Arab States Call for Hamas to Disarm Amid Push for a Palestinian State

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “Hamas must end its rule in Gaza,” reads a declaration endorsed by the 22 member nations of the Arab League.

The world’s Arab countries for the first time have joined unanimously in the call for Hamas to lay down its weapons, release all hostages and end its rule of the Gaza Strip, conditions that they said could help the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The surprise declaration, endorsed on Tuesday by the 22 member nations of the Arab League, also condemned Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, which set off the devastating war in Gaza. The statement came at a United Nations conference in New York on a two-state solution to end the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objectives of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state,” said the declaration. It was also signed by all 27 European Union states and 17 other countries.

The declaration called for the deployment of “a temporary international stabilization mission,” invited by the Palestinian Authority, which administers part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and “under the aegis of the United Nations.” » | Farnaz Fassihi and Ephrat Livni | Thursday, July 31, 2025

Arab Nations Ask UN to Designate Western Wall as Muslim Territory

FOX NEWS: False rumors about Israel's designs on a site held sacred by both Jews and Muslims helped trigger the bloody wave of attacks plaguing Jerusalem, but a tangible plan by six Arab nations to purge the Jewish State's claim to its holiest location will be voted on Wednesday by the United Nations' cultural arm.

A UN draft decision circulated by Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates reviewed by FoxNews.com “affirms that the Buraq Plaza is an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” – a statement that would specifically fold the Jewish Western Wall into Islamic domain on the Temple Mount.

“This is a clear endeavor to distort history, in order to erase the connection between the Jewish People and its holiest site, and to create a false reality,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Monday statement. » | Cody Derespina | Tuesday, October 20, 2015

To the Tyrants of the Arab World...
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Tunisians have sent a message to the Arab world, warning leaders they are no longer immune to popular anger.

In cities across the Arab world, people have been reinvigorated by the Tunisian uprising. Photograph: Al Jazeera English
The Tunisian uprising, which succeeded in toppling Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian president, has brought down the walls of fear, erected by repression and marginalisation, thus restoring the Arab peoples' faith in their ability to demand social justice and end tyranny.



It is a warning to all leaders, whether supported by international or regional powers, that they are no longer immune to popular outcries of fury.



It is true that Ben Ali's flight from the country is just the beginning of an arduous path towards freedom. It is equally true that the achievements of the Tunisian people could still be contained or confiscated by the country's ruling elite, which is desperately clinging to power.



But the Tunisian intifada has placed the Arab world at a crossroads. If it fully succeeds in bringing real change to Tunis it will push the door wide open to freedom in Arab word. If it suffers a setback we shall witness unprecedented repression by rulers struggling to maintain their absolute grip on power.



Either way, a system that combined a starkly unequal distribution of wealth with the denial of freedoms has collapsed. >>> Lamis Andoni | Sunday, January 16, 2011

THE TIMES – LEADING ARTICLE: Yearning to Breathe Free: The taste of freedom for Tunisians could whet the appetite of their neighbours >>> | Thursday, January 20, 2011 [£]

Actor Omar Sharif Says Arab Nations Will Never Be Democratized
I have said the same thing all along: Islam and democracy are totally and utterly immiscible. In other words, they are like oil and water. They do not mix. Please read my essay on this here: Islam: The Enemy of Democracy and Freedom - ©Mark

FOX NEWS: Egyptian actor Omar Sharif — best known for his film roles in Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago — reportedly blasted U.S. policy in Iraq and said Americans are ignorant.

According to The Middle East Media Research Institute, Sharif said the "East" will never have a democracy because people like him "prefer to go to the neighborhood sheik." MEMRI —a Middle Eastern press monitoring organization — posted an interview of Sharif that aired on the Al-Hayat TV network.

"I lived in America for a long time. Only 10% of all Americans have a passport. In other words, 90% never left America," said Sharif. "They don't know anything."

Sharif said that he spoke with President Bush before the beginning of the Iraq War and told him that Arab nations are made up of sects resistant to becoming democratized.

"I said to Bush, even before he entered Iraq: Forget about all that. We, the Arabs... We are not like [regular countries]," said Sharif. "You will drown there.["]

After being asked what Bush's response was, the actor stated: "He didn't believe me."

Sharif, who was born Michel Demitri Shalhoub and raised a Roman Catholic, converted to Islam and changed his named when he married Egyptian actress Faten Hamama in 1955.

The 76-year-old actor, known for his expertise as a bridge player, has occasionally made headlines for his hot temper. In February he pleaded no contest to charges he assaulted a parking attendant in LA who claimed he was punched by acting great. [Source: Actor Omar Sharif Says Arab Nations Will Never Be Democratized] June 8, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)