Fresh calls for climate action from FM Shoukry: COP27 President Sameh Shoukry called on governments to accelerate efforts to limit global warming, warning that the “window is closing” at the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial yesterday. “We are clearly off track. The 1.5°C target might slip away,” Shoukry said during his closing speech alongside COP28 President-Designate Sultan Al Jaber (watch, runtime: 30:04).

From day 2 of the meeting: Shoukry met his Danish counterpart Lars Rasmussen on the sidelines of the meeting. The two agreed to work to deepen ties and discussed a number of regional issues.

One step forward, two steps back: Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have condemned “racist” remarks made by Israel’s far-right finance minister, just a day after Israel agreed to refrain from making inflammatory statements during talks with the Palestinians in Sharm El Sheikh. In a speech in Paris following the agreement, Bezalel Smotrich said “there is no such thing” as the Palestinian people. The comments drew condemnation from Arab capitals and a rebuke from Washington, which described the speech as “extremely unhelpful.”

Israel drew further condemnation yesterday after lawmakers voted to allow settlers to return to four Jewish settlements in the West Bank which were dismantled in 2005. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel called the move “provocative and counterproductive” to easing tensions between the two sides.

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