Saudi Arabia's priority is to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, despite growing speculation about the kingdom establishing relations with Israel, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday.
Prince Faisal was asked about the future of Saudi ties with Israel during a visit to Moscow. "What we are seeing is the Israelis are crushing Gaza, the civilian population of Gaza," he said. "This is completely unnecessary, completely unacceptable and has to stop."
Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has made expanding the Abraham Accords, which established relations between Israel and several Arab states, a central foreign policy goal.
Before the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, Saudi Arabia was in advanced talks to join the Abraham Accords and establish relations with Israel, in a move mediated by the US. But Israel’s war on Gaza halted that momentum, with Riyadh publicly emphasising the need for a credible path towards a Palestinian state before moving forward.
In 2024, Prince Faisal said the kingdom could not establish ties with Israel without the Palestinian issue being resolved.
More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023, health authorities in the enclave have said. The war began when Hamas led an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, with about 240 taken hostage.
During his visit to Moscow, Prince Faisal met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. They held a joint press conference after talks on subjects that included regional and international developments, as well as areas of co-operation between their countries.
On Iran, Prince Faisal stressed the importance of resuming diplomatic negotiations over the country's nuclear programme and said Tehran also needed to co-operate fully with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Iran “remains committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguards agreement”, a day after President Masoud Pezeshkian approved a law suspending co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“Our co-operation with the IAEA will be channelled through Iran's Supreme National Security Council for obvious safety and security reasons,” Mr Araghchi said in a post on X.
Iranian leaders have accused the agency of providing Israel with grounds for attacking its nuclear sites, after the IAEA board censured Tehran last month for failing to comply with its obligations under the non-proliferation treaty, which is intended to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa, Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammad Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Roll of honour: Who won what in 2018/19?
West Asia Premiership: Winners – Bahrain; Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership: Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Winners – Dubai Hurricanes; Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference: Winners – Dubai Tigers; Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
