DUBAI: Mauritania’s parliament is investigating its former president’s gifting of an island to former Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
The case is part of the corruption files which reportedly involve President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who survived a shooting in October 2012, the report said on Tuesday.
The island is located on a coastal basin in the Atlantic Ocean and is home to millions of migratory birds and rare species of fish.
The committee, formed by the Mauritanian parliament, investigated several infrastructure deals and heard testimonies of ministers who worked with the former president. The investigation included the gifting of the island to Qatar’s Al-Thani.
Mauritanian media leaked documents showing communications between Qatar’s embassy in Nouakchott with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, discussing the “beautiful Mauritanian island” received from Abdel Aziz.
Amid the investigations, the Mauritania’s parliament was also seeking to make amendments to the law which will allow the High Court of Justice to prosecute high-ranking officials.
Mauritania investigates gifting of island to former Qatari Emir
https://arab.news/9gxwh
Mauritania investigates gifting of island to former Qatari Emir
- The island is home to millions of migratory birds and rare species of fish
- Mauritanian media leaked documents showing communications between Qatar’s embassy in Nouakchott with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar
Israeli settlers target wells, disrupt water supply to 19 Palestinian areas near Ramallah
- Settlers broke windows, doors, control panels and cut the cables rendering the wells completely inoperable
- Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian homes and businesses have increased since October 2023
LONDON: Israeli settlers attacked water wells in the Ein Samia area, northeast of Ramallah, overnight, causing a disruption in the water supply for several hours, according to the Jerusalem District Water Department's report on Sunday.
The Palestinian Authority’s water authority reported that settlers targeted wells number two, four, and six in Ein Samia, disrupting their operation from Saturday at 10 p.m. until Sunday at 9 a.m. The attackers broke windows, doors, control panels and cut the cables, rendering the wells completely inoperable.
It warned that attacks on the primary water source jeopardized access to water for over 19 areas in the occupied West Bank, worsening the difficulties faced by residents near Ramallah.
Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian homes and businesses have increased since October 2023.
These incidents include vandalism, arson, shootings, and the destruction of agricultural lands and water sources, often intended to pressure residents into leaving their land. Israeli authorities often provide protection for settlers during attacks, including military deployment to accompany them and suppress local resistance, the Wafa news agency reported.
Excluding East Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, some 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, along with about 3 million Palestinian residents.
