Hamas leader’s killing risks ‘wider conflict,’ OIC chair warns

OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara attend the OIC summit on Wednesday. (OIC)
1 / 2
OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara attend the OIC summit on Wednesday. (OIC)
Hamas leader’s killing risks ‘wider conflict,’ OIC chair warns
2 / 2
Short Url
Updated 07 August 2024
Follow

Hamas leader’s killing risks ‘wider conflict,’ OIC chair warns

OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara attend the OIC summit on Wednesday. (OIC)
  • Saudi deputy FM condemned Haniyeh’s assassination as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its territorial integrity”
  • Death of Ismail Haniyeh ‘will not quell the Palestinian cause,’ Mamadou Tangara says

RIYADH: The assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh risks tipping the Middle East into a “wider conflict,” the chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said on Wednesday.

Speaking at an extraordinary meeting for the foreign ministers of member states, Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara said the killing served only to “escalate the existing tensions potentially leading to a wider conflict that could involve the entire region.”

Haniyeh’s death “will not quell the Palestinian cause but rather it amplifies it, underscoring the urgency for justice and human rights for the Palestinian people,” Tangara, whose country currently chairs the OIC, said.

“The sovereignty and territorial integrity of nation states are fundamental principles underpinning the international order. Respecting these principles has profound implications and their violation equally carries significant consequences,” he said.

OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha condemned Haniyeh’s killing and the “genocide committed by Israel in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank,” and Jerusalem.

He called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities and take the necessary measures to compel Israel to respect the rule of international law and stop its aggression and attacks that threaten regional and international peace and security.

Taha said that the council should demand an immediate and comprehensive cessation of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip in order to avoid the risk of full-scale regional war that would undermine the security and stability of the entire Middle East.

He stressed the need for joint efforts to compel Israel to abide by international legitimacy resolutions and said that the necessary measures should be taken to implement the recent advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice regarding the illegality of the Israeli occupation.

Taha condemned the Israeli Knesset’s resolution rejecting Palestinian statehood and its designation of UNRWA as a terrorist organization. He also called for the provision of more political and financial support to UNRWA’s budget so that it can exercise its vital role in providing basic services to Palestinian refugees and contribute to alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Taha called on key players in the international community to sponsor a political process to end Israeli occupation and achieve peace based on the vision of the two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.




Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji attends the OIC meeting on Wednesday. (SPA)

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji attended the meeting on behalf of Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

He told the summit that his government was aware of the danger of the escalating events in the Palestinian territories due to Israeli attacks and illegal practices against Palestinians inside and outside them.

He also condemned Haniyeh’s assassination as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its territorial integrity and national security, international law and the Charter of the United Nations and constitutes a threat to regional peace and security.”

Al-Khuraiji said the Kingdom condemned Israeli attacks against civilians and rejected any attack on the sovereignty of states or interference in the internal affairs of any state, in accordance with international conventions and the OIC Charter.

He expressed the Kingdom’s deep concern over the escalation of Israeli violations which have resulted in large numbers of dead and wounded civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, shortages of food, medicine and fuel and the destruction of the health sector.

He also renewed the Kingdom’s call for the international community to take effective action to hold Israeli forces fully responsible for their crimes and violations.

The Kingdom supported all efforts aimed at ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories and reaching a comprehensive solution that enabled people to establish an independent Palestinian state in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, Al-Khuraiji said.


Red Sea Fund opens registration for post-production grants

Red Sea Fund opens registration for post-production grants
Updated 07 August 2024
Follow

Red Sea Fund opens registration for post-production grants

Red Sea Fund opens registration for post-production grants
  • Period for the fourth phase runs until Aug. 21

RIYADH: The Red Sea International Film Festival has opened registration for the fourth phase of the Red Sea Fund, which supports post-production film projects.

The registration period runs until Aug. 21, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The fund supports films needing final touches after filming. It seeks to attract works in the region from the documentary, fiction, animation, episodic, short, and feature film genres.

The fund accepts applications from directors of Arab and African origin, while the works are required to have a minimum duration of 60 minutes.

The Red Sea Fund has supported more than 250 films, initiated industry support programs, helped to celebrate women, and funded graduation films since its inception in 2021.

It also collaborates with international festivals and provides awards for exceptional projects.

Interested applicants who wish to register for the fourth phase should access redseafilmfest.com/en/red-sea-fund-2/.


118 colleges added to Saudi Cultural Scholarship Program

118 colleges added to Saudi Cultural Scholarship Program
Updated 07 August 2024
Follow

118 colleges added to Saudi Cultural Scholarship Program

118 colleges added to Saudi Cultural Scholarship Program

RIYADH: The Ministry of Culture has expanded its Cultural Scholarship Program, adding 118 colleges to its list of accredited educational institutions, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The move aims to support national cadres, respond to the growing needs of the labor market and achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in relation to culture, the ministry said.

The additions take the number of institutions involved in the program to 278 in 15 countries, of which 58 are in the US, 40 in the UK and one in Russia.

Among the newcomers are the University of San Francisco, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Boulder, Royal Holloway, University of London, the University of Liverpool, Padova University in Italy and Lund University in Sweden.

The program offers students the chance to obtain scholarships in 13 cultural and artistic fields. The awards cover the cost of their tuition fees, living expenses, medical insurance and travel. Their academic development is also monitored and evaluated.


Who’s Who: Edward Byrne, new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 

Who’s Who: Edward Byrne, new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 
Updated 07 August 2024
Follow

Who’s Who: Edward Byrne, new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 

Who’s Who: Edward Byrne, new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 
  • Byrne succeeds Tony Chan, who joined KAUST as president in 2018

Edward Byrne was appointed as the new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology on Wednesday, with the appointment effective from Sept. 1.

Byrne’s appointment marks a significant milestone for the university as it continues its transformative journey through the implementation of its Accelerating Impact Strategy.

Byrne succeeds Tony Chan who joined KAUST as president in 2018. Chan significantly enhanced KAUST’s alignment with Vision 2030, expanding its global research and academic influence.

Byrne said: “It is an honor to join an academic community at the forefront of translating research into economically productive innovations for the benefit of society across the Kingdom and the world.

“Drawing on my extensive career leading top-ranked global universities and visionary approaches to scientific discovery, I welcome the opportunity to lead an institution that is paving the way for future progress and is committed to making the discoveries that will power tomorrow.”

Byrne has been serving as the global chief medical officer of Ramsay Health Care Group since 2021, where he extended his leadership beyond academia into global healthcare governance and strategic advisory roles.

He is also vice chancellor’s distinguished fellow at The Australian National University and chairs various boards and think tanks.

He was the president and principal of King’s College London from 2014 to 2021, chairing King’s Health Partners and spearheading the university’s Vision 2029.

His efforts made significant contributions to society and positioned KCL at the forefront of the national agenda.

Byrne was the president and vice chancellor of Monash University in Melbourne from 2009 to 2014, where he demonstrated his capacity for innovation and impact by establishing a new campus in Suzhou, China, and fostering a major alliance with the University of Warwick.

He had previously left Australia for London in 2007 and held the positions of executive dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, head of the Medical School, and vice provost at University College London until 2009.


Madinah governor cites King Salman Medical City’s for obtaining accreditation

Madinah governor cites King Salman Medical City’s for obtaining accreditation
Updated 07 August 2024
Follow

Madinah governor cites King Salman Medical City’s for obtaining accreditation

Madinah governor cites King Salman Medical City’s for obtaining accreditation

MADINAH: Madinah Gov. Prince Salman bin Sultan received King Salman Medical City CEO Abdulrahman Al-Harbi in Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Prince Salman congratulated the staff of the medical institute for obtaining accreditation from the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions.
He hailed recent advances in the health sector and encouraged staff to continue improving integrated health services.


Saudi deputy FM meets with Palestine’s representative to UN on sidelines of OIC meeting

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji meets with the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji meets with the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations.
Updated 07 August 2024
Follow

Saudi deputy FM meets with Palestine’s representative to UN on sidelines of OIC meeting

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji meets with the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations.
  • Al-Khuraiji condemned the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh at OIC meeting, saying it was a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty” of Iran

RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji met with the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations Riyad Mansour on Wednesday.

During the meeting on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Jeddah, the two officials discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian crisis.

They also reviewed regional developments, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

Al-Khuraiji also met with Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara, and Abu Bakr Mohamed Hanafi.

At the OIC meeting, Al-Khuraiji condemned the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, saying it was a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its territorial integrity and national security, international law and the Charter of the United Nations and constitutes a threat to regional peace and security.”