Middle East

Man holding Palestinian flag

France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, and Monaco formally recognize Palestinian statehood

By / / Good News For Humankind

In a landmark diplomatic moment, France, Belgium, and a coalition of other European nations have formally recognized a Palestinian state. The coordinated effort, announced at the United Nations General Assembly, is a powerful affirmation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. This is a significant step toward a two-state solution, demonstrating a growing international consensus that a stable peace in the Middle East requires a sovereign Palestine existing alongside Israel.

Palestinian flags

Britain, Australia, and Canada formally recognize a Palestinian state

By / / Good News For Humankind

In a landmark move, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have formally recognized Palestine as an independent state.
This diplomatic action, hailed as a major step toward a two-state solution, is a powerful affirmation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. The coordinated effort signals a growing international consensus that a stable and lasting peace requires a sovereign Palestinian state existing alongside Israel.
While this move is largely symbolic and does nothing to mitigate the suffering happening in Gaza every day, it is perhaps still a moment of hope, demonstrating that diplomacy and international law can be key tools in resolving long-standing conflicts and moving toward justice.

Peace sign lit in the sky at night

Kurdistan Workers’ Party agrees to peace deal with Turkey, ending deadly 40-year conflict

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The decision promises to put an end to one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East and could have significant impact in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. In February, party leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, urged his group to convene a congress and formally decide to disband. The call by Ocalan marked a pivotal step toward ending the decades-long conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.

Solar farm in the desert

Abu Dhabi to build world’s largest solar energy project

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Abu Dhabi will soon be home to a 5.2-GW solar farm, enough to power 750,000 homes and become the world’s new largest-ever solar energy project. The project will cost US$6 billion, and is set to be commissioned in 2027. It will consist of around 10 million solar panels across 20 square miles, more than 10,000 football fields. The new project in Abu Dhabi not only earns the United Arab Emirates major bragging rights, but also gets it closer to its Net Zero by 2050 target.

Peace sign lit in the sky at night

Israel and Hamas agree to cease-fire after 15 months of war and terror

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The guns have gone silent in Gaza after over a year of brutal war, destruction, and terror. The initial stage of a truce between Israel and Hamas prompted celebrations in Gaza and hope for an end to the 15-month war. Three women were the first Israeli hostages to be released. In exchange, Israel has agreed to release dozens of Palestinian prisoners. Since October 2023, over 45,900 Palestinians and 1,700 Israelis have been killed, including many civilians, children, journalists, and humanitarians.

Onager

Asiatic wild asses return to Saudi Arabia after 100 years

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It’s been a century since an onager or Asiatic wild ass was last seen in Saudi Arabia. But in April this year, seven onagers were relocated from neighboring Jordan into one of Saudi Arabia’s nature reserves. One of the onagers has even birthed a female foal since then. Saudi Arabia was historically home to the Syrian wild ass , an onager subspecies that was hunted into extinction in the 1920s. But with the Syrian onager gone forever, it’s closest living relative, the Persian onager from Jordan, “was deemed the best alternative sub-species with which to re-populate the Middle East.”

Damascus Cityscape

‘Disappeared’ Syrian dissidents emerge from Assad’s prisons after regime collapse

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As Syrian rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured city after city on the road to Damascus, forcing Bashar al-Assad to flee the country, they also opened the doors of the regime’s notorious prisons, into which upwards of 100,000 people disappeared during nearly 14 years of civil war. Many emerged frail and emaciated into the bright December sunlight, greeted by weeping family members who had no idea they were still alive.

Closeup hands of old woman suffering from leprosy

Jordan becomes first country to receive WHO verification for eliminating leprosy

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Jordan has not reported any autochthonous cases of leprosy for over two decades, a testament to its strong political commitment and effective public health strategies to eliminate the disease. Following up on the Ministry of Health’s interest in verifying the elimination of leprosy, the World Health Organization (WHO) commissioned an independent team to assess this situation. After an extensive review, the verification team recommended that WHO acknowledges leprosy has been eliminated in Jordan.

Aerial view of large solar farm

Qatar and Saudi Arabia announce four mammoth new solar projects totaling 7.5GW

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Four massive new solar projects are under development in the Middle East, with a 2GW solar project proposed for Qatar, and three projects worth a cumulative 5.5GW securing financing in Saudi Arabia. State-owned petroleum company QatarEnergy will build a 2GW solar power plant, doubling the country’s total solar capacity in one fell swoop. Saudi Arabian energy giant ACWA Power has also announced that it has secured financing for three large-scale solar PV projects worth a total of $5.5 billion USD.

Aerial view of Gaza City

More than 350,000 Gazan children vaccinated against polio

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Thousands of families visited health centers to get doses from U.N. medical teams, UNRWA reported. In southern Gaza, more than 152,000 children were vaccinated in Khan Younis city, nearly 8,800 in Rafah, and another 1,000 elsewhere in the south. The promising development follows the successful completion of the first phase of the vaccination campaign in central Gaza earlier this week, which saw more than 187,000 children under 10 receive protection from polio. To date, combined coverage for central and southern Gaza now stands at 354,786 children.