jair Bolsonaro five days to hand over jewelry he received as a gift from Saudi Arabia , and ordered a review of all official gifts he received during his term.

The Federal Court of Accounts, which oversees the state treasury, also ordered Bolsonaro to hand over two rifles to the presidential palace, which he received as a gift from the UAE in 2019.

Court President Bruno Dantas said during a public hearing that under Brazilian law, public officials can only keep gifts that are "extremely personal and of low monetary value," giving Bolsonaro "five days to return all the items in this case to ... the Republican Palace, their rightful owner." .

The unanimous ruling by the court is the latest chapter in a case that has grabbed headlines in Brazil since allegations surfaced that Bolsonaro tried to illegally bring millions of dollars' worth of jewelry into the country.

The O Estado de São Paulo newspaper was the first to reveal on March 3 that customs officials seized jewelry worth $3.2 million at Sao Paulo Airport in October 2021, destined for the former first lady, in the bag of the assistant minister of mines and energy at the time. While returning from an official trip to the Middle East.

The official tried to bring the jewelry into the country without declaring it to customs, but this attempt failed. The newspaper indicated that the jewelry (a necklace, ring, watch and earrings) from the Swiss luxury brand "Chopard" was a gift from the Saudi government to Michelle Bolsonaro.

The relevant minister, Bento Albuquerque, told the same newspaper that another group of men's jewelry (watch, cufflinks and a fountain pen of the same brand) was brought into Brazil without being seized, and part of it became in Bolsonaro's possession.

Bolsonaro, who has been living in the United States since the end of December, denied on Saturday that he had done anything "against the law."

On Thursday morning, the Israeli oppression forces stormed Section (3) in (Nafha) prison, and conducted extensive searches of a group of rooms.

The Captive Club stated that Section (3) is one of the new sections in (Nafha), where prisoners were transferred from several prisons to it at the beginning of this year.

It is noteworthy that since the end of last year and the beginning of this year, the prison administration has escalated repression operations, especially with the high pace of confrontation in prisons, and repression operations are considered the most prominent of its constant and systematic tools against prisoners.

Dozens of Burkinabers who were evacuees from Tunisia after being subjected to hostility after a violent speech against sub-Saharan African migrants by President Kais Saied arrived in Ouagadougou on a government-chartered plane on Wednesday, according to an AFP correspondent.

In a speech delivered on February 21, the Tunisian president stressed the need to take "urgent measures" to stop the flow of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to his country, stressing that this phenomenon leads to "violence and crimes," and denouncing "a criminal project to change the demographics." " in the country.

The 64 returnees were received by relatives and members of the government in Burkina Faso's capital.

"It is our government's responsibility to preserve the security and well-being of its citizens," Minister Kramko Jean-Marie Traoré said, adding that "other groups" could return by the same means.

One of the returnees, Enoussa Gebre, who spent 17 months in Tunisia doing simple jobs, said living in Tunisia "wasn't easy".

"We suffered a lot, lost our jobs and were expelled from our homes," he added.

He explained that people slept for 17 days in the Burkina Faso embassy before returning, and that his "adventure" in Tunisia was over.

Countries in West Africa, Guinea, Mali and Ivory Coast, have also organized flights to bring back their citizens from Tunisia since Said's statements.

هدمت قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، صباح الخميس، منزلًا في منطقة دير عمار غرب رام الله.

وبحسب مصادر محلية، فإن قوات كبيرة اقتحمت المنطقة برفقة جرافة عسكرية، وهدمت المنزل بحجة الترخيص بدون بناء.

The Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh will host a security meeting next Sunday, with the participation of the Palestinian Authority , the Israeli side, Jordan and Egypt, and the United States , which pressured a lot towards holding the meeting.

The meeting, which was agreed to be held during the " Aqaba Summit " that was held a few weeks ago, will discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories before the month of Ramadan.

Yesterday, the US envoy for Palestinian affairs, Hadi Amr , met with the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Hussein Al-Sheikh , in preparation for the meeting.

The sheikh will lead the Palestinian delegation that will head to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

The Aqaba summit had led to decisions related to refraining from approving more settlement plans during the coming months, and stopping the incursions into Palestinian cities and killings, which the occupation publicly repudiated after the meeting hours.

The same delegation that participated in the Aqaba meeting will participate on behalf of Israel, headed by the National Security Adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, in addition to the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, and the coordinator of the Israeli government’s activities in the occupied West Bank, Ghassan Alian, in addition to the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ronen. levi.

The occupation seeks to try to reach an agreement to reduce security tension and consolidate the understandings that took place in "Aqaba".

In recent weeks, Palestinian officials have accused the occupation of evading the understandings reached in Aqaba. According to Israeli reports, the US President Joe Biden's administration demanded that the Israeli government provide clarifications, following Israeli officials' denial of the understandings.

يواصل الأسرى في سجون الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، لليوم الحادي والثلاثين على التوالي، تصعيد خطوات العصيان ضد إدارة السجون، احتجاجًا على تطبيق الإجراءات التنكيلية بحقهم والتي أوصى بها الوزير المتطرف إيتامار بن غفير، وأولها التحكم في كمية المياه، وتقليص ساعات استخدام الحمامات المخصصة للاستحمام، في الأقسام الجديدة في (نفحة، وجلبوع).

وكانت إدارة السّجون أبلغت لجنة الطوارئ العليا للأسرى، أنها ستضاعف وتوسع من دائرة عقوباتها وتهديداتها في حال استمروا بخطواتهم الراهنّة، وعلى ضوء ذلك أعلنت الحركة الأسيرة وعلى قاعدة الوحدة، مضاعفة حالة الاستنفار والتعبئة بين صفوفها، حتّى موعد الإعلان عن الإضراب المفتوح عن الطعام.

يشار إلى أنّ لجنة الطوارئ أعلنت عن سلسلة خطوات نضالية ضد إجراءات (بن غفير)، تبدأ بالعصيان، وتكون ذروتها بإعلان الإضراب عن الطعام في الأول من شهر رمضان المقبل.

ويبلغ عدد الأسرى في سجون الاحتلال، نحو (4780)، من بينهم (160) طفلاً، و(29) أسيرة، و(914) معتقلًا إداريًا.

شهدت محافظات متفرقة من الضفة الغربية، الليلة الماضية، عمليات اقتحام واسعة من قبل قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي.

وأصيب 3 شبان بالرصاص الحي، والعشرات بالاختناق، خلال مواجهات عنيفة في المنطقة الشرقية من مدينة نابلس.

ودارت اشتباكات عنيفة بين مجموعات المقاومة وقوات الاحتلال في تلك المناطق، بعد اقتحام واسع نفذته تلك القوات لتأمين اقتحامات المستوطنين لقبر يوسف لأداء صلوات تلمودية.

فيما اقتحمت تلك القوات بعض المناطق في جنين، وسط اشتباكات مسلحة مع مجموعات المقاومة.

واعتقلت تلك القوات، داود، وسليمان نصار، ومحمد، وأوس أبو الوفا في أعقاب اقتحام منازلهم.

كما اقتحمت قوات الاحتلال بلدة نعلين ورام الله التحتا، وقلقيلية ومناطق أخرى من الضفة الغربية وسط مواجهات عنيفة.

The Russian Defense Minister informed his US counterpart on Wednesday that the "increased" US intelligence activity against Russia led to the march incident, Moscow announced.

The United States accused Russia of causing the crash of a reconnaissance drone in the Black Sea, after it collided with a Russian Su-27 fighter.

The incident is the first of its kind between Moscow and Washington since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, that "increased intelligence activity against the interests of the Russian Federation," in addition to "non-compliance with the no-fly zone" announced by Moscow, led to the incident with an American march, according to a Defense Ministry statement.

The Russian Defense Ministry warned that it would respond "proportionately" to any future US "provocation".

"The flight of US strategic unmanned aircraft off the coast of Crimea is of a provocative nature, which prepares the atmosphere for an escalation of the situation in the Black Sea region," a statement from the Ministry of Defense said.

The ministry noted that Russia "will continue to respond proportionately to all provocations."

Russia denies that it deliberately caused the crash of the American march.

A citizen was injured by a gas bomb, and dozens suffocated, as a result of clashes with the Israeli occupation forces, in the eastern neighborhood of Nablus .

According to press sources, a citizen was wounded in the hand, as the occupation fired a gas bomb at him, while many others suffocated.

Large forces of the Israeli occupation army had stormed the eastern neighborhood of Nablus, as a prelude to the settlers' storming of Joseph's shrine .

In Lebanon , a supportive meeting was held for female and male prisoners in the Israeli occupation prisons, and in support of the disobedience they carry out in rejection of the racist occupation policies against them, organized by the Joint Palestinian Action Committee in the Hall of Martyr President Yasser Arafat in the Embassy of the State of Palestine to the Republic of Lebanon.

The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Lebanon, Ashraf Dabour, the Palestinian Minister of Agriculture, Riyad Attari, the Secretary of the Fatah Movement and the PLO factions in Lebanon, Fathi Abu Al-Ardat, members of the leadership of the square, and Sheikh Bilal Al-Mulla, representing the Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Darian, and Sheikh Sami Abd. The creator, representing the sheikh of the mind of the Druze monotheistic sect, Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna, and the general coordinator of the civil campaign in support of Palestine and the issues of the nation Maan Bashour, the secretary and members of the regional leadership and movement leaders in the Lebanese regions, leaders and representatives of Lebanese national parties and forces, Palestinian factions, media representatives and clerics, And the Palestinian scouts and a crowd from the Beirut camps.

The solidarity meeting began with the Lebanese and Palestinian national anthems, followed by standing a minute of silence for the souls of the martyrs of the Palestinian revolution.

Representatives of the Lebanese parties delivered speeches emphasizing standing by the issue of prisoners and detainees in their movement in the face of the Israeli racist measures. The words called for unity among all Palestinian factions, as they serve the Palestinian cause.

The parties' representatives also condemned the occupation's policies against the Palestinian people and their Islamic and Christian sanctities, especially in the city of Jerusalem, and called for an end to its crimes and for the occupation to be tried before international courts.