Israel passes 2 laws restricting UN agency that distributes aid in Gaza
Legislation risks collapsing the already fragile process for distributing aid in Gaza at a moment when Israel is under increased US pressure to ramp up aid
Updated 28 October 2024
AP
JERUSALEM: Israeli lawmakers passed two laws on Monday that could threaten the work of the main UN agency providing aid to people in Gaza by barring it from operating on Israeli soil, severing ties with it and deeming it a terror organization.
The laws, which do not immediately go into effect, signal a new low for a long-troubled relationship between Israel and the UN Israel’s international allies said they were deeply worried about its potential impact on Palestinians as the war’s humanitarian toll is worsening.
Under the first law, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA, would be banned from conducting “any activity” or providing any service inside Israel, while the second would sever diplomatic ties with it. The legislation risks collapsing the already fragile process for distributing aid in Gaza at a moment when Israel is under increased US pressure to ramp up aid.
Israel has alleged that some of UNRWA’s thousands of staff members participated in the Hamas attacks last year that sparked the war in Gaza. It also has said hundreds of UNRWA staff have militant ties and that it has found Hamas military assets near or under the agency’s facilities.
The agency fired nine employees after an investigation but denies it knowingly aids armed groups and says it acts quickly to purge any suspected militants from its ranks. Some of Israel’s allegations prompted major international donors to cut funding to the agency, although some of it has been restored.
The first vote passed 92-10 and followed a fiery debate between supporters of the law and its opponents, mostly members of Arab parliamentary parties. The second law was approved 87-9.
Israeli military says troops shoot dead gunman in West Bank
Updated 25 sec ago
AFP
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said Tuesday that its troops had killed a gunman who critically wounded two soldiers when he opened fire at a military post in the occupied West Bank.
“A terrorist fired at soldiers at a military post in Tayasir. The soldiers exchanged fire with the terrorist and killed him,” the military said in a statement.
Israeli emergency services said six people were treated at the scene and evacuated to hospitals for treatment.
Israeli army radio reported that two of the soldiers were in critical condition.
Israeli forces have been engaged in what the army says is “an operation to thwart terrorism” in the northern area of the West Bank, primarily in the area of Jenin, long a hotbed of militancy.
On Sunday, the army said that it had killed at least 50 “militants” since it launched an operation on January 21, while the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah said Israeli forces have killed 70 people in the territory since the start of the year.
The operation has also seen troops levelling buildings in a refugee camp adjacent to Jenin.
The offensive has drawn sharp condemnation from the Palestinian Authority, which called Israel’s actions “ethnic cleansing.”
Violence has surged across the West Bank since war began in Gaza with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 884 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
At least 30 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to official Israeli figures.
Israel preparing to send team to Doha to discuss ceasefire
Talks on a second phase, paving the way to a possible end to the war, are due to begin on Tuesday
Updated 04 February 2025
Reuters
JERUSALEM: Israel is preparing to send a high-level delegation to the Qatari capital Doha to discuss continued implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday.
Under the terms of the original deal that sealed a 42-day truce and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, talks on a second phase, paving the way to a possible end to the war, are due to begin on Tuesday.
From urban bars to country weddings, Moroccan folk singers break barriers and keep traditions alive
Those who come to hear them sing say cheikha can serve as a community’s truth-tellers, singing about often unspoken dynamics related to marriage, agriculture or, historically, colonial resistance
Morocco’s music scene is increasingly embracing Middle Eastern pop and rap by North African artists from throughout the diaspora
Updated 04 February 2025
AP
SIDI YAHYA ZAER, Morocco: Mbarka Moullablad’s family frowned when she first told them she planned to make a living as a cheikha, singing about love, pain, and societal change to the melodies of her ancestors under the stage name “Thouria.”
Women like her are the stewards of one of Morocco’s most cherished oral traditions: a form of folk singing known as aita, which means a “cry” or “lament” in Arabic. From smoky bars and cabarets in Morocco’s largest cities to the gatherings in the country’s rural regions, they croon at weddings, festivals and private events and pub nights, hypnotizing audiences both humble and wealthy.
Girls dance during a traditional performance known as Aita, in Tamesna, south of the capital Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
But despite aita’s position in Moroccan culture, the genre’s popularity does not always translate into acceptance for those who perform it. Cheikha are often stigmatized, eroticized, and pushed to society’s margins. That was once a fear for Moullablad, but she says her community in Sidi Yahya Zaer, a farming town on Morocco’s Atlantic plains, has mostly accepted her.
“My family did not agree at first and I used to suffer from society’s judgment, but now everything is good,” Moullablad said on the sidelines of a recent performance south of Morocco’s capital, Rabat. “I do it in order to earn money for my children.”
Cheikha folk singer Mbarka "Thouria" Moullablad applies makeup as she prepares for a traditional performance known as Aita, in Sidi Yahya Zaer, south of the capital Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
A form of sung poetry, aita has long explored themes of societal triumphs, ironies, and unspoken struggles, including those related to relationships and economic hardship. Cheikha don heavy stage makeup, silk caftans, and golden takchita belts as they sing about their community’s agonies and triumphs. They sway their hips to amplify emotion, dancing seductively or cheerfully depending on the context.
When Moullablad performs, men and women lean in as her voice softens, captivated as she climbs octaves into a full-throated howl. The beads wrapped around her sister Fatiha’s belly shake as she dances. The band leader, another singer, backs her with his own poetry while a drummer keeps the beat, a guitarist strums, and a violinist drags his bow in sync.
A music band prepares for a traditional performance known as Aita, in Sidi Yahya Zaer, south of the capital Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
Those who come to hear them sing say cheikha can serve as a community’s truth-tellers, singing about often unspoken dynamics related to marriage, agriculture or, historically, colonial resistance. Moullablad sings in Moroccan Arabic, embodying traditions specific to her community. But cheikha across the North African Kingdom also perform in the indigenous Amazigh language, adapting the music and lyrics to reflect their region.
The art form has inspired contemporary acts like the electro-infused “Aita, Mon Amour” and Kabareh Cheikhats, a troupe of male actors who pay homage, dress and sing in the tune of Morocco’s most celebrated 20th century women folk singers. It is also the subject of Morocco’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards, “Everybody Loves Touda,” which follows a single mother who leaves her town in the Atlas Mountains to pursue her dream of singing in bars, cabarets, and hotels in Casablanca.
Moroccan tea is distributed during a traditional performance known as Aita, in Tamesna, south of the capital Rabat, Morocco, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (AP)
“I was always amazed by their strength and the power that they have toward people when they open their mouths. Whether they are modern or conservative people, they all stand up and get into a kind of trance like gospel,” Nabil Ayouch, the film’s director, said in an interview when the film premiered at the Marrakech Film Festival last year.
Morocco’s music scene is increasingly embracing Middle Eastern pop and rap by North African artists from throughout the diaspora. And rural communities are shrinking amid the country’s rapid development and urbanization. But though the future of aita may seem uncertain, its musicians and listeners remain confident that it will endure.
“Aita will not die because it is renewed by young people. Aita will remain in all times and is loved by old people and young people as well. It is developed and improved, but they preserve its origins,” said Rachid Kadari, a Cheikh who also sings aita.
How the Zayed Award amplifies the work of its honorees to further their humanitarian missions
This year’s award recognizes Barbados PM Mia Mottley, World Central Kitchen, and young innovator Heman Bekele
By receiving the award in 2024, surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub has been able to expand his life-saving care to underserved communities
Updated 04 February 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: In a world grappling with crises ranging from conflict and humanitarian emergencies to economic vulnerability and climate change, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity stands as a beacon of hope.
Since its establishment in 2019, the award, which includes a $1 million prize, has recognized individuals and organizations whose work embodies the universal values of peace, solidarity, and human dignity.
The trophies for the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. (Supplied)
This year, the 2025 honorees — Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, humanitarian relief organization World Central Kitchen, and 15-year-old health innovator Heman Bekele — have each demonstrated a commitment to making the world a better place.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, named in honor of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late founder of the UAE, has become a symbol of recognizing and amplifying transformative humanitarian efforts worldwide.
The award is one of the outcomes of the dialogue between the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb and Pope Francis, which led to the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
With Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L) as witness, Pope Francis (C) and Egypt's Al Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb sign documents during the Human Fraternity Meeting at the Founders Memorial in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019. (AFP)
Egyptian-British cardiothoracic surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub meeting with Pope Francis during last year's edition of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. (Supplied)
Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb congratulates Sir Magdi Yacoub during last year's awarding ceremonies. (Supplied)
This year’s three recipients will be honored at a ceremony at the Founder’s Memorial in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4.
The selection process for the annual award is rigorous, with an independent jury reviewing hundreds of nominations from individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing human fraternity.
“It is the judging committee’s honor to spotlight three outstanding honorees who are addressing some of today’s most urgent challenges — climate resilience, humanitarian relief, and youth-driven innovation,” Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, secretary-general of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, said in a statement.
2025 HONOREES
• Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has long advocated for climate resilience, global financial reform, and renewable energy.
• World Central Kitchen has provided more than 300 million meals in crisis zones, including 70 million meals in Gaza since 2023.
• Heman Bekele developed an affordable soap to treat early-stage skin cancer, demonstrating the power of youth-led solutions in healthcare.
“This year’s recipients demonstrate that transformative work can be undertaken at any age, in any place in the world, and in any field.”
Mottley has gained international recognition for her relentless advocacy in addressing climate change and her leadership in pushing for financial reform to support vulnerable nations.
Her efforts through the Bridgetown Initiative — a bold call for restructuring global financial systems — aim to ensure that developing nations have equitable access to climate resilience funding.
“She has committed to achieving 100 percent renewable energy for Barbados by 2030, investing in solar, wind, and other clean energy sources,” the award committee said in a statement.
Through her persistent advocacy, Barbados PM Mia Amor Mottley (shown on screen) has helped enable nations burdened by debt to reallocate funds toward climate adaptation and sustainability projects. (Supplied)
By pioneering debt-for-climate swaps, Mottley has enabled nations burdened by debt to reallocate funds toward climate adaptation and sustainability projects.
The award committee said Mottley’s leadership is a testament to how governance, when rooted in sustainability and equity, can create lasting change, and that her selection reinforces the global urgency of addressing climate change as an issue of human fraternity and justice.
Also among this year’s honorees is World Central Kitchen. Founded by Jose Andres in 2010, the charity has redefined humanitarian relief by providing immediate, fresh, and locally-sourced meals to people affected by disasters and crises.
World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres attends an interfaith memorial service for the seven WCK workers killed in Gaza, at the Washington National Cathedral, in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2024. (AFP)
With more than 300 million meals served in over 30 countries, WCK’s work has proven essential in responding to humanitarian emergencies.
A particularly poignant example of the charity’s impact came in 2023 and 2024 when WCK delivered more than 70 million meals to Palestinians in Gaza, collaborating with local chefs and suppliers to ensure swift and effective relief under challenging circumstances.
Volunteers of the World Central Kitchen cook meals to be distributed to needy Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 3, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement. (AFP)
“Through collaborations — including with the UAE — and its innovative ‘first-on-the-ground’ approach, WCK has demonstrated its capabilities in providing meals to the people who need them most,” the award committee said.
The organization’s commitment to dignity and community resilience has earned it admiration worldwide. By working alongside local communities, WCK ensures that its relief efforts do not just provide temporary aid but strengthen long-term food security.
In a first for the Zayed Award, a youth category was introduced this year to honor the contributions of the next generation.
At just 15 years of age, Ethiopian-American innovator Heman Bekele has already made a significant contribution to global healthcare.
Hemen Bekele competing in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2023. (Instagram)
In 2024, at the age of 14, he developed a cost-effective soap to help prevent and treat early-stage skin cancer, a breakthrough that earned him TIME’s “Kid of the Year” and various accolades in science competitions.
Now working alongside researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Bekele aims to scale up his innovation to reach communities most in need.
“His ambition to save lives and his vision of accessible and affordable healthcare” were central to his selection as the first youth honoree of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, the award committee said.
Bekele’s work exemplifies the award’s commitment to recognizing contributions at any age. Indeed, his inclusion sends a strong message that the next generation is not just the future of humanitarian innovation but an active and powerful force in the present.
Since its inception, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity has sought to amplify the voices and initiatives of individuals and organizations that inspire hope and action.
“Beyond recognizing outstanding contributions to human solidarity and fraternity, the award actively fosters global dialogue through dedicated platforms,” Abdelsalam, the award’s secretary general, told Arab News.
One such initiative is the Human Fraternity Majlis, which brings together global leaders, Nobel laureates, and youth representatives to explore solutions to pressing global challenges.
Last year’s winner Sir Magdi Yacoub mee other winners nof the Fraterniuty Awadrd (Supplied)
Another is the annual Zayed Award for Human Fraternity Roundtable, which provides a space for honorees and judges to collaborate on advancing the principles of human fraternity worldwide.
“In just five years, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity has grown into a worldwide movement that encourages collaboration, fraternity, and communication between individuals from different cultures, religions, and backgrounds,” said Abdelsalam.
“Millions of people worldwide have benefited from the projects spearheaded by past honorees.”
AWARD IMPACT
* Since receiving the award in 2024, Egyptian-British cardiothoracic surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub has been able to expand his life-saving care to underserved communities.
The award does not just celebrate achievements — it actively supports and expands their reach. A striking example of this is last year’s honoree, renowned cardiac surgeon Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub.
His groundbreaking work in heart surgery and his initiatives to provide life-saving care to underserved communities were amplified through the award’s recognition.
With financial backing from the Zayed Award, Yacoub expanded his work to establish the Rwanda Heart Center in Kigali — a project modeled after his successful Aswan Heart Centre in Egypt.
“The prize means we can do more research, speed up the building of the Rwanda Heart Centre, and continue making an impact,” Yacoub said in 2024.
Sir Magdi Yacoub visiting a patient at the Rwanda Heart Centre. (Courtesy of My Heart Centre Rwanda)
Such outcomes highlight the real-world impact of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity. It is not merely an honor — it is an investment in solutions that drive tangible change.
In recognizing Mottley, WCK, and Bekele, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity reaffirms the importance of leadership, innovation, and service to humanity.
Whether through shaping climate policy, feeding those in crisis, or developing life-saving healthcare solutions, these honorees exemplify what it means to act for the greater good.
As the 2025 ceremony approaches, the award serves as a reminder that impactful change can come from governments, non-profits, or even a determined teenager with a vision for a better world.
More than ever, these efforts need to be celebrated, supported, and replicated. Or, as Abdelsalam put it: “Now more than ever, these contributions serve as a beacon of hope in a world facing increasing division.”
Tunisia sets sights on becoming world’s top seawater therapy spot
Thalassotherapy is an “ancestral heritage” for Tunisians, “since hydrotherapy has existed in Tunisia since antiquity, at the time of the Carthaginians and the Romans,” Shahnez Guizani, the head of the National Office of Thermalism (ONTH), told AFP
Updated 04 February 2025
AFP
KORBOUS, Tunisia: With a Mediterranean coastline, natural thermal springs, clement weather and affordability, Tunisia has become the world’s second-largest destination for seawater-based treatments known as thalassotherapy.
Now, it is setting its sights on overtaking France to claim the top spot.
“The main advantage of Tunisia is its coast and thalassotherapy,” compared with neighboring countries, said Mario Paolo, an Italian, at the Korbous thermal spa, perched on a hill an hour’s drive from the capital, Tunis.
A guest bathes in a thermal pool at a spa in Korbous, in Tunisia's northeastern region of Nabul on January 25, 2025. (AFP)
A 78-year-old retiree who has lived in Tunisia for the past five years, Paolo said he frequently visits Tunisian thalassotherapy centers “to get back in shape.”
“Enjoying sea water and natural springs is not just leisure but also a therapy,” Paolo said after a thyme and rosemary oil massage.
Korbous, a coastal town on the Cap Bon peninsula, has historically been one of Tunisia’s hot spots for the therapy, which uses sea water and other marine resources.
Thalassotherapy is an “ancestral heritage” for Tunisians, “since hydrotherapy has existed in Tunisia since antiquity, at the time of the Carthaginians and the Romans,” Shahnez Guizani, the head of the National Office of Thermalism (ONTH), told AFP.
A guest receives a massage at a spa in Korbous, in Tunisia's northeastern region of Nabul on January 25, 2025. (AFP)
Other popular thalassotherapy destinations in the country include Sousse, Hammamet, Monastir, and Djerba, which Tunisian news agency TAP said was named the Mediterranean thalassotherapy capital in 2014 by the World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy.
Rouaa Machat, 22, said she traveled from France to Korbous for a three-day wellness retreat.
“I’m here to enjoy the types of water this beautiful town offers,” she said, referring to the use of seawater, spring water, and desalinated water for therapy.
“But I am also here for this,” she added, grinning and pointing to the Korbous sea and mountains.
A woman poses for a picture at a spa in Korbous, in Tunisia's northeastern region of Nabul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
Customers mainly come for the quality of spring water, said Raja Haddad, a doctor who heads the thalassotherapy center at the Royal Tulip Korbous Bay hotel.
Today, Tunisia boasts 60 thalassotherapy centers and 390 spas, 84 percent of which are located in hotels, according to the ONTH.
Tourism accounts for seven percent of the country’s GDP and provides nearly half a million jobs, according to official figures.
The sector has seen a decade of setbacks due to terrorist attacks and later the COVID-19 pandemic.
People visit Ain Atrous, a natural hot spring that flows into the sea in the thermal region of Korbous, in Tunisia's northeastern region of Nabul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
But it has been recovering again as the number of foreign visitors exceeded 10 million last year — a record for the country of 12 million people.
Guizani said thalassotherapy on its own draws about 1.2 million foreign visitors a year, with “70 percent coming from Europe, including 40 percent from France.”
The industry generates approximately 200 million dinars ($63 million, 60 million euros) per year, she added.
That compares with a French thalassotherapy market valued at around 100 million euros last year, according to market research firm Businesscoot.
At a luxury hotel near Monastir, a thalassotherapy center buzzes with customers despite the cold winter season.
Visitors have come from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, among other countries.
“As soon as you arrive, you find palm trees and the sun,” said Monique Dicrocco, a 65-year-old French tourist. “It’s pure happiness, and it’s also worth your money.”
“Here the therapy is much cheaper than in France, with 1,000 euros a week all inclusive instead of 3,000,” she added.
Jean-Pierre Ferrante, 64, from Cannes, said he found “the quality of the water and the facilities just as good as in France.”
Kaouther Meddeb, head of the thalassotherapy and spa center at the Royal Elyssa Hotel in Monastir, said the number of clients has been growing lately.
Yet despite meeting international standards, the sector remains underappreciated in Tunisia, she said.
“There’s a lack of communication and promotion,” she added.
Experts say more investment is needed in infrastructure. This includes road improvements and air services, they say, as there are few low-cost flights.
But plans are already underway to develop eco-friendly thermal resorts in regions like Beni M’tir, a mountainous village in the northwest, and near Lake Ichkeul south of Bizerte, said Guizani.
“With all the advantages it has, Tunisia is poised to become the world leader in thalassotherapy,” she added.
Decoder
Thalassotherapy
Thalassotherapy is an “ancestral heritage” for Tunisians, “since hydrotherapy has existed in Tunisia since antiquity, at the time of the Carthaginians and the Romans,” according to Shahnez Guizani, the head of the National Office of Thermalism (ONTH).
