A lot's been written about the European assets of Rifaat Al Assad's, Syria's brutal former vice-president who died last month. I wrote a deep dive explaining the details of the negotiations regarding an expected transfer of €32 million from France to Syria. www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
10.02.2026 09:14 — 👍 6 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
@thenationalnews.com' @sunnivarose.bsky.social, Nada Maucourant Atallah and Lemma Shehadi on why European investors remain wary of entering Syrian market: www.thenationalnews.com/news/2026/02...
09.02.2026 11:28 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
The French government will roll out its alternative to US video platforms Zoom and Microsoft Teams across state services, it has announced, in a bid to strengthen the security of its communications and end reliance on non-European systems.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
A deep dive into the strange case of Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian translator went on trial yesterday in Paris for promoting pro-Hamas and anti-Semitic content on a Telegram account.
Iran wants her back in Tehran before it allows 2 French citizens to leave.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
"Who doubts my capacities?” far-right French leader Jordan Bardella recently said on the question of his youth and inexperience of international politics. He might be France's next president as Marine Le Pen returns to court.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/2026/01...
The EU on Monday said it was ready to impose "harsher" sanctions on Iran over the government's response to protests, during which hundreds of people have been killed.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
At the first Palestine Donor Group in Brussels, the EU Commission and the Palestinian Authority both highlighted how dire the PA's financial situation is as Israel withholds billions in tax revenues. www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
21.11.2025 12:49 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Elysee has claimed it has a "doctrine" regarding "the participation of Israeli companies in trade shows specializing in defense and security."
It's a bit unclear what this doctrine is but the bottom line is that it varies depending on politics. www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
Claims by French-Israeli former MP Meyer Habib that Macron had initially intended to ban the participation of 8 Israeli companies from Milipol, before changing his mind, were not confirmed by the Elysee.
Habib has published on X alleged SMS exchanges with Macron over Milipol.
Both the Elysee and the Interior Ministry have signalled their desire to rekindle ties with the Israeli government. Relations had soured in the past 2 years and got worse with Macron recognising Palestine.
18.11.2025 16:17 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0The French gov. ignored a request filed by a group of activists asking for an Israeli ban at Milipol, citing the French state's obligation to comply with international law and refrain from participating in abetting Israeli war crimes identified by the ICJ.
18.11.2025 16:17 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
“It's great that we are here, and that's the best thing,” one Israeli exhibitor said.
It appears Israeli authorities were keen to not rock the boat as long as things were going smoothly.
In June, at the Paris Air Show, 5 Israeli stands were covered in black sheets.
Participants at some Israeli stands said they were not allowed to speak to the press, though it remained unclear who had issued such instructions. Others refused to comment on politics and said they simply wanted to sell their products.
18.11.2025 16:16 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Israeli companies have been allowed to take part in Paris arms fair Milipol after the French government cited the Gaza ceasefire, following attempts to ban them from previous events.
I visited the air show to see how it was going.
Israeli military purchases, including attack dogs, are expected to weigh heavily when the Netherlands' court of appeal issues a ruling on Thursday over claims the Dutch state failed in its duty to prevent genocide in Gaza.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/... The defence has highlighted services rendered by Lafarge to French intelligence services, which were hungry at the time for information on rebel groups operating around the factory.
04.11.2025 12:35 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Spies, bribes and terror ties? French corporate giant Lafarge goes on trial on trial today. For the first time, a French company is accused of terror financing. The setting is Syria’s civil war and payments to rebel groups b/w 2012-2014, including ISIS, to keep a cement factory running.
04.11.2025 12:34 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
I spoke to Syrian specialists grappling with important questions about how to rebuild the historic site of Palmyra - the most visited site in Syria -after important ISIS damage. What is clear is that it'll cost a lot and take years to fix. www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
03.11.2025 15:05 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0The Palmyra archaeological museum, which was severely damaged during the Syrian civil war, will be restored with funds from international Swiss-based @aliph.foundation www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
31.10.2025 09:58 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Ahead of Mahmoud Abbas's visit to Rome next week, I spoke to Palestinian ambassador to Italy Mona Abuamara about her expectations, particularly regarding Italy's recognition of Palestine, with input from ECFR's Kelly Petillo.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
The European Union has moved away from the possibility of imposing sanctions against Israel as a fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza.
"We'll keep things as they are" an EU official said.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
The EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas announced today that the bloc will monitor the November 11 parliamentary elections in Iraq - the sixth since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein. www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
19.10.2025 17:18 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Ex-ambassador Leila Shahid: Gaza ceasefire security force must have a Palestinian face
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
Proposals against Israel made today by Ursula von der Leyen will need Germany and Italian backing - unclear if that'll actually happen.
Proposals come amid increasing pressure from the European Parliament and the European Council.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
French-Israeli relations sour further as Barrot and Saar engage in a rare public spat on X over recognition and "pay for slay" www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
04.09.2025 10:02 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The maps reproduce leaflets thrown from Israeli planes telling Gazans to leave certain zones. The image of those fluttering papers falling from the sky remains seared in her mind. www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
03.09.2025 18:05 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
For decades, Maha Al Daya was known in Gaza as a master embroiderer of traditional dresses, a vibrant tribute to Palestinian identity brought out at times of celebration.
But after fleeing the war, Al Daya traded dresses for painted rubble and embroidered maps documenting Gaza's destruction.
In a letter signed by more than 200 former European senior diplomats, they outline 9 proposals that states can take in the absence of EU action. The letter also highlights that countries such as Slovenia have already taken some of those measures. www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
27.08.2025 15:36 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0European countries must take independent action against Israel or form coalitions of like-minded states to make up for the European Union's inaction, ex-EU ambassador to the OPT Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff told me ahead of an informal meeting of EU FMs on Saturday in Copenhagen.
27.08.2025 15:36 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
With the three European countries - known as the E3 - set to announce a decision as soon as Thursday, officials said Iran could still provide commitments within 30 days over its nuclear programme that will convince the countries to defer concrete action.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/europe/...
