By Samia Nakhoul and Timour Azhari

QARDAHA/JARAMANA, Syria (Reuters) -Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has won major diplomatic victories since seizing power nine months ago, but he risks losing the battle that matters most: to hold his deeply divided country together.

In Syria's northeast, Kurdish forces are resisting integration into the state after 14 years of civil war, and are demanding a new constitution to recognize their rights. In the southeast, members of the Druze community are openly calling for independence after violent clashes with government forces.

MADRID (Reuters) -Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday said Israel and Russia should be banned from international sports competitions until "barbaric acts" end, referring to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Sanchez said he condemned the violent protests by pro-Palestinian on Sunday in Madrid which disrupted the La Vuelta cycling race and ultimately led to the cancellation of the final leg and the podium ceremony.

(Reporting by Joan Faus, editing by Inti Landauro)

Pro-Palestinian protestors invading the Vuelta a Espana course to force the final stage of the cycling Grand Tour to be abandoned was "absolutely unacceptable", organisers said on Monday.

"What happened yesterday was absolutely unacceptable, I regret the image it gave (to the world) and it should not be repeated," said Javier Guillen, director of the race.

Around 100,000 protestors were present during the 21st and final stage of the race which was due to finish with several loops in Madrid, but was cut short around 60 kilometres before the finish in the Spanish capital.

GENEVA (Reuters) -The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold an urgent debate in Geneva on Tuesday on Israel's September 9 attack targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar, the Council said on Monday.

The September 9 airstrike, which Hamas says killed five of its members but not its leadership, has prompted U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states to close ranks, adding to strains in ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, which normalised relations in 2020.

DUBAI (Reuters) -The Abraham Accords, which normalised diplomatic relations between Israel and some Arab states, are under the spotlight after Israel attacked Hamas on September 9 with airstrikes on Qatar, outraging the U.S. ally that has hosted ceasefire talks.

Leaders of Arab and Islamic states are meeting at a summit in Qatar on Monday to show solidarity.

Here are some facts on the Abraham Accords.

WHO SIGNED THEM AND WHAT DID THEY ACHIEVE?

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Simon Lewis

CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel destroyed a score of buildings in Gaza City, killing at least 16 Palestinians, local health authorities said on Monday, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the war with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Rubio's visit coincided with an emergency summit in Qatar of Arab and Islamic states, some of them close U.S. allies, convened in response to Israel's attack last week on leaders of Hamas who reside in the Gulf state.

Leaders from Arab and Muslim countries will gather for an emergency summit in Doha on Monday, a week after Israel's unprecedented strike on Hamas in Qatar prompted widespread anger.

The joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit called by Qatar seeks to pile pressure on Israel, which has been facing mounting calls to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Hamas says top officials survived last week's air strike in Doha that killed six people and triggered a wave of criticism, including from US President Donald Trump.

ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish court on Monday adjourned to October a case on whether to annul the 2023 congress of the country's main opposition CHP party over irregularities and oust its leader Ozgur Ozel, in a long-running crackdown that has created a political crisis.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer)

(Reuters) -Israel's bombing of Qatar last week risks a new breach with Arab states who are meeting on Monday, opening another chapter in a fractious history since Israel's creation in 1948 marked by repeated wars and periods of frosty peace.

Here is how the relationships have played out for some major Arab countries, which have also had difficult ties with Palestinian leaders over the years, complicating efforts to stabilise the Middle East.

EGYPT

A flotilla bound for Gaza carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists set sail Monday from Tunisia after repeated delays, aiming to break Israel's blockade and deliver aid to the Palestinian territory.

"The fleet that departed Barcelona is already at sea, and the Tunisian boats are now setting sail in stages," the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement.

"They will converge on the water and continue together to meet the Italian and Greek ships," it added.