#08
EastBridge Insight Week
EastBridge Insight Week #08
The weekly summary for September 21–27 was prepared by Klaudia Fukowska.
Monday, September 21
Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, brother of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, dies. Sheikh Ahmed was 76 years old. The official statement issued by the Dubai Ruler’s Court does not disclose the cause of his death. Dubai declares a 10-day mourning period, with flags lowered to half-mast. Condolences are offered, among others, by Israeli authorities.
Tuesday, September 22
The first group of Syrian policewomen graduate from the newly established women’s academy in Al-Tal, on the outskirts of Damascus. Around 150 women complete six months of training, becoming the first graduating class of the new police academy for women. Brigadier General Huda Sarjawi, Director of the Women’s Police Institute, stresses that “women’s participation in the security sector is a social necessity and also supports women’s participation in all fields [author’s translation].”
Wednesday, September 23
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardons Martin Ryan, a French citizen sentenced in March 2026 on espionage charges. Ryan was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison. According to media reports, the release of Ryan and another French citizen is part of broader negotiations between Paris and Baku. A day earlier, on 22 September, Uzbek-Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov was removed from the EU sanctions list. France is reportedly making its consent to the extension of some EU sanctions related to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine conditional on a gesture from Azerbaijan concerning the imprisoned French citizens.
Commentary by Klaudia Fukowska: The agreement may have a twofold significance. On the one hand, it creates an opportunity to improve the long-strained relations between Paris and Baku; on the other, it could facilitate a broader dialogue between Azerbaijan and the European Union and NATO. However, this is only one step on the road towards normalisation. Azerbaijan’s relations with Armenia, the situation of Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, human rights issues, and tensions caused by Western criticism of the authorities in Baku may continue to pose significant obstacles to deeper cooperation with European countries.
Thursday, September 24
For the second consecutive year, the United States refuses to issue US visas to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and members of the Palestinian delegation, preventing them from taking part in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The UN General Assembly has previously adopted a resolution allowing a pre-recorded address by Abbas to be played during the General Debate. The resolution was supported by 152 countries, while three voted against it — the United States, Israel, and Paraguay — and four abstained: Colombia, Honduras, Panama, and Peru.
Commentary by Klaudia Fukowska: In response to the refusal to issue visas to the Palestinian delegation, President Abbas, in a speech recorded earlier in his office in Ramallah, warned the UN against “another Nakba”. Nakba, Arabic for “catastrophe,” refers to the mass displacement of Palestinians and the loss of their homes and property in connection with the 1947–1949 war and the establishment of the State of Israel. Abbas described the actions in the Gaza Strip as a “genocidal war” and called on the United States “to return to the language of dialogue and mutual respect [author’s translation].” He also thanked the 160 countries that recognise the State of Palestine and called for Palestine to be granted full UN membership.
Delegates protest during Benjamin Netanyahu’s address. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for whom the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant in November 2024, appears at the UN General Assembly. The ICC alleges that he bears responsibility, among other things, for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and for crimes against humanity. Netanyahu remains at large. During his speech, he says that the destruction of Iranian nuclear facilities has been “one of the easiest decisions” he has had to make as prime minister and describes accusations that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip as “the greatest lie of the century”. When Netanyahu takes the podium, dozens of delegates leave the chamber in protest. This is not, however, unprecedented — a similar mass walkout took place during his address to the UN General Assembly in 2025.
Friday, September 25
“No one speaks on behalf of Lebanon.” Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addresses the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Salam strongly emphasises that decisions concerning his country’s security and future should belong exclusively to the state and its constitutional institutions. He states that Lebanon will not be used as an arena for conflicts between other states that have “imposed on Lebanon a war it did not choose [author’s translation].” Salam stresses the continuing importance of the presence of international forces and warns of a possible “vacuum” should UNIFIL withdraw. Finally, he thanks humanitarian organisations and UN agencies for their ongoing support and calls on the international community to continue providing funding to meet the basic needs of those affected, particularly displaced people, as well as to support the country’s reconstruction.
Iran will not make concessions over its nuclear programme. According to a senior Iranian official quoted anonymously by Reuters, Tehran does not intend to agree to key U.S. demands concerning its nuclear programme, even if an agreement is reached over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran states that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until its conditions are met. President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, expresses hope that an agreement could be reached before the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for 3 November 2026. The anonymous senior Iranian official tells Reuters that even if an agreement were reached, Iran would not relinquish its right to enrich uranium or agree to export its highly enriched uranium abroad. Tehran has, however, declared its readiness to engage in detailed talks on its nuclear program once certain conditions are met by the United States.
Saturday, September 26
Syrian Kurds return to Afrin. An organised return is under way for Syrian Kurds displaced from Afrin in 2018 during the Turkish-led Operation Olive Branch, which primarily targeted the Kurdish-dominated People’s Protection Units (YPG). Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, Syria’s newly established transitional government announced that it would facilitate the safe return of those who had fled Afrin. The process had already begun earlier in 2026 — in April and May, Syrian security services assisted hundreds of families in returning. By the end of September, according to local authorities cited by Al Jazeera, around 12,000 families had returned through organized transport arrangements.
Sunday, September 27
Daesh (the so-called Islamic State) remains active in Syria. Authorities in Damascus announce that they have tracked down and successfully arrested four leaders and several members of a Daesh cell in the north of the country. The cell had previously been heavily involved in terrorist activity and was now reportedly planning possible attacks targeting the country’s security and stability.
Commentary by Klaudia Fukowska: Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in 2024, Syria’s new authorities joined the U.S.-led coalition against Daesh in 2025. Although the organisation lost virtually all of the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria in 2019, and many of its members were imprisoned, ISIS remains active in both countries. In Syria, its remnants operate primarily across vast desert areas and continue to carry out sporadic attacks, mainly against Syrian security forces.
Sources:
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-909307
https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2026-09-24/azerbaijan-france-a-chance-a-reset
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168426
https://www.un.org/unispal/about-the-nakba/
https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168431