Saudi Arabia signs mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed #Pakistan after Israeli attack on Qatar.

ISLAMABAD — Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a mutual defence pact that defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both -- a key accord in the wake of Israel’s strike on Qatar last week.

The kingdom has long had close economic, religious and security ties to Pakistan, including reportedly providing funding for Islamabad’s nuclear weapons program as it developed. Analysts -- and Pakistani diplomats in at least one case -- have suggested over the years that Saudi Arabia could be included under Islamabad’s nuclear umbrella, particularly as tensions have risen over Iran’s atomic program.

But the timing of the pact appeared to be a signal to Israel, long suspected to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state, which has conducted a sprawling military offensive since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel stretching across Iran, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Syria and Yemen.

Israel did not respond to requests for comment. The pact marks the first major defence decision by a Gulf Arab country since the Qatar attack. The United States, long the security guarantor for the Gulf Arab states, also did not respond to questions posed to the State Department.
A deal signed in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed the pact on Wednesday with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

While not specifically discussing the bomb, the agreement states “any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both,” according to statements issued by both Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and the state-run Saudi Press Agency.

“This agreement ... aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,” the statement said.

A senior Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity to The Financial Times, seemed to suggest that Pakistan’s nuclear protection was a part of the deal, saying it “will utilize all defensive and military means deemed necessary depending on the specific threat.”

Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. diplomat with long experience in Afghanistan and Pakistan, expressed concern over the deal, saying it comes in “dangerous times.”

“Pakistan has nuclear weapons and delivery systems that can hit targets across the Middle East, including Israel. It also is developing systems that can reach targets in the U.S.,” Khalilzad wrote on X.
A long defence relationship

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a defence relationship stretching back decades, in part due to Islamabad’s willingness to defend the Islamic holy sites of Mecca and Medina in the kingdom. Pakistani troops first traveled to Saudi Arabia in the late 1960s over concerns about Egypt’s war in Yemen at the time.

Those ties increased after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution and the kingdom’s fears of a confrontation with Tehran.

Pakistan developed its nuclear weapons program to counter India’s atomic bombs. The two neighbors have fought multiple wars against each other and again came close to open warfare after an attack on tourists in April in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India is believed to have an estimated 172 nuclear warheads, while Pakistan has 170, according to the U.S.-published Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

On Thursday, India’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged the Saudi-Pakistan pact and said it “will study the implications of this development for our national security as well as for regional and global stability.” Saudi Arabia also maintains close ties with India.
An interest in Pakistan’s program

Retired Pakistani Brig. Gen. Feroz Hassan Khan, in his book on his country’s nuclear weapons program called “Eating Grass: The Making of the Pakistani Bomb,” said Saudi Arabia provided “generous financial support to Pakistan that enabled the nuclear program to continue, especially when the country was under sanctions.”

Pakistan faced U.S. sanctions for years over its pursuit of the bomb -- and saw new ones imposed over its ballistic missile work at the end of the Biden administration.

In a 2007 U.S. diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks, American diplomats in Saudi Arabia noted that their Pakistani counterparts had brought up the idea of the kingdom pursuing a weapons program alongside Islamabad in order to be the “physical protector” of the Mideast.

Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia did not respond to questions from The Associated Press on Thursday on whether the pact extended to Islamabad’s nuclear weapons arsenal. Pakistan “has historically maintained a deliberately ambiguous nuclear doctrine,” according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst, noted on Thursday that Pakistan’s National Command Authority -- which oversees the country’s atomic weapons -- had not made any statement on the pact. However, he said he believed Pakistan capable of responding to Israel even without the deterrent effect of atomic weapons.

“Pakistan is more than confident that its conventional capability is adequate,” he said. “Pakistan’s military ... is adequate enough to improve the security of Saudi Arabia without having to resort to the nuclear option.”
How Iran ties in

Saudi Arabia has sought U.S. assistance to advance a civilian nuclear power program, in part with what had been a proposed diplomatic recognition deal with Israel prior to the 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the nearly two-year war in Gaza. That could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the kingdom -- something that worries nonproliferation experts as spinning centrifuges opens the door to a possible weapons program.

That deal -- and a Saudi recognition of Israel -- seem further away than ever as the kingdom has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and the crown prince has come out saying that Israel is committing a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

However, Prince Mohammed has also said the kingdom would pursue a nuclear weapon if Iran had one. Saudi Arabia already is believed to have a domestic ballistic missile program, which can be a delivery system for a nuclear weapon. Still, the kingdom is a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and is not known to have move toward acquiring the bomb through its own work.

Before the signing of the defence pact with Pakistan, Iran dispatched Ali Larijani, a senior political figure who now serves as the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, to visit Saudi Arabia.

That may have seen the kingdom give a heads-up to Tehran about the pact as Saudi Arabia has had a Chinese-mediated detente with Iran since 2023.

___

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Vineeta Deepak in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Munir Ahmed And Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press

Chimps ingest alcohol daily: Study,

#Chimpanzees consume the equivalent of at least one alcoholic drink per day as they eat ripe, fermenting fruit, says a study out Wednesday that addresses one possible reason why humans are drawn to booze.

The study, carried out in the wilds of Africa where the animals live, supports the theory that people may have inherited from primates a taste for alcohol and ability to metabolize it even though it is toxic for us.

The researchers collected fruits that chimps eat and measured their ethanol content, which is produced as sugar ferments. They concluded that these evolutionary cousins of ours consume alcohol on a daily basis.

And not just a little. Through the large amount of fruit that chimps eat, the researchers reckon the animals take in about 14 grams (half an ounce) of alcohol per day.

Correcting for body size, it is like the chimps are drinking a pint of beer per day, Aleksey Maro, lead author of the study published in the journal Science Advances, told AFP.

“It’s not an insubstantial amount of alcohol, but very diluted and more associated with food,” said the PhD candidate at the University of California, Berkeley.
The ‘drunken monkey’ theory

“We’ve seen for the first time that, indeed, our closest living relatives are consuming physiologically relevant doses of alcohol routinely daily,” Maro said.

This is in line with the “drunken monkey theory” espoused more than a decade ago by U.S. biologist Robert Dudley, who co-authored the new study.

As the theory goes, humans liking alcohol and being able to metabolize it stems from our primate ancestors ingesting it daily through the fruit they eat.

“The drunken monkey hypothesis is becoming more and more a reality,” said Maro. “Its name is unfortunate. A better name would be the evolutionary hangover.”

The theory was initially met with skepticism among experts. But it has gained traction in recent years as studies showed that some primates eat fermented fruit and, given a choice of nectars with varying amounts of alcohol, they prefer the booziest one.

Nathaniel Dominy, a professor of anthropology and evolutionary biology at Dartmouth College who did not take part in this study, welcomed it enthusiastically.

“The paper is a tour de force,” he told AFP.

Dominy also said it “puts to rest the debate over the prevalence of ethanol in tropical fruits.”

But he added that the study raises new questions on the biological and behavioral consequences of chronic low-level ethanol exposure for nonhuman primates.

Another unanswered question is whether chimps actively search out boozy fruit or just eat it when they find it. The researchers in this study said they did not know.

The issue of chimps ingesting alcohol will remain under study to learn more about the origins of human alcohol consumption and assess its risks and possible benefits, according to Maro.

“We can learn about ourselves through the chimpanzees,” he said.

#USA: #Pentagon to get first official briefing on Golden Dome #missile shield #architecture.

The briefing is a key milestone for General Mike Guetlein, who is in charge of the day-to-day progress for Golden Dome, and signals planning, funding and development for the most ambitious defence effort launched by Trump is taking shape.

“Sept. 17, 2025 marks 60 days since Gen. Guetlein’s confirmation and the establishment of the Office of Golden Dome for America,” a Pentagon spokesperson said. “The Department of War met the deadline of initial architecture development.”

Two sources said that Guetlein had briefed Congress on Monday on Golden Dome’s goals and schedule.

According to government presentations previously reported by Reuters, the system would feature space-based sensing and targeting capabilities alongside ground-based missile interceptors, radar arrays and potentially laser systems.

The sources said Guetlein’s briefing on the architecture was not expected to include details on the number of satellites or interceptors needed for Golden Dome.

The Golden Dome initiative faces an ambitious 2028 deadline set by Trump, with the system intended to defend against ballistic, hypersonic, and advanced cruise missiles from multiple adversaries.

The proposed architecture includes four integrated layers - one satellite-based and three land-based - with a notional 11 short-range missile batteries positioned across the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii.

The next milestone is around mid-November, when Guetlein must present a full implementation plan with satellite and ground station details.

The program draws inspiration from Israel’s Iron Dome, but operates on a significantly larger geographic scale. Major defence contractors including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Boeing are expected to compete for various system components.

Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Jamie Freed.

Billie Eilish, Cillian Murphy among dozens of celebrities calling for Gaza ceasefire ahead of benefit concert in London.


The “Together For Palestine” concert on Wednesday evening aims to “raise millions for the Palestinian-led organizations at the front line of the crisis,” the event’s website says. Among the groups it is fundraising for are the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), Palestinian Medical Relief Society, and Taawon, which runs orphan care programs in Gaza.

“We have to tell the truth on behalf of the people of Palestine,” Scottish actor Brian Cox says in the video.

American photographer and activist Nan Goldin says, “It’s been the artist’s role in society to speak out, to risk speaking truth to power.”

Stephen John Coogan, English actor, producer, screenwriter, and comedian also appears in the video.

“It’s important to speak out now, not when this is over, right now, while it’s happening, pressurize your government. Lend your support to those who are peacefully campaigning for Palestine. Call for a ceasefire, stop the killing,” Coogan says.

It’s not the first time Eilish has spoken out on Gaza. At the Oscars last year, Eilish and her brother and musician Finneas were among celebrities who took to the red carpet in matching red lapel pins calling for a ceasefire.

Hundreds of artists have joined Artists4Ceasefire, a campaign that in late October 2023 published a letter urging the U.S. Congress and then-President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire.

Wednesday’s benefit concert comes just days after celebrities showed their support for Gaza at the Emmy Awards. Emmy nominee Javier Bardem took to the red carpet wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, to denounce what he said was “the genocide in Gaza.” Hannah Einbinder, who won an Emmy for her role in the TV series “Hacks,” called for a “Free Palestine” on stage.

Israel is currently ramping up its offensive in Gaza. As of Wednesday, Israeli tanks were stationed on the edge of Gaza City ahead of a ground operation into the city, according to eyewitnesses and satellite imagery. Despite international outcry, Israel announced on Tuesday that it launched an expanded ground assault on Gaza City to “strike terror infrastructure” and secure “the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

By Mohammed Tawfeeq, Hira Humayun, CNN

Southern California judge who killed his wife sentenced to 35 years to life for murder.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, wearing a green jail jumpsuit in court, was sentenced for the second-degree murder of his wife, Sheryl, and felony gun enhancements.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter, who presided over the case to avoid a conflict of interest in Orange County, said the evidence against Ferguson was “absolutely overwhelming” including a text message he sent to court staff immediately after the shooting saying “I just lost it” and video recordings of him speaking extensively while in custody.

Hunter said she would shave five years off the maximum potential sentence of 40 years to life due to Ferguson’s lack of a criminal record and support from Sheryl Ferguson’s family members, among other factors, but that Ferguson had repeatedly shown he doesn’t believe the rules apply to him by drinking while carrying a weapon — even while he was out on bond even though he was barred from doing so.

“Mr. Ferguson believes the rules just do not apply to him,” Hunter said.

Ferguson, 74, has claimed the 2023 shooting was accidental, but District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the evidence showed it was “cold-blooded murder.”

“He most likely, with this sentence, will never see freedom as a result of his age,” Spitzer told reporters after the hearing.

In court, Ferguson said he loved his wife and was looking forward to spending his life with her and their family.

“I understand the jury’s verdict but it was a horrific accident,” Ferguson said, his voice cracking. “I have enormous grief not for myself alone but for my son, Phillip, and Sheryl’s brothers.”

Prosecutors said the longtime judge and former criminal prosecutor pulled a gun from his ankle holster in August 2023 and fired the fatal shot after he had been drinking and arguing with Sheryl over family finances at a restaurant and later while watching “Breaking Bad” in their Anaheim Hills home.

The case roiled the legal community in Orange County where many have known or worked with Ferguson for decades, including Spitzer. The county is home to 3 million people between Los Angeles and San Diego.

During the sentencing hearing, Sheryl’s brother, Larry Rosen, and other relatives asked the judge for leniency. Rosen said he believes the shooting was an accident and worries about Ferguson’s adult son, Phillip.

“My nephew has lost his mom and you are going to take away his dad,” Rosen said, sobbing. “I understand there is culpability but I don’t think it is to the level that’s been raised here.”

In March, an initial jury deadlocked on the case and Hunter declared a mistrial. In April, a second jury convicted Ferguson of second-degree murder and the gun enhancements.

During the trial, prosecutors said Ferguson had been drinking before he made a gun-like hand gesture toward his wife of 27 years while arguing with her at a Mexican restaurant on Aug. 3, 2023. Prosecutors said the quarrel continued at home while the couple was watching TV with Phillip, and Sheryl Ferguson challenged her husband to point a real gun at her. He did, then pulled the trigger, prosecutors said.

Ferguson, who had experience and training in firearms, testified that he was removing the gun from his ankle holster to place it on a table cluttered with other items when he fumbled it due to an injured shoulder, and it went off.

Immediately after the shooting, Ferguson and his son called 911, and Ferguson texted his court clerk and bailiff saying, “I just lost it. I just shot my wife. I won’t be in tomorrow. I will be in custody. I’m so sorry,” according to a copy of a text message shown to jurors.

Ferguson spoke with police outside his home and while in custody. In video shown at trial, he was seen sobbing and saying his son and everyone would hate him, and pleading for a jury to convict him.

After Ferguson’s arrest, authorities said they found 47 weapons, including the gun used in the shooting, and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition at his home.

Ferguson began his legal career in the district attorney’s office in 1983 and went on to work on narcotics cases, winning various awards. He became a judge in 2015 and presided over criminal cases in the Orange County city of Fullerton, about 10 miles (16 kilometres) from the court where he was sentenced.

Amy Taxin, The Associated Press

After mass Nepal jailbreak, some prisoners surrender, Kathmandu, Nepal -- Days after escaping alongside 13,500 others in a giant jailbreak during deadly anti-corruption protests in Nepal, Avinash Rai rubbed his belly after a meal -- and strolled back into prison.

The 46-year-old convicted smuggler stunned relatives when he turned up at their Kathmandu home during last week’s chaos, in which protesters torched the parliament and toppled the government.

The violence left at least 73 dead and saw security collapse across the capital, with inmates streaming out of fire-damaged jails countrywide.

“We were in a situation where saving our own lives was a challenge,” Rai, with two small bags slung on his shoulders, told AFP just before he surrendered himself at the gates of Kathmandu’s Nakhu prison.

“There were no cops here -— there was massive arson and vandalism. The gate was open after that.”

He emerged from prison into violent crowds and fires burning across the city.

“It was a really bad time out,” he said referring to the mayhem as he escaped. “Now I’m going in.”

Youth-led protests in the Himalayan nation began on September 8, sparked by a short-lived ban on social media, but fuelled by anger at corruption and long-standing economic woes.

At least 19 people were killed in a crackdown.

A day later, anger over the deaths escalated, triggering an outpouring of rage nationwide -- with government buildings set alight and violence erupting in multiple prisons.

Rai, jailed for smuggling contraband across the India-Nepal border, has served 20 months of a 22-month sentence and appealed for the new government to “show some leniency”.
‘Cops searching’

More than a third of the fugitives -- 5,000 out of 13,500 -- have been recaptured, police said.

Some were caught by Indian security forces as they tried to slip across the long, porous frontier.

Many still on the run include hardened criminals.

Others, like Rai, handed themselves back in -- many convicted of lesser offences or near the end of their sentences.

His friend Nagendra Shreshtha, who accompanied him back to jail, said Rai’s family had been shocked when he appeared at their door.

“It was just crazy that all these people managed to come out of jail,” Shreshtha said. “We advised him that it made sense to return on his own.”

At the prison gates, Rai was not alone.

Som Gopali, 40, jailed for five years for assault and with nine months still to serve, hugged his tearful wife as he also handed himself in.

“It was a shock when Som phoned me,” said his sister Preeti Yonjan, 42, who also came with him to the jail gate.

“I was dumbfounded and took time to process how he was out”.

Many families described anguish at their relatives’ return behind bars after a brief taste of freedom.

“He couldn’t have stayed out with cops searching for him, and when he has nearly served his time,” Yonjan said.
‘Things must change’

Nakhu prison itself still bears the scars of the unrest.

Walls are scorched black, slogans of the “Gen Z” youth protesters are scrawled across the entrance, and community volunteers have been ferrying in donated mattresses, blankets and utensils.

“There is burnt soot everywhere,” said local volunteer Savyata Bhakti, 22.

“The first night we heard about the escape was tense, and everyone was extra vigilant about safety.”

Suresh Raj Aran, 40, whose 23-year-old son Sevak surrendered, said he had fled only to escape the violence inside prison.

“My son is innocent and we want him home with his parents, but only through a proper legal process,” Aran said.

Outside the prison, families expressed hope that Nepal’s new interim government, leading the country towards elections in March 2026, would improve conditions.

The World Bank says a “staggering” 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita just $1,447.

“Things must change -- because if not now then when?,” said Poornima Gopali, 29, waving as her brother Som returned inside.

By Bhuvan Bagga, AFP

#Mexico City propane tanker explosion death toll reaches 15, Mexico City health officials announced on X that a 40-year-old man had died from his injuries and then hours later said in a statement that a 15th person had died who had not been identified. Thirty-nine people remained hospitalized.

Investigators determined that the tank of the overturned trailer ruptured after colliding with something. They continue investigating whether the truck was speeding and whether the driver had sufficient training.

The resulting fire last Wednesday engulfed more than two dozen vehicles and left dozens of badly burned victims.

The Associated Press

#WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military on Monday again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing three aboard the vessel, and hinted that the military targeting of cartels could be further expanded.

“The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.,” Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the strike. “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S. Interests.”

The strike was carried out nearly two weeks after another military strike on what the Trump administration said was a drug-carrying speedboat from Venezuela that killed 11.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office later on Monday, Trump said he had been shown footage of the latest strike by Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Asked what proof the U.S. has that the vessel was carrying drugs, Trump replied, “We have proof. All you have to do is look at the cargo that was spattered all over the ocean -- big bags of cocaine and and fentanyl all over the place.”

Trump also hinted that U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug smugglers at sea could be expanded to land.

He said the U.S. military is seeing fewer vessels in the Caribbean since carrying out the first strike early this month. But he said the cartels are still smuggling drugs by land.

“We’re telling the cartels right now we’re going to be stopping them, too,” Trump said. “When they come by land we’re going to be stopping them the same way we stopped the boats. ... But maybe by talking about it a little bit, it won’t happen. If it doesn’t happen that’s good.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later took to X to warn cartels the U.S. would “track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks throughout our hemisphere -- at the times and places of our choosing,” echoing muscular language used by past administrations during the Global War on Terror. The White House also posted a short unclassified video clip on social media of the strike.

The Trump administration has justified the military action as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.

But several senators, Democrats and some Republicans, have indicated their dissatisfaction with the administration’s rationale and questioned the legality of the action. They view it as a potential overreach of executive authority in part because the military was used for law enforcement purposes.

The Trump administration has claimed self-defense as a legal justification for the first strike, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing the drug cartels “pose an immediate threat” to the nation.

U.S. officials said the strike early this month targeted Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. And they indicated more military strikes on drug targets would be coming as the U.S. looks to “wage war” on cartels.

Trump did not specify whether Tren de Aragua was also the target of Monday’s strike.

The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported strike.

The Trump administration has railed specifically against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for the scourge of illegal drugs in U.S. communities.

Maduro during a press conference earlier on Monday lashed out at the U.S. government, accusing the Trump administration of using drug trafficking accusations as an excuse for a military operation whose intentions are “to intimidate and seek regime change” in the South American country.

Maduro also repudiated what he described as a weekend operation in which 18 Marines raided a Venezuelan fishing boat in the Caribbean.

“What were they looking for? Tuna? What were they looking for? A kilo of snapper? Who gave the order in Washington for a missile destroyer to send 18 armed Marines to raid a tuna fishing vessel?” he said. “They were looking for a military incident. If the tuna fishing boys had any kind of weapons and used weapons while in Venezuelan jurisdiction, it would have been the military incident that the warmongers, extremists who want a war in the Caribbean, are seeking.”

Speaking to Fox News earlier Monday, Rubio reiterated that the U.S. doesn’t see Maduro as the rightful leader of Venezuela but as head of a drug cartel. Rubio has consistently depicted Venezuela as a vestige of communist ideology in the Western Hemisphere.

“We’re not going to have a cartel, operating or masquerading as a government, operating in our own hemisphere,” Rubio said.

Following the first military strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, America’s chief diplomat said Trump was “going to use the U.S. military and all the elements of American power to target cartels who are targeting America.”

AP and others have reported that the boat had turned around and was heading back to shore when it was struck. But Rubio on Monday said he didn’t know if that’s accurate.

“What needs to start happening is some of these boats need to get blown up,” Rubio said. “We can’t live in a world where all of a sudden they do a U-turn and so we can’t touch them anymore.”

Arab, Muslim leaders urge review of Israel ties after #Qatar attack, Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after emergency talks in Doha on Monday following last week’s deadly strike on Hamas members in the Qatari capital.

The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to take firm action after Israel’s attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal.

A joint statement from the summit urged “all States to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people”, including “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it”.

Qatar’s fellow Gulf nations the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, were among those present that recognize Israel.

The leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which signed the Abraham Accords recognizing Israel five years ago to the day, did not attend Monday’s talks, sending senior representatives instead.

The statement also urged member states to “co-ordinate efforts aimed at suspending Israel’s membership in the United Nations”.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Qatar on Tuesday, after pledging “unwavering support” for Israel’s goal of eradicating Hamas during a visit to the country.

The attack strained ties between Washington and key allies in the Gulf, raising concerns over U.S. security guarantees in a region housing major U.S. assets including a major military base in Qatar.

The State Department said Rubio would “reaffirm America’s full support for Qatar’s security and sovereignty” after last week’s strike.
Mounting pressure over Gaza

Qatar had called for a co-ordinated regional response after the Israeli attack, which stunned the usually peaceful, wealthy peninsula.

The summit aimed to pile pressure on Israel, which is facing mounting calls to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The host country’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, accused Israel of trying to scupper ceasefire talks by firing on Hamas negotiators in Qatar, a key mediator.

Hamas says top officials survived last week’s air strike in Doha, which killed six people and triggered a wave of criticism.

“Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations,” the emir told the summit.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, was among those present on Monday, as were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

“Tomorrow, it could be the turn of any Arab or Islamic capital,” said Pezeshkian, whose country fought a 12-day war with Israel in June, at one point attacking a U.S. base in Qatar in retaliation for strikes on its nuclear facilities.

“The choice is clear. We must unite.”

President Abdelfattah al-Sisi of Egypt, the first Arab country to recognize Israel, warned its attack in Qatar “places obstacles in the way of any opportunities for new peace agreements and even aborts the existing peace agreements with countries in the region”.

Israel and its main backer Washington have been trying to expand the Abraham Accords, signed during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term, notably courting Saudi Arabia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of adopting a “terrorist mentality”, as countries took turns slamming it over #Gaza.

The rich Gulf countries also met on the sidelines of the summit, urging the U.S. to use its “leverage and influence” to rein in Israel, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi told a press conference.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday backed Israel’s new offensive on Gaza City and its goal of eradicating Hamas, casting doubt on whether diplomacy would work to end nearly two years of war.

Rubio showed no daylight between himself and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a visit to Jerusalem, despite U.S. President Donald Trump gently chiding Israel a week earlier for carrying out air strikes on Hamas leaders in U.S. partner Qatar.

“The people of Gaza deserve a better future, but that better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated,” Rubio told reporters at a joint press conference with Netanyahu.

“You can count on our unwavering support,” he said.

Rubio also took a dim view of the Qatari-brokered negotiations for a ceasefire, despite Trump last month predicting an end to the war within weeks.

He called Hamas, whose unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war, “barbaric animals”.

“As much as we may wish that there be a sort of a peaceful, diplomatic way to end it, and we’ll continue to explore and be dedicated to it, we also have to be prepared for the possibility that that’s not going to happen,” Rubio said.

Rubio will travel to Doha on Tuesday, the State Department said, to “reaffirm America’s full support” for the Gulf state’s sovereignty.

Qatar is home to the largest U.S. air base in the region and has assiduously courted Trump, including with a gift of a luxury plane.

Doha hosted a summit of Arab and Islamic states Monday where the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said Israel saw negotiations as “merely part of the war”.

“Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating intends to thwart the negotiations,” he said.

The summit called on countries to “review” ties with Israel and work to have the country stripped of UN membership.

Gulf states, key allies of the United States, urged it to use its “leverage and influence” to rein in Israel.
‘Greatest friend’ of Israel

Israel has launched a major new military campaign aimed at seizing Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban centre, where the United Nations determined last month a million people were facing famine -- a finding rejected by Israel.

Israeli strikes killed another 49 people Monday, many of them in Gaza City, the civil defence agency reported.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

Netanyahu said Rubio’s visit was a “clear message” the United States stood with Israel, and called Trump “the greatest friend that Israel has ever had”.

Rubio’s visit comes a week before France will lead a UN summit in which a number of U.S. allies, angered by what they see as Israeli intransigence, plan to recognize a Palestinian state.

Rubio called statehood recognition, which is fervently opposed by Netanyahu’s right-wing government, “largely symbolic” and alleged that it “emboldened” Hamas to take a hard line.

“It’s actually hurting the cause they think they’re furthering,” Rubio said.

Netanyahu warned that Israel may take unspecified unilateral action in response to recognition of a Palestinian state.

Far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have called for annexation of the West Bank to preclude a state, triggering protests by the United Arab Emirates, which took the landmark step of recognizing Israel five years ago Monday.

The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed more than 64,900 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

Of the 251 people taken hostage by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead.

Rubio met with the families of hostages in Jerusalem on Monday evening, according to a State Department official.
Controversial tunnel

Rubio opened the visit on Sunday with a highly symbolic show of support as he joined Netanyahu at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray.

Rubio, a devout Catholic, later posted that his visit showed his belief that Jerusalem is the “eternal capital” of Israel.

Until Trump’s first term, U.S. leaders had shied away from such overt statements backing Israeli sovereignty over contested Jerusalem, which is also holy to Muslims and Christians.

Rubio late Monday attended the inauguration of a tunnel for religious tourists that goes underneath the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan to the holy sites.

Fakhri Abu Diab, 63, a community spokesman in Silwan, said Rubio should instead come to see homes, such as his own, that have been demolished by Israel in what Palestinians charge is a targeted campaign to erase them.

“Instead of siding with international law, the United States is going the way of extremists and the far right and ignoring our history,” he said.