https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:56:48 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-quran-burnings-proof-of-broader-bias-against-migrants-in-europe-ex-un-rapporteur/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:22:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658295 A recent wave of Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark is "an assertion of a broader anti-immigrant, anti-non-European right-wing bias that has grown to be quite politically strong," a former UN special rapporteur has said. "There's no legitimate purpose by allowing groups to burn the holy scriptures of another religious faith," Richard Falk, a professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, said. "It seems to me to serve … no possible constructive purpose. And I think there is a strong case for [such acts to be] prohibited." In recent months, far-right groups have desecrated and burnt several copies of the Quran in Denmark and neighbouring Sweden, drawing fierce condemnation from Muslims around the world and calls for measures to stop […]]]> 658295 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-mosque-in-germany-gets-threatening-letter/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 18:43:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658062 A mosque in Germany received a threatening letter on Friday, an official said, Anadolu Agency reports. The letter was addressed to the Eyup Sultan Mosque in the town of Bramsche in the lower Saxony state. "Continue like this. What we did to the Jews, we will do to you too. That day is not far away," it said. The letter also included insults directed to Islam. Ahmet Irmak, president of the mosque affiliated with the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), said that another mosque in the region received a threatening letter earlier this week. Both the letters were sealed with NSU 2.0, referring to a neo-Nazi group responsible for a string of murders. Irmak noted that a similar letter […]]]> 658062 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-germany-inks-30m-deal-to-support-unrwa/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 11:36:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658003 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) yesterday announced that it has signed three agreements with Germany worth €28 million ( $30.6 million) to support Palestinian refugees, Anadolu news agency reported. The agency said the three agreements were signed by the German Development Bank (KfW). "The German government will continue to support Palestine refugees across the region," said Oliver Owcza, head of the German Representative Office in Ramallah. "The new agreements will make a significant contribution to improving living conditions in the Palestine refugee camps," he added. He pointed out that "the agreements will enable UNRWA to invest in camp infrastructure and modernise its service delivery system. This would make UNRWA services more efficient and accessible to Palestine refugees." […]]]> 658003 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-syrian-detained-in-germany-on-suspicion-of-crimes-against-humanity/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:36:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657916 A Syrian national accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes through torture and enslavement between 2012 and 2015 has been arrested in Germany, Reuters reported prosecutors saying on Friday. The suspect, named only as Ahmad H, was a leader of a so-called shabiha militia that assisted the government of President Bashar Al-Assad in its deadly crackdown in the wake of a popular uprising in 2011, the prosecutors said. The state-sponsored militia's campaign of intimidation allegedly included arbitrary arrests, extortion, looting, forced labour and torture. German prosecutors said in a statement that Ahmad H was responsible for several brutal beatings of civilians, as well as two incidents in 2012 and 2015 during which he forced detainees to work while under fire and without […]]]> 657916 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-brazil-president-supports-accession-of-saudi-arabia-uae-to-brics/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 11:41:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657845 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has expressed his support for more countries joining the BRICS group. Lula said in the capital, Brasilia, yesterday that he supports countries such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joining the group. BRICS, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is due to hold a summit in Johannesburg from 22-24 August. He also described the seven leading industrialised countries as a "club" that should not exist, considering that its form in terms of geopolitical affairs is outdated. The UK, US, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany make up the group of Western industrialised countries, known as the G7. Some 22 countries have "formally" asked to join the BRICS group, while […]]]> 657845 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-germany-sees-spike-in-attacks-on-refugee-shelters/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 11:32:57 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657236 The number of politically motivated attacks on refugee shelters in Germany has steadily increased since the beginning of last year, with 80 crimes reported in the first half of this year, mostly involving far-right activists. Following a parliamentary inquiry by the radical leftist opposition party the Left (Die Linke), the German government said there are reports of 80 politically motivated crimes in the first half of this year in which a refugee shelter was the scene of the crime or the direct target of the attack, the German Press Agency (DPA) reported today. Of these, 74 were allegedly committed by right-wing suspects, with two offenses related to the phenomenon of "foreign ideology." In one instance, the police classified the crime as "religious […]]]> 657236 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-uk-acknowledges-genocide-was-committed-against-yazidis-by-daesh/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 16:12:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657126 Britain, on Tuesday, formally acknowledged that acts of genocide were committed against minority Yazidis by Daesh militants in Iraq in 2014, ahead of the nine-year anniversary of the crimes, Reuters reports. The acknowledgement comes after a German court in 2021 jailed a former Daesh militant for life for involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity against Yazidis in Iraq and Syria. German lawmakers have also recognised that genocide crimes were committed by Daesh militants in Iraq. READ: 81 mass graves of Yazidis found in Iraq's Sinjar since 2014: Official "The Yazidi population suffered immensely at the hands of Daesh, nine years ago, and the repercussions are still felt to this day," Britain's Minister of State for the Middle East, Tariq Ahmad, said in […]]]> 657126 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-after-30-years-in-his-post-lebanese-central-bank-governor-steps-down/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 08:41:28 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656932 Controversial Governor of the Lebanese Central Bank, Riad Salameh, has stepped down after 30 years in office, news agencies reported, noting he is facing charges of money laundering, fraud and embezzling public funds. The 73-year-old's term ended yesterday, as Lebanon's financial losses stood at in excess of $72 billion, more than three times its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021, the World Bank said. Late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri appointed him to the post in 1993 and he maintained the stability of the Lebanese Lira stable at 1,500 against the dollar, but Lebanon's economy has now almost collapsed and the World Bank has warned that it is facing one of the worst economic crises of the last 150 years. Salameh accused […]]]> 656932 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230731-freedom-flotilla-boat-heads-to-german-port-of-hamburg/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 07:31:48 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656618 Handala, the Freedom Flotilla boat which hopes to break the siege of Gaza, yesterday left the Netherlands city of Rotterdam heading for Hamburg in Germany, a statement said. Head of the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza, Zaher Birawi, said: "This stage of Handala's journey is core in the creation of a state of international solidarity with Palestine." It "is turning the eyes of the Europeans towards the suffering of the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinians due to the Israeli siege that has been imposed on Gaza for more than 16 years," he continued In his statement, Birawi said: "The Israeli siege imposed on Gaza amounts to a violation of international laws and is a flagrant violation […]]]> 656618 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230730-as-a-refugee-i-couldnt-defend-my-homeland-but-i-can-make-sure-syria-lives-on-in-my-art/ Sun, 30 Jul 2023 07:00:56 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656079 If a palette reflected Ghazwan Assaf's art, it would be covered with analogous colours of earthy greens, browns and black, splashes of ethereal whites with flecks of gold then sudden strikes of bright blues and oranges. Those colours are carefully washed over the miniature building sculptures created with clay and glass that represent the solace he finds in his current world and the hope he holds for his home country. "Through creating sculptures, my artistic soul is reflected, and the doors of memory are opened, summoning scenes from the past that touch people's hearts," says Ghazwan. "My art extends beyond the conventional notion of beauty and magnificence in portraying things. It also mirrors their profound pain resulting from events that […]]]> 656079 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230728-israeli-orders-israel-envoy-to-germany-out-of-his-cafe/ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 15:17:19 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656098 An Israeli expatriate living in Germany removed Israel's ambassador to Germany from his cafe in protest against the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which is being pushed by the occupation state. Avi Berg, the owner of Cafe Dodo in Berlin, took to Facebook to announce that he had asked Ambassador Ron Prosor to leave, stating that he was "not welcome in my cafe." Berg's decision was influenced by the fact that Prosor represents Israel and enforces an "invalid and manipulative" policy, which labels any criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic. According to Berg, this policy wrongly accuses him and others of being anti-Semitic for expressing their opinions. He added that Prosor and his bodyguards left the cafe […]]]> 656098 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230727-germany-provides-40m-to-unrwa-for-gaza-food-aid/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 08:28:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655568 The Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ramallah, Oliver Owcza, said on Wednesday that his country had contributed €37 million ($40m) this year to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for food aid in the Gaza Strip. Owcza made his comment during a visit to Al-Shati Refugee Camp in the north west of the Gaza Strip, which has been under a strict Israeli siege for more than 17 years. Despite the German donation, UNRWA still faces a $75m gap for 2023. "If not funded, the Agency will be forced to reduce or totally stop its food assistance in the Gaza Strip in September," explained UNRWA. The German official called on other donor states to […]]]> 655568 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230726-saudi-arabia-sadio-mane-agrees-to-join-al-nasr-fc/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 07:56:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=655117 Footballer Sadio Mane has reportedly agreed to join Saudi Arabia's Al-Nasr Football Club, Saudi Okaz has reported. The newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that Al-Nasr was given until today to meet the transfer demands and personal terms of Mane and his current club Bayern Munich. The sources did not reveal the amount to be paid by the Saudi club to buy Mane, just a year after his £35 million transfer from Liverpool to Bayern. However, football journalist James Benge of CBS Sports network said that the Saudi club has submitted an official request to the Saudi Ministry of Sports to finance the deal. He claimed that Al-Nasr will pay a €40m transfer fee to Bayern Munich, and Mane will […]]]> 655117 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230725-hatred-against-muslims-in-europe-threatens-co-existence/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 13:37:54 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654992 Hate speech and racism against Muslims in Europe have increased significantly, threatening co-existence in societies, the head of Hamad bin Khalifa Civilisation Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark said, Anadolu Agency reports. "The phenomenon of hatred against European Muslims has become a topic of discussion in most European media and has been acknowledged by some government departments," Abdul Hamid Al-Hamdi told Anadolu. He went on to say: "This was evident when the German Ministry of Interior published a report concluding that the Muslim minority in Germany is the most vulnerable to racial discrimination and hate speech." In late June, the Ministry released a report prepared by the Independent Expert Group on Hostility to Muslims, which stated that a third of Muslims in […]]]> 654992 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230724-migrant-group-suffers-racist-attack-on-train-in-germany/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:17:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654883 A group of migrants travelling on a train in Germany experienced a distressing and racist attack on Monday, perpetrated by supporters of the football club, Hansa Rostock, according to police, Anadolu Agency reports. Around 20 Hansa Rostock supporters launched racial insults and physically attacked nine migrants, aged between 10 to 18 years old, during their journey from Rostock to Gustrow in northern Germany. "Nasty foreigners, foreign pigs out," the supporters reportedly shouted. Upon receiving information from other passengers on the train, the police apprehended the attackers when the train stopped in Gustrow. Reacting to the incident, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Interior Minister, Christian Pegel, expressed his horror. "A group of adults attacking minors is already a cowardly act, and the fact that […]]]> 654883 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230720-occupied-jerusalem-israeli-official-asks-priest-to-hide-crucifix-on-visit-to-western-wall/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 08:23:40 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654062 An official at occupied Jerusalem's Western Wall asked a German Christian priest on Wednesday to hide his crucifix during a visit to the site, the Times of Israel has reported. Nikodemus Schnabel was accompanying Germany's Federal Education Minister at the time. A reporter for German news outlet Der Spiegel filmed the incident and posted it on social media with an explanation of what happened. Schnabel is the abbot of the Old City's Dormition Abbey. He was stopped by a woman who was said to be an employee of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the Haredi-dominated state-run body that administers the site, which is the western boundary wall of the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa. READ: Hamas slams America's 'Israel is not racist' […]]]> 654062 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230717-germany-urges-russia-to-extend-black-sea-grain-deal/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 13:27:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652927 Germany, on Monday, called on Russia to reconsider its decision to suspend the Black Sea grain export agreement, emphasising that the dispute should not be fought "on the backs of the poor", Anadolu Agency reports. Christiane Hoffmann, the government's spokeswoman, said at a news conference in Berlin that her country "continues to appeal to Russia to make a further extension of the grain agreement possible and not to fight out this dispute on the backs of the poorest on this planet." "And we are hoping for a grain agreement which is not always agreed upon for a limited period or for a short period of time, but that we are hoping that it will also be possible to export grain […]]]> 652927 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230713-turkiye-aims-to-complete-construction-of-650000-houses-in-quake-zone-president-erdogan/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:54:36 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652111 Some 650,000 new homes will be built in regions of Turkiye which were hit earlier this year by devastating earthquakes, the Turkish President said Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports. In a video message to the Berlin Earthquake Conference in the German capital, Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked the countries that showed solidarity with Turkiye after the earthquakes jolted the southern part of the country. The conference was organised by the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye and the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. On 6 February, magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes struck numerous Turkish provinces, taking over 50,000 lives. Around 14 million people in Turkiye were affected by the quakes, as well as many thousands of others […]]]> 652111 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-scholz-germany-wont-deliver-eurofighters-to-saudi-arabia-in-near-future/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:33:49 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651986 Germany will not deliver Eurofighter combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia in the near future, German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said on Wednesday, after a newspaper quoted a government document as linking any such move to an end of the war in Yemen, Reuters reports. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition that has been battling the Iranian-aligned Houthis in Yemen since 2015. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and left millions hungry. "There will be no decision on the delivery of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia any time soon," Scholz told reporters on the second day of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. A government source told Reuters that Germany would decide the issue during this legislative term, which ends […]]]> 651986 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-germany-hands-egypt-40-artefacts-discovered-at-frankfurt-airport/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 11:59:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651649 German authorities have handed over to Egypt more than 40 artefacts that were smuggled out of the country and discovered at Frankfurt airport, reports the Egypt Independent. The artefacts came from Thailand and were on their way to the UK when they were seized, according to Khaled Galal, the Egyptian ambassador to Berlin. Galal told the Egypt Independent that this is the fifth time Egyptian artefacts have been smuggled into Germany. Several countries, including the US, have been returning antiquities to Egypt over recent months. In January, a looted ancient Egyptian sarcophagus on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science was returned to Egypt. The "Green Coffin," worth over $1 million, was looted from the north of Egypt by a global art […]]]> 651649 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230711-lillehammer-is-misunderstood-says-palestinian-leader/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 21:00:36 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651439 In the evening hours, on July 21, 1973, two Israeli assassins got ready to kill their target. They drove their white Mazda to a bus stop in a quiet residential neighbourhood in the small town of Lillehammer where the killing would take place. Little did Ahmed Bouchiki, the target, know at that time that he only had minutes left to live. Bouchiki, a local waiter of Moroccan descent living In Norway, and his wife, Torill, had been to the movies, and were on their way back in a bus, taking them straight to their killers. As they got off the bus, the assassins approached them by foot and soon emptied 16 bullets into Bouchiki's body, as his wife stood helpless […]]]> 651439 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230710-quran-burned-thrown-in-front-of-mosque-in-germany/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:32:54 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651287 A Quran was burned and thrown in front of a mosque in south-western Germany, the Turkish-Muslim umbrella group DITIB said on Monday, Reuters reports. The incident happened, from a moving vehicle, in front of the Mimar Sinan Mosque in the town of Maulbronn, located in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. Osman Adibelli, Director of the Mosque Association, said the incident took place on the night of Saturday, 8 July. "After the incident, when we reviewed surveillance footage of our mosque, we saw that an object was thrown in front of the mosque from a vehicle on the main street. Around 4.45 am (0245GMT), our congregation members who came for morning prayers noticed a burned Quran at the entrance of the mosque," […]]]> 651287 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230709-german-town-swears-in-ex-syrian-refugee-as-its-mayor/ Sun, 09 Jul 2023 08:19:57 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650613 A German town has sworn in a former Syrian refugee as its mayor, in the first case of a German municipality voting in someone who had arrived in the country as a refugee. At a municipal council meeting on Friday evening, former Syrian refugee Ryyan Alshebl took the oath as mayor of Ostelsheim, a town 30 kilometres from the southern city of Stuttgart. The event came after citizens of the town's 2,500-strong Swabian community elected him as the new head of the town hall back in April, winning a clear majority of 55.4 per cent of the vote. Alshebl has attained the position around eight years after fleeing Syria at the age of 21 with a group of friends during […]]]> 650613 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230706-germany-morocco-stress-un-key-to-western-sahara-solution/ Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:15:19 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650234 Germany and Morocco reiterated the need for an UN-backed diplomatic solution, Thursday, to the West Sahara conflict, Anadolu Agency reports. "We know that the Western Sahara question is particularly central to them (Morocco). So, you know our long-standing support for the process led by the United Nations. It is the most promising path to a fair, pragmatic, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution," German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, said at a news conference in Berlin with her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita. She added that Morocco's autonomy plan for the Sahara region, presented in 2007, could be a good basis for a solution accepted by all parties to the conflict. The remarks were partially echoed by her Moroccan colleague who said […]]]> 650234 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230705-tunisia-italy-interior-ministers-discuss-irregular-immigration/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 07:36:57 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649690 Tunisian Interior Minister Kamel Feki yesterday discussed the issue of irregular migration with his Italian counterpart Matteo Piantedosi, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said in a statement, Anadolu reported. The statement said the two ministers spoke on the phone and reviewed cooperation relations and partnership programmes linking the two ministries, especially in the field of migration and organised crime. "The two parties expressed their unwavering readiness and firm determination to further consolidate these relations and raise them to the highest levels, reflecting the depth and history of the historical relations between the two countries and serving the interest of the two friendly peoples," it added. Tunisia has recently witnessed a remarkable increase in the pace of irregular migration to Europe, especially towards […]]]> 649690 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230705-israel-deals-in-death-and-destruction-by-exporting-arms-to-the-world/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 06:30:16 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649638 Israel has recently signed the largest arms deal in its history with Germany, worth a staggering €4 billion. The occupation state will provide Germany, which is concerned about getting involved in the Russia-Ukraine war, with Hetz 3 systems to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles. The deal sheds some light on the growing level and importance of Israeli arms sales. As the war in Ukraine intensifies, the Israeli military is considering the armaments at play. More arms deals are being considered as Israel is monitoring the winds of war blowing across Eastern Europe and the spectre of a continental war looming on the horizon. Many European countries have expressed interest in Israeli weapons, especially those which rely on surveillance satellites […]]]> 649638 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230704-french-judiciary-transfers-central-bank-chief-seized-assets-to-lebanon-minister/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 17:42:39 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649664 The French judiciary has transferred the seized assets of Lebanon's Central Bank Governor, Riad Salameh, and his associates, to the Lebanese state, the media office of Lebanon's caretaker Justice Minister, Henry Khoury, said on Tuesday, Reuters reports. Salameh, 72, who has been in this post for three decades, is the subject of investigations and arrest warrants in France and Germany over allegations of corruption and money laundering. A judiciary source in Paris said the Court of Appeal, on Tuesday, had upheld the confiscation of millions of Euros' worth of assets linked to Salameh and some of his associates, which were being contested by their lawyers. READ: Lebanon economic crisis worsened by vested interests, IMF says "All of the confiscation orders were upheld by […]]]> 649664 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230704-german-court-gives-life-sentence-to-murderer-of-turkiye-woman/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 12:26:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649607 A German court, on Tuesday, gave life in prison to the murderer of Turkish woman, Ece Sarigul, Anadolu Agency reports. The court in the southern city of Ulm ruled that the 27-year-old Eritrean attacker who killed Sarigul and injured her friend, Nerea M., on 5 December, 2022 on their way to school, would serve life sentence. The ruling can be appealed in a higher court. Ece, who was stabbed in the stomach by the Eritrean asylum seeker, died while Nerea M. eventually recovered from her injuries. READ: In conservative Gaza, a woman finds rare job niche by repairing phones]]> 649607 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230703-turkiye-intelligence-agency-exposes-ghost-network-of-mossad-operatives/ Mon, 03 Jul 2023 15:00:33 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649023 Turkiye's National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) has exposed a vast "ghost" network of dozens of operatives working for the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, in the latest Turkish operation to bust a foreign espionage ring. According to the Turkish newspaper, Daily Sabah, the MIT recently uncovered a cell of 56 Mossad operatives, based primarily on confessions obtained from seven relevant people who were apprehended in an operation conducted in collaboration with the Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Terrorism Branch. Citing MIT documents, the paper reported that the spies were tied to nine networks overseen by nine senior Mossad agents based in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv, and were responsible for the gathering of biographical intelligence on non-Turkish foreign nationals residing in Turkiye. The operatives […]]]> 649023 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230628-turkish-president-says-pkk-activities-in-sweden-unacceptable/ Wed, 28 Jun 2023 14:44:06 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647946 It is "unacceptable" for Ankara that PKK supporters in Sweden organise demonstrations and recruit people and provide financial support for terror groups, the Turkish president said on Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reports. His remarks came during a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate. Erdogan and Scholz addressed bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues, stressing the necessity of increasing cooperation in these fields. The Turkish president told Scholz that Sweden is taking steps in the right direction, citing Stockholm's recent anti-terrorism, but said Ankara finds it "unacceptable" that the YPG/PYD/PKK supporters in Sweden continue to organise demonstrations, recruit people, and provide financial support to terrorist groups. Finland and Sweden applied for […]]]> 647946 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230628-discrimination-cases-reach-new-heights-in-germany-in-2022-with-14-increase/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 23:53:27 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647907 The number of people filing discrimination complaints increased by 14 per cent in Germany in 2022 compared to 2021, to a total of 8,827, the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency said Tuesday. "We have never had so many people submit applications to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency as we did last year," said Ferda Ataman, the head of Germany's anti-discrimination office, in announcing the report at a news conference in Berlin, Anadolu Agency reports. Ataman pointed out that many countries in Europe have laws ensuring equal treatment for individuals and explained that discrimination based on factors such as age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion, worldview, race, and anti-Semitism is prohibited under Germany's General Equal Treatment Act (AGG). She noted that the highest number […]]]> 647907 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230627-germany-documents-900-racist-attacks-against-muslims-in-2022/ Tue, 27 Jun 2023 12:07:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647644 A record 898 racist attacks targeting Muslims, an average of two attacks per day, were recorded in Germany in 2022, Anadolu news agency reported. This came in a report prepared by the Alliance against Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate (CLAIM), which receives support from the German  Federal Ministry for Family Affairs. According to the report, the attacks included physical and verbal attacks and hate speech against Muslims, in addition to damage to property and violence. Veiled Women in particular experienced insults and physical attacks in public spaces, followed by students. Commenting on the report, head of CLAIM, Rima Hanano, said there is "an urgent need for solidarity by society with the victims of these attacks." She added that the solution to combating this phenomenon is […]]]> 647644 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230626-berlin-slams-ongoing-illegal-settler-violence-in-west-bank/ Mon, 26 Jun 2023 14:55:52 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=647323 Germany, on Monday, condemned the escalating settler violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Anadolu Agency reports. "Clearly the federal government naturally condemns any form of violence," Foreign Ministry spokesman, Christian Wagner, told a press briefing in Berlin. Israeli settlers' actions in Palestinian communities over the weekend, where hundreds of Palestinians were injured as well as the images of burning homes and cars are "beyond disturbing, and there is nothing to justify these attacks," he added. Wagner urged the Israeli government to crack down on the settler violence. "Of course, we expect the Israeli authorities to take resolute action against the … perpetrators," he said. READ: Nablus: Muslim scholars issue strong statement after settlers burn Qur'an "It is clear that, under […]]]> 647323 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230624-germany-cancels-condemnation-of-unhrc-probe-into-possible-israeli-crimes/ Sat, 24 Jun 2023 10:21:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=646865 Germany has cancelled its condemnation of a UN Human Rights Council commission of inquiry into the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories in response to measures aimed at expediting settlements, Walla reported on Friday. "As part of the gathering of the Human Right Council in Geneva this week, the US issued a notice of condemnation of the commission of inquiry," shared Israeli journalist Barak Ravid. He added: "Germany announced that it would join the announcement, but a day after the government's decision to shorten the construction approval procedures in the settlements, the Germans announced they were withdrawing their signature." Walla pointed out that Germany is the most important ally for Israel in Europe and the second most important globally after […]]]> 646865 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230622-israels-state-archive-exposes-zionist-efforts-to-enlist-nazis-against-britain/ Thu, 22 Jun 2023 14:32:47 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=646643 Efforts by Zionist militias to recruit Nazi Germany in the fight against the British Mandate authorities in Palestine have been revealed in newly-released transcripts in the Israel State Archive. The documents, which were released to the public last month, include information on what Haaretz has called the "dark chapter" of Zionist militias' ties with Nazi Germany. Reporting on the revelations, the Israeli newspaper uncovered shocking details which not only debunk the Zionist propaganda that Palestinians had cooperated with Nazi Germany, but also confirm that some of the founders of Israel believed that it was essential for Zionists to do so. Images of the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin Al-Husseini, with senior officers of the Third Reich has been a stock-in-trade […]]]> 646643 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230620-german-professor-under-fire-for-racist-slurs-against-female-muslim-student/ Tue, 20 Jun 2023 16:32:01 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=646033 A Muslim student was racially insulted by a university Professor in Germany because she was wearing a headscarf, her lawyer said on Monday, Anadolu Agency reports. According to the report, the incident occurred during an economics class at the campus of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University in north-western Germany. The Professor used racist slurs and even compared the Muslim woman's headscarf with the swastika symbol of neo-Nazis, lawyer Fatih Zingal said, the report added. "Article 4 of the German Constitution protects religious freedom, and a student can attend lessons by wearing a headscarf. The attitude of this Professor is absolutely unacceptable," he told Anadolu. Gulsen Kurt, who was shocked by the lecturer's use of racist slurs, said most of the students reacted […]]]> 646033 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230620-un-sudan-quickly-descending-into-death-and-destruction/ Tue, 20 Jun 2023 10:56:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=645943 Sudan is quickly descending into "death and destruction", UN chief António Guterres warned yesterday. Addressing donors at a pledging event in Geneva convened by the UN with Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), Guterres said that some $3 billion was needed to assist people in Sudan and those who have fled to neighbouring countries. "The scale and speed of Sudan's descent into death and destruction is unprecedented," he warned. "Without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become a locus of lawlessness, radiating insecurity across the region." Speaking via video message as a new temporary ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was coming into effect, the UN […]]]> 645943 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230619-saied-tunisia-will-not-accept-to-be-the-guardian-of-any-countrys-borders/ Mon, 19 Jun 2023 19:33:56 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=645881 On Monday, Tunisian President, Kais Saied, stated that his country "will not accept to be the guardian of any other country's borders or to settle migrants on its territory." This came during his reception of the German Interior Minister, Nancy Faes, and her French counterpart, Gerald Darmanin, at the presidential Carthage Palace near the Tunisian capital, according to a statement from the Tunisian presidency. Saied said, "Tunisia will never accept to be the guardian of any other country's borders (not mentioned) and will not accept the settlement of migrants on its soil." He reiterated his stance "on the necessity of adopting a new approach regarding the phenomenon of irregular migration, based on eliminating the causes rather than attempting to address […]]]> 645881 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230614-saudi-to-host-humanitarian-conference-for-sudan/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 14:08:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=644661 Saudi Arabia yesterday announced that it is organising an international conference to support the humanitarian response in Sudan, Anadolu news agency reported. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the high-level conference will be held on 19 June "to pledge support for humanitarian response in Sudan and the region." The conference will be jointly led by Qatar, Egypt, Germany and the United Nations, in addition to the European Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the statement said. "Saudi Arabia stands by the Sudanese people, by providing humanitarian aid worth $100 million, and organising a campaign aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese, by direct orders from King Salman Bin Abdulaziz," it added. The statement noted […]]]> 644661 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230613-tunisia-opposition-rejects-mediterranean-deal-for-migrants/ Tue, 13 Jun 2023 08:37:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=644347 Political opponents of Tunisia's President Kais Saied have criticised Europe's proposed financial aid package, cautioning against what they call the "Mediterranean Deal". They decry the fact that the deal would see Tunisia become a "border guard for Europe" despite President Kais Saied's emphatic rejection of such a proposition. Saied's supporters have also warned about a European plan to settle sub-Saharan African migrants in the country. "Today, it became clear why Italy wants to assist Tunisia and consider it a safe country, in order to deport Tunisian and foreign migrants to it," said Majdi Al-Karbawi, a former parliamentarian and a specialist in migrant rights. "This was the reason for the recent visit of European officials. Tunisia has officially become a border […]]]> 644347 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230611-france-warns-iran-on-drone-deliveries-to-russia/ Sun, 11 Jun 2023 10:01:38 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=644006 French President Emmanuel Macron warned Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday about the consequences of delivering drones to Russia, Macron's office said on Saturday, Reuters reports. In a phone call, Macron urged Iran to 'immediately cease' the support it is giving Russia in the war against Ukraine. Macron also expressed concerns about the trajectory of the Iranian nuclear programme, the statement said. Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine say the supply of Iranian-made drones to Russia violates a 2015 UN Security Council resolution enshrining the Iran nuclear deal. The White House said on Friday that Russia appeared to be deepening its defense cooperation with Iran and had received hundreds of one-way attack drones that it is using to […]]]> 644006 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230610-germany-squandering-billions-on-israels-arrow-3-missile-defence-system/ Sat, 10 Jun 2023 15:32:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643983 Germany to squander almost 4 billion euros ($4.30 billion) on Israel's Arrow-3 missile defense system is a prime example of financial mismanagement. Astonishingly, the government plans to request advance payments of up to 560 million euros from lawmakers, revealing a complete disregard for responsible spending. The Arrow-3 system, supposedly designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth's atmosphere, is nothing more than an overpriced addition to Israel's already extensive missile defense arsenal. Despite its lofty claims, the Arrow-3 merely serves as the extravagant crown jewel of Israel's defense array, spanning from the unnecessary short-range rocket interception capabilities of Iron Dome to the extravagant long-range missile destruction capabilities of Arrow-3. Germany's acquisition of this system showcases a distorted sense of priorities […]]]> 643983 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230609-siemens-accused-of-supporting-boycott-of-israel/ Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:07:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643852 US officials are considering opening an investigation into whether the German giant Siemens has engaged in a boycott of Israel with the aim of winning a multimillion-dollar deal with a Turkish company funded by the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia, according to US media reports. The case dates back to February, when German media outlets revealed that the company had signed a clause stipulating a boycott of Israel in a contract with the Turkish State Railways Company. The German company has officially denied the claims relating to the $360 million deal. US officials said they would investigate the matter, and the US Washington Free Beacon website reported on Tuesday that "New York and Arizona officials told the Washington Free Beacon they are […]]]> 643852 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230608-italy-seeks-last-minute-changes-to-elusive-eu-migration-deal/ Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:56:11 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643497 Italy sought last-minute changes on Thursday to a tentative EU agreement on sharing out responsibility for looking after migrants and refugees, pushing for a cut in the number of people each country would take on Reuters reports. Home affairs ministers from across the 27-member bloc are meeting to try seal a deal to end years of damaging feuds dating back to 2015, when more than a million people – mostly fleeing the war in Syria – reached the EU across the Mediterranean. Representatives from Germany, Spain and France had raised hopes of a final agreement later on Thursday. But Matteo Piantedosi, the Interior Minister from Italy's right-wing government, said there was still work to do. "We cannot adopt a reform that is destined to fail," he told his […]]]> 643497 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230607-russia-claims-ukraine-blasted-grain-deals-ammonia-pipeline/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:11:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643065 The Russian Defence Ministry claimed, on Wednesday, that Ukraine's armed forces intentionally blasted the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline in the Kharkiv region, which is mentioned in the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, the Ministry's spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, said several people were injured in the blast. "On 5 June, at about 21:00 Moscow time (1800GMT), in the area of the settlement of Masyutovka, Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group blew up the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline. As a result of this terrorist act, there are victims among the civilian population," Konashenkov said. The official noted that ammonia continues draining through the damaged sections of the pipeline. Commenting on the incident, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria […]]]> 643065 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230607-us-calls-roger-waters-performance-in-berlin-deeply-offensive-to-jewish-people/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 07:32:51 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642962 The US State Department, on Tuesday, weighed in on a controversy over a performance by Pink Floyd co-founder, Roger Waters, denouncing the show in Berlin as "deeply offensive to Jewish people" and accusing Waters of having a record of using anti-Semitic tropes, Reuters reports. Waters, 79, has said the performance last month, during which he wore a black trench coat with a swastika-like emblem, was a statement against fascism, injustice and bigotry and called criticism of it "disingenuous and politically motivated". Berlin police said they were investigating Waters on suspicion of "incitement of the people". Critics online included US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Deborah Lipstadt, who called the concert "Holocaust distortion"  and amplified a tweet denouncing Waters by the European […]]]> 642962 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230606-breakthrough-on-stalled-eu-migration-deal-coming-this-week-official/ Tue, 06 Jun 2023 15:47:33 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642887 European Union countries are expected, this week, to agree on how to share out the responsibility of hosting refugees and migrants, a top EU official said on Tuesday of what would mark a breakthrough after years of bitter feuds within the bloc, Reuters reports. The EU's Migration chief spoke ahead of talks between home affairs ministers of the bloc's 27 member states on Thursday. On the table is an overhaul of EU asylum rules which broke down in 2015 as more than a million people – mostly fleeing the war in Syria – reached the bloc across the Mediterranean. "It's about having a European migration policy," EU Migration Commissioner, Ylva Johansson told reporters. "When we work together, we are so strong […]]]> 642887 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230601-merkel-mediation-between-eu-turkiye-regarding-transfer-of-natural-gas/ Thu, 01 Jun 2023 08:40:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=641851 International reports revealed that the European Union (EU) would use former German Chancellor Angela Merkel as a mediator between it and Turkiye to facilitate the transfer of natural gas discovered on the Greek Cypriot side, taking advantage of her good relations with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish newspaper Aksam quoted Greek media stating that Merkel will return to the international political arena as a mediator through the EU's agreement with Turkiye to transport gas to Europe. The report indicated that, because of her years of experience in international relations, Merkel would assume the task of mediation between the EU, Germany and Turkiye and that this diplomatic initiative directly concerns Greece. In December 2021, Merkel handed over power to current Chancellor […]]]> 641851 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230531-roger-waters-denies-claims-of-anti-semitism/ Wed, 31 May 2023 16:35:12 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=641682 READ: Palestine present at Roger Waters concert in Paris]]> 641682 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230530-senegalese-footballer-sadio-mane-to-continue-at-bayern-munich/ Tue, 30 May 2023 11:16:03 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=640639 Bayern Munich's Senegalese star, Sadio Mane, has put an end to speculations over his future career plans, announcing that he will continue to play with German club Bayern Munich. Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano said: "Mane has a desire to carry the Bayern Munich shirt and continue with the team." He added on Twitter that Mane had met with the team's coach, Thomas Tuchel and informed him of his decision. Press reports have recently said the German club intends to release the striker during the summer transfer season next month, but the club has not made a final decision. Mane joined the club in the summer of 2022, coming from Liverpool, and won the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich this […]]]> 640639