Palestine joins Arabs seeking to restore ties with Bashar Assad
January 11, 2022, 6:27 am

Palestine joins Arabs seeking to restore ties with Bashar Assad

Bashar al-Assad

The Jerusalem Post reported that a Palestinian delegation visiting Damascus on Sunday delivered a letter from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The visit is seen in the context of efforts by the PA and some Arab countries to normalize and strengthen their relations with Damascus as part of an attempt to limit Iran’s influence in the region in general and Syria in particular.

Iran has been actively supporting the Assad government through arms transfers, economic aid and military advice. The Iranians have also sent thousands of fighters from various military groups to fight in Syria.

The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Oman, Iraq and Algeria have over the past few months signaled their desire to restore their relations with Syria.

Abbas’s letter was handed to Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who met with the Palestinian delegation headed by Jibril Rajoub, secretary-general of the Fatah Central Committee.

Ahmed Hils, a member of the Palestinian delegation, said that the letter “affirms the depth of relations between the Palestinians and Syrians and the Palestinian leadership’s desire to strengthen its relations with Syria."

He said, the Palestinian leadership was “keen on the stability, security and territorial integrity of Syria during the period that Syria was targeted” by opposition groups during the civil war.

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Samir al-Rifai, the Palestinian ambassador to Syria, also said the Palestinian leadership was seeking to strengthen its relations with the Syrian leadership.

Rifai said he did not rule out the possibility that Abbas would visit Damascus to meet with Assad.

Unlike Hamas, the PA leadership maintained its relations with the Syrian government after the eruption of the civil war in Syria in 2011.

Relations between Hamas and Syria were strained after the Islamist movement refused to side with Assad at the beginning of the civil war.

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In 2012, the Syrian authorities raided and closed all Hamas offices in Syria, including that of the movement’s leader, Khaled Mashaal.

In 2019, Abbas became the first Arab leader to support the restoration of Syria’s activities in the Arab League.

The Arab foreign ministers decided in November 2011 to “suspend Syrian delegations’ activities in Arab League meetings” and “implement economic and political sanctions against the Syrian government.”

The move came after Syria failed to implement all its commitments under a peace plan proposed by the Arab League to end the violence and bloodshed. The plan included the release of prisoners, the withdrawal of security forces from the streets and the launch of talks between the government and opposition groups.

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The Palestinian delegation is also expected to hold talks with leaders of various Syrian-based Palestinian factions to prepare for a meeting of the PLO Central Council (PCC), a key policy decision-making body.

The factions are opposed to the Oslo Accords between the Palestinians and Israel and have repeatedly urged the PA leadership to suspend its ties with Israel.

Abbas is hoping that the participation of the factions in the PCC meeting will bolster his standing among Palestinians, especially in light of the sharp decline in his popularity and growing discontent over his authoritarian rule.

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However, the meeting, which was supposed to take place on January 20, has been postponed until further notice, PLO Executive Committee member Wasel Abu Yusef said Sunday. The reason for the postponement of the meeting was because of Abbas’s travels abroad, he said.

On Sunday, the 86-year-old Abbas arrived in the Egyptian resort of Sharm e-Sheikh to participate in the World Youth Forum conference. During the visit, Abbas is also scheduled to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Abbas is being accompanied by Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the PA General Authority for Civil Affairs; Majed Faraj, head of the PA General Intelligence Service; and Mahmoud Habbash, religious affairs adviser to the PA president.

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According to the London-based Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, more than 4,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War.

The Action Group for Palestinians of Syria said, the Palestinian delegation currently visiting Syria has faced widespread criticism by many Palestinians and Syrians for ignoring the plight of the Palestinians living in Syria.

It said: “A number of Palestinian activists expressed anger over the Palestinian Authority’s disregard for the suffering of the Palestinians in Syria."

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The group also criticized the Fatah delegation for holding a rally in Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus, which has been severely destroyed during the fighting between the Syrian army and opposition groups, and many of its residents have been forced out of their homes.

“The activists called on the Palestinian Authority to exert pressure on the Syrian government to allow the residents of the camp to return to their homes as soon as possible and to release Palestinians held in Syrian prisons,” the group said. “During the years of the war in Syria, the Palestinians of Syria appealed to the Palestinian embassy in Damascus dozens of times to intervene to secure the release of the detainees held by the Syrian regime and halt the siege and bombardment of Yarmouk camp, but these appeals went unheeded.”

Source: jpost

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.