Saudi Arabia

France and Saudi Arabia to Co-Chair June Conference on Israeli-Palestinian Two-State Solution

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot is hosting on Friday afternoon his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt to prepare the conference on a so-called "two-state" solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, diplomatic sources said. “It is a working meeting at 3:30 PM with his Egyptian, Jordanian, and Saudi counterparts,” ...

Safe Drinking Water Access: Lebanon Lags Behind in the Arab World

A recent report by the US-based World Population Review highlights significant disparities across Arab countries in access to “safely managed” drinking water. While several Gulf states lead the region, Lebanon posts alarming figures that reflect the country’s deepening infrastructure crisis. At the top of the regional ranking, Kuwait has ...

Syrians Hope for Economic Recovery After West Lifts Sanctions

At a currency exchange in Damascus, Anas al-Shammaa is one of many Syrians hopeful that promised relief from Western sanctions will help revive their country's economy after years of war and isolation. "We were totally cut off from the world," said Shammaa, 45, who has been running the exchange shop since 2008. With the lifting of ...

Homeownership Rates Reveal Inequalities Among Arab Countries

A recently published report by the U.S.-based financial and economic magazine CEOWORLD, known for its global rankings and comparative studies, sheds light on the disparities in homeownership rates across Arab countries. The findings reflect significant socio-economic differences within the region. At the top of the Arab world, Bahrain boasts the ...

American and Israeli Messages to Lebanon

According to information from Washington, the Americans have informed the Lebanese government that the Israelis will not withdraw from the positions they occupy in southern Lebanon unless the Lebanese side takes serious and successive steps toward disarming Hezbollah. They emphasized that Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon and that ...

Lebanon Reduced to the Scale of a Mukhtar

While Saudi Arabia was signing investment deals with the United States worth over $600 billion, and President Donald Trump was pursuing economic ventures exceeding $4 trillion to boost the global economy and forge new alliances, Lebanon was engaging in international politics on the scale of a mukhtar, a village chief. As developments began to ...

With Assad Down and Sanctions Lifted, Are Syrian Refugees Finally Being Pressed to Leave?

The startling decision by United States President Donald Trump to lift economic sanctions on Syria, coupled with the collapse of the Assad regime, could fundamentally reshape how the Syrian displaced population in Lebanon is managed – unless their permanent return to Syria remains excluded from the agreement being brokered among the key parties ...

New Middle East US Foreign Policy Shifts Put Lebanon at a Crossroads

As Lebanon finds itself at a crucial juncture, the implications of recent US diplomatic maneuvers cannot be overstated. As the US focuses more on its relationships with Sunni Gulf states, tensions with Iran are on the rise, changing the complex political dynamics in Lebanon. These changes come at a time when Iran's influence appears to be ...

Saudi Airline Resumes First Hajj Flights with Iran Since 2015

A Saudi airline has resumed flights for Iranian hajj pilgrims to the kingdom for the first time in a decade, the latest sign of the warming ties between the countries. "Flynas resumed Iranian pilgrim flights from Imam Khomeini (airport) in Tehran on Saturday," a Saudi civil aviation authority official told AFP, speaking on condition of ...

World Bank to Restart Operations in Syria Following Saudi, Qatari Payment of Debts

The World Bank on Friday said it would restart operations in Syria following a 14-year pause, after Saudi Arabia and Qatar had paid off the country's outstanding debts. The Bank's operations in Syria were halted when the civil war broke out in 2011, preventing the country from gaining access to its development loans, grants, and technical ...

Lebanon at the Baghdad Summit: A Message of Arab Reconnection

On the eve of his departure for Baghdad to lead the Lebanese delegation at the Arab summit, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a firm message outlining his government’s intentions to reestablish Lebanon’s standing in the region. “Lebanon intends to fully reconnect with its Arab environment and regain its place on the regional scene,” Salam ...