AMMAN: Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, concluded a carefully planned visit to the Middle East region with visits to Jewish, Muslim and Christian sites in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem visit followed an important meeting in Ramallah with the Palestinian president as well as visits to a refugee camp and engagement with Palestinian social, civil and cultural communities.
On Wednesday night, the Duke of Cambridge met with about 200 Jerusalemites at the British Consulate, where he delivered one of his most important speeches in support of peace and in solidarity with Palestinians.
“The story of the Palestinian people is so often told only through the lens of difficulty and conflict,” the Duke of Cambridge said. “But there is another story which I was privileged to witness today. This afternoon in Ramallah I saw an unforgettable display of Palestinian culture and hospitality. The Dabka, the singing, and the dancing were by turns beautiful, moving and joyful.”
The prince began his tour of the Old City from the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. He then visited the nearby gravesite of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice, whose last wishes were to have her remains buried in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene above the Garden of Gethsemane.
After a private visit to the Western Wall, the prince was welcomed at the Haram Al-Sharif/Al-Aqsa Mosque by leaders of the Palestinian Islamic community. While on the premises of Al-Aqsa, Islamic leaders talked to him about their difficulties and aspirations.
Abel Azziz Salhab, head of the Higher Waqf Council, told the visiting prince that “what is expected from Britain is to fix the historic injustice against Palestinians.”
Mohammad Hussein, the mufti of Jerusalem, welcomed him “to the capital of the Palestinian state,” thanking the prince for not wavering on the description of Jerusalem as an occupied city.
Professor Mustafa Abu Sway, Al-Ghazali chair at Al-Quds University, gave the prince a tour of the UNESCO world heritage site explaining the importance of the third holiest mosque in Islam.
The prince appeared happy to hear about the accommodations provided to Muslim women by having them pray at the Dome of the Rock mosque while men worship at the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The prince asked about the ability of Palestinian youth from outside Jerusalem from accessing the mosque. Abu Sway told the British royal visitor that Palestinian youth are not allowed at all to visit the mosque.
“During Ramadan, men over 40 years old are allowed to visit from the rest of the Occupied Territories but youth under 40 are not allowed to visit at all throughout the year."
The Anglican primate of the Middle East, Archbishop Suheil Dawani, told Arab News that the prince was happy to tour holy sites in Jerusalem.
Dawani, who was entrusted with the Christian leg of the visit, said that he accompanied the prince from St. George’s Order in the old city to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
“On the way to the church, the prince was greeted by local Palestinians, including a young woman on a wheelchair whom the prince spent a considerable time chatting with,” Dawani told Arab News.
The prince visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and met with the Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian patriarchs of Jerusalem as well as leaders of all Christian community in Jerusalem.
Dawani told Arab News that the prince spoke about the importance of peace to all communities.
Palestinians generally were pleased with the visit of the second in line to the British throne and were delighted that the British royal stuck to his guns and did not retract the official description of the visit to Jerusalem as being part of his visit to the Occupied Territories.
While Israeli officials did not like the description, it seemed that the Israelis did not want to argue too much with the prince on this issue, a political leader in Jerusalem told Arab News.
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At Jerusalem’s holy sites, Prince William talks about importance of peace to all communities
At Jerusalem’s holy sites, Prince William talks about importance of peace to all communities
- The prince began his tour of the Old City from the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem.
- He also visited the nearby gravesite of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice, whose last wishes were to have her remains buried in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene above the Garden of Gethsemane.
Syria, Kurdish forces race to save integration deal ahead of deadline
AMMAN/RIYADH/BEIRUT/ANKARA: Syrian, Kurdish and US officials are scrambling ahead of a year-end deadline to show some progress in a stalled deal to merge Kurdish forces with the Syrian state, according to several people involved in or familiar with the talks.
Discussions have accelerated in recent days despite growing frustrations over delays, according to the Syrian, Kurdish and Western sources who spoke to Reuters, some of whom cautioned that a major breakthrough was unlikely.
The interim Syrian government has sent a proposal to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that controls the country’s northeast, according to five of the sources.
In it, Damascus expressed openness to the SDF reorganizing its roughly 50,000 fighters into three main divisions and smaller brigades as long as it cedes some chains of command and opens its territory to other Syrian army units, according to one Syrian, one Western and three Kurdish officials.
’SAVE FACE’ AND EXTEND TALKS ON INTEGRATION
It was unclear whether the idea would move forward, and several sources downplayed prospects of a comprehensive eleventh-hour deal, saying more talks are needed. Still, one SDF official said: “We are closer to a deal than ever before.”
A second Western official said that any announcement in coming days would be meant in part to “save face,” extend the deadline and maintain stability in a nation that remains fragile a year after the fall of former President Bashar Assad.
Whatever emerges was expected to fall short of the SDF’s full integration into the military and other state institutions by year-end, as was called for in a landmark March 10 agreement between the sides, most of the sources said.
Failure to mend Syria’s deepest remaining fracture risks an armed clash that could derail its emergence from 14 years of war, and potentially draw in neighboring Turkiye that has threatened an incursion against Kurdish fighters it views as terrorists.
Both sides have accused the other of stalling and acting in bad faith. The SDF is reluctant to give up autonomy it won as the main US ally during the war, after which it controlled Islamic State prisons and rich oil resources.
The US, which backs Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and has urged global support for his interim government, has relayed messages between the SDF and Damascus, facilitated talks and urged a deal, several sources said.
A US State Department spokesperson said Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria, continued to support and facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the SDF, saying the aim was to maintain momentum toward integration of the forces.
SDF DOWNPLAYS DEADLINE; TURKEY SAYS PATIENCE THIN
Since a major round of talks in the summer between the sides failed to produce results, frictions have mounted including frequent skirmishes along several front lines across the north.
The SDF took control of much of northeast Syria, where most of the nation’s oil and wheat production is, after defeating Daesh militants in 2019.
It said it was ending decades of repression against the Kurdish minority but resentment against its rule has grown among the predominantly Arab population, including against compulsory conscription of young men.
A Syrian official said the year-end deadline for integration is firm and only “irreversible steps” by the SDF could bring an extension.
Turkiye’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said on Thursday it does not want to resort to military means but warned that patience with the SDF is “running out.”
Kurdish officials have downplayed the deadline and said they are committed to talks toward a just integration.
“The most reliable guarantee for the agreement’s continued validity lies in its content, not timeframe,” said Sihanouk Dibo, a Syrian autonomous administration official, suggesting it could take until mid-2026 to address all points in the deal.
The SDF had in October floated the idea of reorganizing into three geographical divisions as well as the brigades. It is unclear whether that concession, in the proposal from Damascus in recent days, would be enough to convince it to give up territorial control.
Abdel Karim Omar, representative of the Kurdish-led northeastern administration in Damascus, said the proposal, which has not been made public, included “logistical and administrative details that could cause disagreement and lead to delays.”
A senior Syrian official told Reuters the response “has flexibility to facilitate reaching an agreement that implements the March accord.”
Discussions have accelerated in recent days despite growing frustrations over delays, according to the Syrian, Kurdish and Western sources who spoke to Reuters, some of whom cautioned that a major breakthrough was unlikely.
The interim Syrian government has sent a proposal to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that controls the country’s northeast, according to five of the sources.
In it, Damascus expressed openness to the SDF reorganizing its roughly 50,000 fighters into three main divisions and smaller brigades as long as it cedes some chains of command and opens its territory to other Syrian army units, according to one Syrian, one Western and three Kurdish officials.
’SAVE FACE’ AND EXTEND TALKS ON INTEGRATION
It was unclear whether the idea would move forward, and several sources downplayed prospects of a comprehensive eleventh-hour deal, saying more talks are needed. Still, one SDF official said: “We are closer to a deal than ever before.”
A second Western official said that any announcement in coming days would be meant in part to “save face,” extend the deadline and maintain stability in a nation that remains fragile a year after the fall of former President Bashar Assad.
Whatever emerges was expected to fall short of the SDF’s full integration into the military and other state institutions by year-end, as was called for in a landmark March 10 agreement between the sides, most of the sources said.
Failure to mend Syria’s deepest remaining fracture risks an armed clash that could derail its emergence from 14 years of war, and potentially draw in neighboring Turkiye that has threatened an incursion against Kurdish fighters it views as terrorists.
Both sides have accused the other of stalling and acting in bad faith. The SDF is reluctant to give up autonomy it won as the main US ally during the war, after which it controlled Islamic State prisons and rich oil resources.
The US, which backs Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and has urged global support for his interim government, has relayed messages between the SDF and Damascus, facilitated talks and urged a deal, several sources said.
A US State Department spokesperson said Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy to Syria, continued to support and facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the SDF, saying the aim was to maintain momentum toward integration of the forces.
SDF DOWNPLAYS DEADLINE; TURKEY SAYS PATIENCE THIN
Since a major round of talks in the summer between the sides failed to produce results, frictions have mounted including frequent skirmishes along several front lines across the north.
The SDF took control of much of northeast Syria, where most of the nation’s oil and wheat production is, after defeating Daesh militants in 2019.
It said it was ending decades of repression against the Kurdish minority but resentment against its rule has grown among the predominantly Arab population, including against compulsory conscription of young men.
A Syrian official said the year-end deadline for integration is firm and only “irreversible steps” by the SDF could bring an extension.
Turkiye’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said on Thursday it does not want to resort to military means but warned that patience with the SDF is “running out.”
Kurdish officials have downplayed the deadline and said they are committed to talks toward a just integration.
“The most reliable guarantee for the agreement’s continued validity lies in its content, not timeframe,” said Sihanouk Dibo, a Syrian autonomous administration official, suggesting it could take until mid-2026 to address all points in the deal.
The SDF had in October floated the idea of reorganizing into three geographical divisions as well as the brigades. It is unclear whether that concession, in the proposal from Damascus in recent days, would be enough to convince it to give up territorial control.
Abdel Karim Omar, representative of the Kurdish-led northeastern administration in Damascus, said the proposal, which has not been made public, included “logistical and administrative details that could cause disagreement and lead to delays.”
A senior Syrian official told Reuters the response “has flexibility to facilitate reaching an agreement that implements the March accord.”
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