Workers walk towards the construction site of the stadium in Lusail, which is being built for the upcoming 2022 Fifa World Cup, Doha, Qatar, December 20, 2019. (Reuters)
Thousands of workers have been dismissed without notice, put on lower wages or unpaid leave, denied outstanding and end-of-service payments, or forced to pay for flights home
Around 2 million migrant workers — the majority hailing from south Asia — work in Qatar, many on 2022 FIFA World Cup construction sites
Updated 27 November 2020
Arab News
LONDON: Qatari companies have failed to pay “hundreds of millions of dollars” in wages and benefits to low-paid workers amid the coronavirus pandemic, new research by human rights group Equidem has revealed.
In a report, Equidem says thousands of workers have been dismissed without notice, put on lower wages or unpaid leave, denied outstanding and end-of-service payments, or forced to pay for flights home.
The findings constitute “wage theft” on an unprecedented scale, according to Equidem, leaving workers destitute, short of food and unable to send money home during the pandemic despite Qatar being one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
A cleaner from Bangladesh, who said he had not received a wage for four months, said: “I came here to work for my family, not to be a beggar living on my own.”
The UK-based Business and Human Rights Resource Centre found that unpaid or delayed wages were reported by workers in 87 percent of alleged labor-abuse cases, which have affected almost 12,000 workers since 2016.
Around 2 million migrant workers — the majority hailing from south Asia — work in Qatar, many on 2022 FIFA World Cup construction sites.
Despite the findings, Equidem praised some Qatari coronavirus-related measures. In March, the government made it compulsory for companies to pay workers in quarantine or government-imposed isolation and set up a loan scheme to subsidize the payments.
But the report warns of a “widespread failure to comply” with the ruling and other regulations.
The Qatari government later allowed companies that had stopped operating due to pandemic restrictions to put workers on unpaid leave or terminate their contracts as long as they followed the country’s labor law, which includes providing a notice period and paying outstanding benefits.
The report highlights a number of companies that exploited or failed to follow this directive. Almost 2,000 workers employed by one construction company were “laid off on the spot,” workers have claimed. Many have not received their outstanding salary or end-of-service settlement.
The report said: “Many migrant workers are in an extremely vulnerable position with no real ability to assert their rights or seek remedy for violations.”
Mustafa Qadri, director of Equidem, said the lack of a lawful right to organize or join a trade union “has prevented workers from having a seat at the table with the government and employers to negotiate an equitable share of funds,”
In a statement, Qatar said its pandemic response “has been driven by the highest international standards of public health policy and the protection of human rights.”
It added: “Employers failing to pay their staff on time or withholding end of service payments have faced disciplinary action, including heavy fines and bans that prevent them from operating.”
Will the lifting of sanctions usher in a new beginning for the Syrian people?
As Syrians begin to dream of a peaceful and prosperous future, experts warn progress will be slow, uneven, and depend on structural reform
Analysts say rejoining the global economy is within reach for Syria, but hinges on the pace of reconstruction and restoration of trust in leadership
Updated 53 min 25 sec ago
ANAN TELLO
LONDON: When news broke that Western sanctions on Syria would be lifted, Marwah Morhly finally allowed herself to imagine something she had not dared to in years: a stable life in her hometown of Damascus.
A Syrian writer and editor now living in Turkiye, Morhly once navigated a precarious existence back home — trying to earn a remote income in a country cut off from global banking systems and mired in uncertainty.
Returning to Damascus always felt like a distant dream — too risky and too complicated. But with sanctions easing, that dream is beginning to look attainable.
“It’s a different kind of freedom — the freedom to dream,” she told Arab News.
“As someone who works remotely, the lifting of sanctions lets me imagine a future where I can work from my home in Damascus, receive my salary through a bank transfer directly to my account there, without any form of danger or exploitation.”
Under sanctions, she said, Syrians working with foreign clients had to operate in secrecy.
“We were working in the shadows … like ghosts,” she said. “We weren’t allowed to be visible, like unknown soldiers, because the moment it became clear (to employers abroad) that the work was happening inside Syria, it could jeopardize our livelihoods.”
The breakthrough came on May 13, when US President Donald Trump, during a visit to Riyadh, announced the lifting of sanctions on Syria. He framed the move as a historic opportunity for economic recovery and political stabilization.
Ten days later, the US Treasury Department issued General License 25, authorizing transactions with Syria’s new transitional government, led by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa. In parallel, the State Department suspended the Caesar Act sanctions for 180 days, signaling a pivot toward reconstruction and humanitarian relief.
The EU soon followed suit, announcing the end of its own economic sanctions in a coordinated effort to support a nation fractured by more than a decade of civil war.
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud announced from Damascus a joint effort with Qatar to fund salary support for Syria’s state employees.
The move built on the two countries’ decision earlier in May to pay off the $15.5 million debt Syria owed to the International Development Association, a World Bank fund that provides zero- or low-interest loans and grants to the world’s poorest countries.
This policy shift did not happen in a vacuum. Ibrahim Al-Assil, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said years of grassroots advocacy were pivotal.
“Of course, the Saudi role was huge, and many Syrians appreciate that, and same for the Turkish role,” Al-Assil told CNN.
“But also, many Syrians have been working on that — from students to academics to activists to business leaders and journalists writing and talking about this and pushing more and more towards lifting sanctions.”
The impact of these efforts goes beyond international politics. “Why? Because it allows Syrians to breathe again,” he said, adding that sanctions are often viewed only on a macro level as something that affects an entire country. In reality, they have a serious impact on daily life.
“We forget that they affect the lives of the individuals on the tiny details — from medicine to connectivity and being able to check their email normally … also to what industries they can have, where they can travel, what kind of machines they can buy for their factories.”
For ordinary Syrians, these limitations posed immense challenges. Now, Al-Assil said, the situation is changing.
“It’s still challenging, but the major obstacle seems to have been moved out of the way for Syrians, allowing them to move ahead and rebuild their country.”
Beyond basic needs, the lifting of sanctions opens new possibilities for professionals still living in Syria — many of whom have endured years of isolation, limited access to technology, and restricted earning potential.
Salma Saleh, a graphic designer based in Damascus, says she has spent 13 years building her career under the weight of sanctions, along with the years before that dedicated to her education.
“The challenges have been endless,” she told Arab News. “We struggled to access most technologies and tools. Often, we had to use workarounds just to get hold of banned software or platforms.”
Freelancing is no easier. “Syrians are blocked from PayPal and most global payment platforms used by freelancing platforms,” she said.
“Even sites essential for our work like Shutterstock, Freepik, and Envato are inaccessible. We can’t even purchase courses on Coursera or Udemy, nor the software we work with, such as Adobe programs.
“We can’t promote our work on social media platforms due to the ban on paid advertisements in Syria. Clients are afraid to work with Syrian freelancers because of the difficulty with payment methods and fears of being accused of funding terrorism.”
Electricity outages posed further challenges. “My heart nearly stopped every time the power cut while I was rendering a video on my laptop,” said Saleh.
“It happened so many times we eventually got used to it. Syrian designers have become the most resilient professionals out there.”
Syria’s electricity sector has all but collapsed owing to infrastructure damage, fuel shortages, and economic sanctions. Once relatively stable, the system now delivers just a few hours of electricity per day. In some areas, that is as little as 30 minutes.
“We had to jump through hoops just to keep up with the rest of the world,” said Saleh. “We gave it everything. I consider the Syrian designer a super designer — and rightfully so.”
For Syrians across the diaspora, the developments mark a fragile but significant turning point. Cautious optimism is beginning to take root — even as the country remains divided and the road to recovery is long.
Lama Beddawi, a Syrian-American DevOps environment analyst based in the US, echoed that sentiment. “The recent decision to lift sanctions on Syria marks a pivotal turning point, and I am hopeful that it signals a move in the right direction,” she told Arab News.
“This development brings a sense of optimism that the country’s long-strained economy may begin to recover, opening the door for increased stability and renewed international investment,” she said.
“With fewer restrictions, Syria has the potential to rebuild its infrastructure, strengthen its institutions, and create opportunities for its people, paving the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future.”
Still, the benefits remain largely theoretical for now. On the ground, daily challenges persist, and progress will take time.
“Everyone understands this isn’t a magic fix — the effects will take time to show,” said Morhly. “As one man from central Damascus put it: ‘For now, we’ll take a hit from the dollar rate, but in a couple of months, more people will actually be able to afford meat again.’”
There is also cautious optimism that basic services might begin to improve. “There’s hope the electricity situation might improve — which is the second biggest concern after water, especially with summer approaching and the heat already setting in,” she added.
From an economic perspective, the lifting of sanctions presents both opportunities and challenges.
Mohamed Ghazal, managing director of Startup Syria, a community-led initiative supporting Syrian entrepreneurs, believes translating sanctions relief into concrete gains such as jobs, investment, and basic services “will be a complex and gradual process.”
He remains optimistic about certain sectors. “Quicker gains are possible in transport and trade,” Ghazal told Arab News.
However, critical areas like general business development and startups are experiencing slower momentum. “Lifting sanctions can take months,” said Ghazal. “Capital flow issues persist due to a crippled banking system.
“Syria’s banks lack access to SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), suffer low liquidity, and operate under opaque regulations.
“Attracting foreign capital requires a modern investment law, clear property rights, business licensing frameworks, and financial repatriation mechanisms.
“The speed of progress depends on comprehensive reforms, institutional rebuilding, international investment, and continued humanitarian support.
“The lifting of sanctions is expected to open up channels like new funding, banking, or investment channels for Syrian startups.”
Diaspora and foreign investors could offer the capital injection needed to get the economy off its knees.
There are “positive signs from the Syrian diaspora and potential foreign direct investment, especially from GCC countries and Turkiye,” said Ghazal. “Interest from impact investors seeking financial returns and social and environmental impact.”
He identified several immediate priorities for revitalizing the economy, including restoring access to SWIFT, enacting a modern investment law with clear legal protections, and easing import restrictions on essential technology to enable the use of software, cloud services, and digital tools.
The SWIFT system is a global messaging network that enables financial institutions to exchange transaction details — like money transfer instructions — quickly, securely, and accurately across borders.
Before Lebanon’s 2019 financial collapse, many Syrians used its banking system to bypass sanctions, parking billions in assets and accessing US dollars and trade channels. When the system froze, transfers stopped, savings were locked, and Syrians lost access to critical funds.
An employee counts Syrian pounds at an exchange counter in Damascus on May 21, 2025. (AFP)
The Syrian pound then collapsed, inflation surged, and the economy worsened. While some estimates once placed Syrian deposits as high as $40 billion, remaining deposits in 2025 were estimated at just $3 to $4 billion, according to the Karam Shaar Advisory consultancy.
Some experts believe sanctions relief could signal a path forward. Ghassan Ibrahim, a London-based Syria analyst and founder of the Global Arab Network, believes sanctions relief could unlock trade and investment.
“Lifting Western sanctions removes long-standing barriers to Syria joining the global market,” he told Arab News. “It restores credibility and sends a message that Syria is on the right path.”
Investor interest is already growing. “Next week, a few American investors are heading to Damascus. We’re also seeing engagement from GCC countries and Chinese firms already operating there.
“Any relief, especially from the US, will help get Syria back on track. It boosts the government’s legitimacy and strengthens its diplomatic hand.”
The broader economic and political impact cannot be understated. “President Al-Sharaa will be able to travel more freely, engage in diplomacy, and attract serious development partnerships,” said Ibrahim. “That’s critical for reconstruction.
“Ultimately, this shift could improve quality of life, create jobs, and drive long-term growth.”
Still, Syria’s path to recovery remains long. Nearly six months after the fall of Bashar Assad, the country is still plagued by deep sectarian divisions, persistent violence, and political fragmentation.
In March 2025 alone, more than 1,100 people were killed in attacks targeting the Alawite minority following coordinated assaults on government forces. Survivors remain fearful of further violence, and many perpetrators have not been brought to justice.
Foreign threats compound internal instability. Israel has launched multiple airstrikes, including one near the presidential palace, citing threats to the Druze minority. Syria’s new leadership condemned the attacks, highlighting the fragility of foreign relations.
Internally, law and order remains weak. Women and minorities still face abuse, rights protections are unevenly enforced, and extremist groups continue to assert control in some regions, several news agencies have reported.
The humanitarian crisis also endures. Around 16.7 million Syrians rely on aid, while millions remain displaced. Israel maintains a military presence, and Turkiye has voiced opposition to any settlement between Damascus and Kurdish factions — complicating efforts toward national unity.
Though US, EU, and UK sanctions relief is meant to support Syria’s transition, the UN warns of “real dangers of renewed conflict.”
Meanwhile, the interim government faces the daunting task of rebuilding a country where 90 percent of the population lives in poverty and millions remain displaced.
The door may be open, but walking through it will require more than hope. It will take time, trust, and tangible change.
UNRWA chief warns Gaza famine ‘can still be prevented’ as aid access remains blocked
Philippe Lazzarini said amount of aid reaching territory “vastly disproportionate” to the scale of crisis
Updated 31 May 2025
Arab News
LONDON: The head of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that famine in Gaza remains preventable, but only if there is the political will to act.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said the amount of aid reaching the territory is “vastly disproportionate” to the scale of the crisis.
“What we are asking for is not impossible,” he said in a press statement on Saturday, urging that UN agencies be allowed to deliver vital assistance and uphold the dignity of those in need.
According to Lazzarini, just 900 aid trucks have entered Gaza over the past two weeks — covering only around 10% of the population’s daily needs. He stressed that preventing famine requires political decisions, not just logistical efforts.
He also called for the full resumption of humanitarian operations, which have largely been suspended since March 2. During the previous ceasefire, UNRWA and its partners had managed to bring in 600 to 800 trucks per day, he noted, underlining that it is feasible to scale up aid if access is granted.
Meanwhile, medical sources in Gaza said at least 60 Palestinians were killed and 284 injured in the past 24 hours amid ongoing fighting. Local health authorities report that since the conflict began in October 2023, 54,381 people have been killed and 124,381 wounded, with women and children making up the majority of casualties.
Since hostilities resumed on March 18, following a two-month truce, a further 4,117 people have been killed and 12,013 injured, the same sources added.
The March agreement states that the Kurds are an “essential component of the Syrian state,” guaranteeing the “right to citizenship and all ... constitutional rights.”
Updated 31 May 2025
AFP
DAMASCUS: A delegation from northeast Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish administration was headed to Damascus on Saturday for talks on implementing a March deal to integrate Kurdish institutions into the state, a member of the delegation said.
Under the agreement signed by Syria’s interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurds are to integrate their civil and military institutions into the national government.
The deal includes all border crossings, oil and gas fields, and a regional airport.
A member of the Kurdish delegation said that “a delegation from the autonomous administration is on the way to Damascus to discuss” details of the March deal.
Despite the accord, the Kurds have criticized a constitutional declaration announced by the new authorities, who took power after ousting Bashar Assad in December, and said the new government failed to reflect the Syrian Arab Republic’s diversity.
Last month, Syrian Kurdish parties adopted a joint vision of a “decentralized democratic state,” a move rejected by Damascus, which warned against attempts at separatism or federalism by the minority group.
The March agreement states that the Kurds are an “essential component of the Syrian state,” guaranteeing the “right to citizenship and all ... constitutional rights.”
Syria’s Kurds suffered marginalization and repression under Assad’s rule, being deprived of the right to speak their language and celebrate their holidays and, in many cases, of Syrian nationality.
Earlier this month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani warned that delaying the implementation of the deal would “prolong the chaos” in the country.
In an interview broadcast by Shams TV, based in Irbil in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region, SDF chief Abdi said that “we are committed to what was agreed with Damascus and we are currently working on implementing this agreement.”
He emphasized the need for a “decentralized Syria where all its components live with their full rights and nobody is excluded.”
But he accused Syria’s new authorities of wanting centralization and of “not being ready for everyone to live in Syria.”
Kurdish-led forces took control of much of Syria’s northeast, including its oil fields, during the country’s civil war and the Daesh insurgency.
With support from a US-led international coalition, the Kurdish-led SDF played a key role in Daesh’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
Abdi said all Syrians should benefit from Syria’s oil wealth but said the Kurds wanted “an autonomous administration to govern locally and for the people of the area to manage security and political institutions.”
Hamas seeks changes in US Gaza proposal; Witkoff calls response ‘unacceptable’
“This response aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” Hamas said
Witkoff wrote in a posting on X: “It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward”
Updated 31 May 2025
Reuters
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Hamas said on Saturday it was seeking amendments to a US-backed proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, but President Donald Trump’s envoy rejected the group’s response as “totally unacceptable.”
The Palestinian militant group said it was willing to release 10 living hostages and hand over the bodies of 18 dead in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. But Hamas reiterated demands for an end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, conditions Israel has rejected.
A Hamas official described the group’s response to the proposals from Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as “positive” but said it was seeking some amendments. The official did not elaborate on the changes being sought by the group.
“This response aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to our people in the Strip,” Hamas said in a statement.
The proposals would see a 60-day truce and the exchange of 28 of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza for more than 1,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, along with the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
A Palestinian official familiar with the talks told Reuters that among amendments Hamas is seeking is the release of the hostages in three phases over the 60-day truce and more aid distribution in different areas. Hamas also wants guarantees the deal will lead to a permanent ceasefire, the official said.
There was no immediate response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office to the Hamas statement.
Israel has previously rejected Hamas’ conditions, instead demanding the complete disarmament of the group and its dismantling as a military and governing force, along with the return of all 58 remaining hostages.
Trump said on Friday he believed a ceasefire agreement was close after the latest proposals, and the White House said on Thursday that Israel had agreed to the terms.
I received the Hamas response to the United States’ proposal. It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward.
Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week.
That is the only…
— Office of the Special Envoy to the Middle East (@SE_MiddleEast) May 31, 2025
Saying he had received Hamas’ response, Witkoff wrote in a posting on X: “It is totally unacceptable and only takes us backward. Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week.”
On Saturday, the Israeli military said it had killed Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas’ Gaza chief on May 13, confirming what Netanyahu said earlier this week.
Sinwar, the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the group’s deceased leader and mastermind of the October 2023 attack on Israel, was the target of an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza. Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied his death.
The Israeli military, which relaunched its air and ground campaign in March following a two-month truce, said on Saturday it was continuing to hit targets in Gaza, including sniper posts and had killed what it said was the head of a Hamas weapons manufacturing site.
The campaign has cleared large areas along the boundaries of the Gaza Strip, squeezing the population of more than 2 million into an ever narrower section along the coast and around the southern city of Khan Younis.
Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies entering the enclave at the beginning of March in an effort to weaken Hamas and has found itself under increasing pressure from an international community shocked by the desperate humanitarian situation the blockade has created.
On Saturday, aid groups said dozens of World Food Programme trucks carrying flour to Gaza bakeries had been hijacked by armed groups and subsequently looted by people desperate for food after weeks of mounting hunger.
“After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by,” the WFP said in a statement.
Norway warns Israel’s actions in Gaza risk setting dangerous global precedent
Norway’s international development minister Asmund Aukrust said Gaza crisis was eroding principles that protect civilians everywhere
Updated 31 May 2025
Arab News
LONDON: Israel’s conduct in Gaza is undermining international law and fueling a wider global threat, Norway’s international development minister has said, warning that the use of tactics such as blocking aid and targeting humanitarian groups could become a grim new norm in future conflicts.
“For the last one and a half years we have seen very low respect for international law in the war in Gaza and in recent months it is worse than ever before,” Asmund Aukrust said.
“So for the Norwegian government it is very important to protest against this, to condemn this very clear violation,” he added.
Aukrust said that the crisis was not only deepening suffering in Gaza but eroding principles that protect civilians everywhere, The Guardian newspaper reported on Saturday.
“We are very concerned that there will be a new international standard where food is used as a weapon, where the UN is denied entrance to the war and conflict zone, and other NGOs are denied entrance,” he said.
“And Israel is building up something they call Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is to militarise humanitarian aid.”
The GHF, supported by Israel and the US, began food distribution in Gaza this week. Israeli forces said that they fired “warning shots” at a center during chaotic scenes, while local health authorities reported one civilian killed and dozens injured.
A UN-led review earlier this month found all 2.1 million residents of Gaza at critical risk of famine, with 500,000 already in catastrophic conditions.
“We are afraid and very concerned that this might be a new standard in international law and this will make the world a lot more dangerous to all of us,” Aukrust said.
Asked whether Israel’s actions amounted to genocide, Aukrust said that was a matter for international courts, not politicians.
“Genocide is the worst crime a country can do and the worst crime that politicians can do and this should not be polarized,” he said.
He insisted that dialogue must remain open, even with groups such as Hamas, and stressed Norway’s long-term commitment to Gaza’s recovery.
“We have no limitation of who we are talking to. I would say the opposite. We would be happy to, and we want to, talk with those who are responsible, whether it is Israel, Hamas or others,” he said.
“Dialogue is the most important word when it comes to peacemaking and we want to have an open line with all countries, all groups that might have an influence here,” he added.
Norway, which recognized the Palestinian state in May, has long played a mediating role in the region, including hosting the 1993 Oslo Accords. Aukrust said that recognition was meant “to send out a message of hope.”
The country’s sovereign wealth fund, which is the world’s largest, has already blacklisted 11 companies for aiding Israel’s occupation, though Aukrust stressed decisions on investments are made by the bank, not politicians.
“The bank decides where they want to invest. What the politicians do is to decide the rules,” he said. The rules, he added, were “very clear” that the fund should not invest in anything that contributed to a violation of international law.
The Norwegian parliament is expected to vote next week against a proposal to block the fund from investing in firms operating in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Aukrust urged people across Europe to keep up pressure and stay engaged, adding: “As long as the war is going on, from the Norwegian government side we will all the time look into what more can we do. What new initiative can we take. How can we send an even clearer message to those who are responsible for this.”
