A UN conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia aimed at advancing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians has been postponed following Israel’s military strike on Iran.
The high-level meeting scheduled for next week was intended to lay out a road map for Middle East peace, but has been delayed due to escalating regional tensions, a UN diplomatic source told The National on Friday.
French President Emmanuel Macron later confirmed that the summit would be moved to another venue and date after the strikes forced its postponement.
“This postponement cannot call into question our determination to move forward with the implementation of the two-state solution whatever the circumstances,” Mr Macron said from Paris. “I have stated my determination to recognise the state of Palestine is absolute – it is a sovereign decision.”
The French leader added that Israel has the right to self-defence, but said “it is through negotiation that this situation is to be resolved”.
Mr Macron said that "both the [Saudi] Crown Prince [Mohammed bin Salman] and the President of the Palestinian Authority [Mahmoud Abbas] told me that they were not in a logistical, physical, security or political position to go to New York - so it is just pragmatic reasons".
Speaking to The National on the sidelines of an Arab Group meeting at the UN, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador, Dr Abdulaziz Alwasil, said that Riyadh and Paris are “considering options” for the future of the conference.
The strike on Iran marks a sharp escalation in hostilities, further complicating international efforts to mediate a resolution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on Friday morning, killing top military officials and targeting key nuclear sites.
The Israeli army said more than 100 drones had been launched from Iran.
“We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear weaponisation programme. We targeted Iran's main enrichment facility in Natanz,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address.
“We targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck in the heart of Iran's ballistic missile programme.”
Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon called the strike “a calculated and necessary action based on clear intelligence and carried out in response to an escalating existential threat”.
“We acted to protect our citizens. We acted to prevent a threat that would endanger not only Israel but the entire world,” he added. “We will not sit quietly while our people are targeted, not again, not ever.”
Israel has repeatedly denounced the conference, saying it rewards Hamas for the October 7 attack that started the Gaza war.
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
