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Sweida Takes First Step Toward Self-Governance: Legal Committee Appoints Executive Council and Security Leadership

In a major development signaling the beginning of local self-governance in southern Syria, the High Legal Committee in Sweida — formed in coordination with the Druze spiritual authority — has launched its official platform and announced the creation of an executive office to run the province’s civil and administrative affairs, alongside the appointment of new internal security leadership. 2/5

The committee’s statement described Sweida as entering a “critical and defining moment,” in light of what it called “massacres and atrocities committed by government security forces and their allied militias.” It outlined a new governance framework meant to protect civilians and stabilize essential services.

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From Dubai to Rabat: What the Arab Press is Covering Today
Wednesday, July 30

Recognition of Palestine: A Reward for Hamas?

Arab newspapers—especially in the Gulf—continue to spotlight the growing debate over recognizing a Palestinian state, with sharp commentary around recent British and European efforts. Several outlets are reporting internal disagreements within the UK government, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration appears inclined to follow France’s lead in recognizing a Palestinian state.
However, critics within Britain—and echoed in Gulf media—argue that such recognition, at this moment, risks being seen as a reward for Hamas. Editorials warn that international recognition could undermine the Palestinian Authority and bolster Hamas’s narrative. Some analysts note the PA’s muted response to these developments, suggesting concern that such moves may legitimize Hamas’s October 7 offensive, which its leaders have framed as the turning point that reignited global support for the Palestinian cause. 2/4

New Revelations in Iran-Israel Shadow War

Another dominant topic in today’s Arab press: new details surfacing around the covert war between Iran and Israel. Citing official statements and state media leaks, several newspapers report that Israel came close to assassinating senior Iranian leaders, potentially during a high-level meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
Although the operation was either aborted or failed, the revelations highlight Israel’s deep intelligence penetration into Iranian leadership circles. Media also shed light on Iran’s hidden military infrastructure — including underground bunkers and security facilities located beneath urban neighborhoods in Tehran, effectively using civilians as human shields without their knowledge.

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By: @AmitSegal

Within 48 hours, Jerusalem will decide whether to annex territory in Gaza if Hamas doesn’t release hostages. And yes, this is vastly different from the IDF simply capturing territory in the strip.

Let’s explore why this move is so significant, and the motivations behind it. 2/4
While the military can simply relinquish any territory it controls, annexing parts of the strip is almost irreversible. Why? According to Israeli law, if the government wants to relinquish territory it has annexed, it has two options: the withdrawal can either be approved by 80 of the Knesset’s 120 members, or through a referendum.

Considering how divisive issues of territory are in the Jewish state, and the trauma of Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, you’d be forgiven for struggling to imagine a scenario in which a majority of the Israeli public supports giving up land again, or where two-thirds of the Knesset vote in favor of the move.

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The leaked email that blows apart the BBC’s impartiality claims over Gaza
By : @jonsac
A leaked internal email from a BBC executive editor reveals that the Corporation has issued prescriptive instructions to staff on how to cover the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The memo, titled ‘Covering the food crisis in Gaza’, amounts to a top-down editorial diktat that discards impartiality, elevates one side of a deeply contested narrative, and imposes a specific anti-Israel legal-political framing as settled fact. The existence of this email is a telling sign of how the Corporation works to ensure its journalists stick to its own ideological angles. 2/10
The email, which was sent to BBC staff on Friday, begins by declaring that ‘the argument over how much aid has crossed into Gaza is irrelevant’ and instructs staff that ‘we should say’ the current distribution system ‘doesn’t work’. It explicitly favours a particular explanation of suffering in Gaza: one that blames the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a relatively new aid body established with US and Israeli cooperation, while glossing over the role of Hamas, the rulers of Gaza and a proscribed terrorist organisation under British law.

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In a scathing June 19, 2025 editorial, the Palestinian Authority’s Al-Hayat Al-Jadida accused Hamas of murdering Gaza civilians seeking humanitarian aid from U.S.-backed distribution centers.

By ; @MEMRIReports
#Gaza #Hamas 2/10
According to the report, Hamas’ Al-Sahm Unit acts as a "death squad," hunting down and executing those who attempt to reach aid centers—accusing them of “collaboration” with Israel and the U.S.

ME24 Exclusive – Sweida Horror: Over 3,300 Druze Killed, Dozens of Women and Children Kidnapped in Syria’s Southern Province

Sweida, Syria – ME24 has obtained verified, harrowing updates from multiple trusted sources on the ground in Sweida, revealing the scale of atrocities committed against the local Druze community in what many are calling one of the most brutal campaigns of sectarian violence in years.
1/4 According to local sources, the death toll has now exceeded 3,300 people—mostly civilians from the Druze minority. In addition, at least 110 individuals have been kidnapped, the majority of whom are women and children.
More than 30 villages have been burned to the ground and left completely deserted. Thousands of homes have been looted, ransacked, and then torched, leaving entire families displaced with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
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Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (@GHFUpdates) said this:
For weeks, we’ve raised concerns about the systematic diversion of aid in Gaza. Now, the Washington Post confirms it:
Hamas is seizing UN humanitarian supplies, reselling them on the black market, and profiting — while ordinary Gazans face hunger and despair.

GHF’s secure aid model prevents this abuse — which is exactly why Hamas wants us shut down.

Here’s a breakdown of the Washington Post’s findings 🧵
1/6 The article confirms what GHF has long said: Hamas systematically uses international aid to fund its operations to the detriment of the people of Gaza. Those who don’t go along with this scheme are threatened, and in some cases, even killed.
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"What’s Happening in Israel – The Top 5 Stories in Israel Recently"
Israeli media recently focused on five key issues: tensions over Haredi draft exemptions, progress in Gaza ceasefire talks, Israeli strikes in Syria to defend Druze communities, rising Iranian espionage inside Israel, and growing public frustration with Netanyahu’s war strategy. These developments reflect deep shifts in Israeli society and politics.
1/6 1. Haredi Draft Crisis Splits Coalition
The Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) parties - United Torah Judaism and Shas - exit Netanyahu’s government over military draft reforms.
After ongoing coalition negotiations between Israel’s Haredi parties and the Netanyahu-led government over the always contentious refusal of the Haredi parties to end draft exemptions for Yeshiva (seminary) students, leaving Netanyahu with a narrow Knesset majority.
The move, while largely symbolic for now, signals a deep fracture in Netanyahu’s coalition and growing pressure from within Israeli society to end ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions. The public mood is increasingly unified around the principle of shared national burden.This adds to the coalition instability and could trigger early elections, deepening sectarian divides during wartime.
It is important to note that the parties left the government but not the coalition and have no exited the Knesset.
What this means - Netanyahu will delay elections with short-term compromises but trust between Likud and the Haredi parties is weakening. A future realignment—possibly around Gantz or a new centrist bloc—is more likely post-war. Some analysts suggested the timing is meant as a warning and a symbolic move, as not much is expected to happen with the upcoming July 27 Knesset recess for the summer.
Sources: The Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post
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