MUST-READS

• A ceasefire deal is here. For Gaza, the Middle East and the world, the future remains unknown

  Security for Israel, he argued, had to include a credible political horizon for the Palestinians, or else Hamas “or something equally abhorrent” will “grow back”. He said the country “must abandon the myth they can carry out de facto annexation, without cost and consequence to Israel’s democracy, to its standing, to its security”. Yet, he complained, “Israel’s government has systematically undermined the capacity and legitimacy of the only viable alternative to Hamas: the Palestinian Authority”. Indeed, the weakening of Iran is probably the biggest regional impact of the war in Gaza. Biden had a point this week in claiming that, all told, Iran “is weaker than it has been for decades”. He elaborated: “Iran’s air defences are in shambles. Their main proxy, Hezbollah, is badly wounded, and as we tested Iran’s willingness to revive the nuclear deal, we kept the pressure with sanctions. Now Iran’s economy is in desperate straits.” A 35-year tack to build a defence strategy around a proxy army had been eviscerated in a matter of months.

• Gaza ceasefire deal: What you need to know

  It stated that the first phase of the ceasefire would involve the exchange of captives and prisoners and a return to "sustainable calm", with the aim of achieving a permanent ceasefire. According to the agreement, 33 Israeli captives held in Gaza will be released as part of the first phase, including nine who are ill or wounded. Israel will release 1,000 Palestinians who were detained from 8 October 2023 onwards. Among the 33 captives will be several men over the age of 50. They will be released in exchange for Palestinians serving life sentences at a ratio of 1:3 and Palestinians serving other sentences at a ratio of 1:27. Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, who have been held in Gaza since before Israel's war on Gaza, will be released in exchange for 60 Palestinian prisoners and 47 Palestinians who were re-arrested after being freed in 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal.

• Blinken’s audacious final message for the Middle East

  “What we’ve done over the past four years,” Blinken said, “building on the Abraham Accords, was to try to get to their ultimate realization, which is normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. . . . And as we sit here, it’s ready to go. That could move forward tomorrow. But it requires two things. It requires an end of the conflict in Gaza, and it requires a credible pathway to a Palestinian state.” Yet in a discussion with me on stage following his speech, Blinken said: “One of the things I believe strongly, Fred, from my own experience over the last thirty years and looking at the sweep of history, is that there’s no such thing as a hereditary enemy; that we are not fated to conflict or animosity; and even what seemed to be the most virulent and violent hatreds can go away, can change.”

• The United States and Saudi Arabia Strengthen Musical Ties with Milestone Visit of Music Icon Herbie Hancock

  The Saudi Music Commission, one of 11 sector specific commissions under the Ministry of Culture, and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh announce the very first visit to Saudi Arabia of jazz legend, Herbie Hancock, the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and acclaimed jazz vocalist Janis Siegel.  Their tour celebrates U.S.-Saudi cultural ties, arts education, and the universal power of music. It is sponsored by the Arts Envoy Program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).  The group’s agenda includes a performance at the King Fahad Cultural Center, with the participation of Saudi jazz vocalist Nourah Alammary; a masterclass for Saudi music students at the Saudi Music Hub, Riyadh; a roundtable on women in the arts with Saudi women artists and musicians; and an event with Saudi traditional musicians at the studio of Saudi visual artist Ahmed Mater.  U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney welcomed the visit, saying “Saudi Arabia’s cultural scene is evolving at an incredible pace, and hosting a legend like Herbie Hancock is a huge milestone. His music has inspired generations and having him here is a testament to the Kingdom’s remarkable cultural scene.” 

• eL Seed: Arabic Calligraffiti

  Before I picked the name “eL Seed”—my real name is Faouzi, “F-A-O-U-Z-I," and the “I,” instead of putting a dot, I used to put a hamza. I found that if you tag like that people are always like, "Wow. That's fun." I wanted to learn calligraphy. I discovered calligraphy when I was taking a class of Arabic, classical Arabic, about how to read and write in early 2000. I started at 18, but the first time I saw somebody doing calligraphy, it was in 2004, and I was mesmerized, I thought, "This is amazing. I would love to know how to do this." And so, I asked the guy, "Do you give any classes?" He said, "I wanted to, but nobody's interested." I was like, "Oh." I'd love to find a way to find this guy again. It was about 20 years ago, and he was an Algerian guy. And then, I was looking at calligraphy, the traditional one, without knowing there were rules and stuff.

• Saudi flyadeal set to order Airbus A330neo jets, sources say
  Saudi budget airline flyadeal is putting the finishing touches to a deal to order 10 Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab A330neo jets in its first full-blown expansion into wide-body planes, as the kingdom pursues a surge of spending on aviation, industry sources said on Tuesday.
  The low-cost subsidiary of state carrier Saudia is likely to unveil the order for the upgraded A330-900 variant in the coming weeks after comparing it with Boeing's smaller 787-9, and the first jets are expected to arrive in 2027, the sources said.

• Saudi Arabia and Italy Sign Energy Cooperation Deal

  Italy and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday signed a cooperation agreement in the energy sector, with an emphasis on renewable energy, hydrogen, and carbon capture, Italian Energy and Environment Minister, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, said while on a visit to Riyadh. Italy’s minister signed the agreement with Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al Saud on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh. The five-year cooperation agreement includes boosting bilateral cooperation in hydrogen production, renewables, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). The new cooperation deal will focus on clean energy and clean tech, including low-carbon hydrogen and green ammonia, according to the Italian government.

• Saudi Arabia signs mining deals with 6 countries

  The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources signed a series of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and cooperation agreements with six countries during the fourth Ministerial Roundtable, the flagship opening meeting of the Future Minerals Forum. This meeting marked a significant step in advancing international partnerships and fostering the development of the Kingdom's mining and minerals sector. On behalf of Saudi Arabia, the agreements were signed by Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef, and Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Mining Affairs Eng. Khalid Al-Mudaifer. The counterpart signatories included the minister of energy and natural resources from Djibouti, the minister of energy and mineral resources from Jordan, the secretary of state for business and trade from the United Kingdom, and the minister of mines and mineral development from Zambia. Additional agreements were signed with the Ministry of Finance of Austria and the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France.

• Saudi Arabia allocates $2.66 billion to launch Standard Incentives Program for industrial growth

  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced the allocation of SR10 billion ($2.66 billion) to activate the Standard Incentives Program for the industrial sector. The initiative, approved by the Council of Ministers last month, aims to drive industrial investments, foster sustainable growth, and enhance Saudi Arabia’s global competitiveness. Funding is split between the construction and production phases, ensuring long-term sustainability. The programme’s first phase targets transformative chemical industries, automotive manufacturing, and machinery and equipment, with additional sectors to follow in 2025.

• Global mining needs $6 trillion over next decade, Saudi Minister says

  Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar Alkhorayef, said Tuesday that countries worldwide are in need of investing $6 trillion over the next decade to meet growing demand in the field of mining and mineral resources, Anadolu Agency reports. Addressing the fourth annual international meeting of mining ministers in Riyadh, Alkhorayef said the world is witnessing a surging demand for minerals due to the increasing demand for renewable energy resources and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He also underscored the urgent need for international cooperation to address increasing demand for minerals.

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