https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:32:10 +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/20230804-the-suwalki-gap-and-putins-gambit-for-prigozhin/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:30:59 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657986 The Prigozhin saga is unprecedented in Russian history. In the past, if a highly placed personality lost the trust of the Kremlin and were declared enemy of the state, the price would be dire. Prigozhin appears to be an exception. While his mutiny had many military personnel killed, including several pilots, the Wagner boss did not face the consequences of his actions and walked free from prosecution. In fact, Putin granted Prigozhin a second chance, demanding that the Wagner units settle in Belarus. This request gave the signal to Prigozhin that his services were still needed. The Wagner mercenaries, renowned for their war expertise, represent a formidable, disciplined, and motivated force akin to an iron fist. Even though they are mercenaries, […]]]> 657986 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230609-factbox-what-is-inside-the-eu-migration-deal-and-what-lies-ahead/ Fri, 09 Jun 2023 17:44:34 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643903 European Union ministers agreed, this week, on how to handle irregular arrivals of asylum-seekers and migrants, a deal hailed as a breakthrough after almost a decade of bitter feuds on the sensitive matter. As the deal took shape, a stabbing in France by a Syrian man who was granted asylum in Sweden, 10 years ago, drew fresh attention to Europe's migration policies, highlighting political as well as practical challenges lying ahead of any EU migration scheme. Here are details of the EU agreement, the main question marks and what comes next. Why does it matter?  EU states have been trading blame over providing for the new arrivals since more than a million people – mostly fleeing the war in Syria – caught the bloc […]]]> 643903 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/20230605-un-body-condemns-us-others-for-treatment-of-guantanamo-inmate/ Mon, 05 Jun 2023 16:21:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642659 The United States and several other countries have committed human rights violations against a Saudi man held in the Guantanamo prison and accused of organising the bombing of the "USS Cole" in the port of Aden in 2000, a UN report said, Reuters reports. Abd Al Rahim Al Nashiri could face the death penalty, if convicted, for his alleged role in the attack. The United Nations working group on arbitrary detention said he had been arbitrarily detained for more than 20 years and it voiced concern about his physical and mental well-being. The United States has accused Nashiri of organising the attack on the "USS Cole" by two suicide bombers in a small boat as the warship was moored in […]]]> 642659 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230602-a-musical-performance-and-the-shrinking-public-discourse/ Fri, 02 Jun 2023 17:00:12 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=642003 Seventy-nine-year-old singer Roger Waters' new show has caused a stir. Waters' moment of fame is not about art this time. Rather, it is more about 'cancel culture'. The controversy surrounding the show centres around Waters' political stances. The Pink Floyd co-founder has been labelled an anti-Semite and a "Putin apologist". Some of Waters' positions have angered many people. For example, he condemned the invasion of Ukraine but criticised the latter saying it "was not unprovoked"; such views led to his concerts in Poland being cancelled. He won a legal battle to perform in Frankfurt after accusations of anti-Semitism (which he strongly rejects). As soon as allegations of anti-Semitism surfaced, a campaign was waged against the artist by members of the Krakow […]]]> 642003 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230518-human-rights-group-concerned-over-rising-disappearance-of-unaccompanied-asylum-minors-in-europe/ Thu, 18 May 2023 19:17:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=637891 A new report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor) has revealed a significant disparity in the treatment of unaccompanied minors of asylum seekers compared to the accompanied ones in Europe. This included depriving the unaccompanied minors of legal protections, detaining them, and the insufficiency of services provided to them in several European countries. On Thursday, the Euro-Med Monitor released a comprehensive report titled "Happiness, Love and Understanding: The Protection of Unaccompanied Minors in the 27 EU Member States." A copy of this report was forwarded to the Arabi21 website, and it highlighted various shortcomings in reception procedures and protection offered to unaccompanied minor asylum seekers across the 27 member states of the European Union (EU). The report evaluates […]]]> 637891 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230503-ancient-roman-era-buddha-statue-discovered-in-egypt/ Wed, 03 May 2023 11:20:56 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=633534 Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient Buddha statue made of stone in the Egyptian Red Sea port city of Berenike. The find made from Mediterranean marble, said to be the first of its kind west of Afghanistan, sheds new light on trade and contact between Egypt and India. The find has "important indications over the presence of trade ties between Egypt and India during the Roman era", the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Mostafa Al-Waziri was quoted as saying. ✨Spectacular✨ discovery at the Red Sea #port of #Berenike #Egypt – a #Buddha statue in the forecourt of the Isis temple, 2nd-3rd c. CE. Important new evidence of exchange of religious beliefs as part of the sea trade between […]]]> 633534 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230422-russia-downbeat-on-black-sea-grain-deal-as-kyiv-tries-to-unblock-exports/ Sat, 22 Apr 2023 07:13:35 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630561 Ukraine's prospects of unblocking grain shipments to Eastern Europe improved on Friday as Romania opted against a unilateral ban on food imports, but there was no progress on extending a deal on Black Sea exports, Reuters reports. Russia's Foreign Minister made clear Moscow considered its conditions had not been met for extending a UN-brokered agreement guaranteeing safe exports via the Black Sea during the war in Ukraine. "Here, practically nothing has been done," Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, told reporters in Havana on Thursday during an official visit. Russia has said extending last July's agreement beyond an 18 May deadline depends on the West lifting restrictions it says hinder Moscow's agricultural exports. Grain sales are a vital revenue source for Kyiv, and food […]]]> 630561 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230420-eu-lawmakers-demand-obligatory-hosting-of-migrants-under-looming-overhaul/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 16:11:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630484 European Union lawmakers voted on Thursday to require member countries to host some of the refugees and migrants coming to the bloc at times of high arrivals, part of a fiercely contested reform due ahead of a 2024 pan-European election, Reuters reports. The European Parliament adopted its position on the looming reform of the bloc's migration and asylum rules ahead of negotiating its final form with the 27 EU member states that have long been split over the so-called obligatory relocations. Countries, including Poland and Hungary, refuse to host any of the new arrivals while others, including Italy and France – where people from the Middle East and Africa arrive on smugglers' boats across the Mediterranean Sea – say they […]]]> 630484 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230419-diplomatic-missions-in-sudan-urge-combatants-to-avoid-escalations-cease-fire/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 16:42:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630294 Diplomatic missions in Sudan, on Wednesday, called on rival forces to cease fire and observe obligations under international law to protect civilians, diplomats and humanitarian actors following a days-long bloody power struggle across the country, Reuters reports. The missions included the embassies of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Delegation of the European Union. In a joint statement, they urged the Army and the most powerful paramilitary group to avoid further escalation and initiate talks to resolve outstanding issues. READ: Sudan Army chief, the warlord and a feud that risks civil war]]> 630294 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230419-russia-accuses-ukraine-of-sabotaging-grain-deal-with-bribery-scheme/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 14:30:57 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630276 Russia, on Wednesday, accused Ukraine of sabotaging the Black Sea grain deal by demanding bribes from ship owners to register new vessels and carry out inspections under the cover of a deal the United Nations hopes could ease a global food crisis, Reuters reports. There was no immediate comment on the allegation, levelled by Russia's Foreign Ministry, from Ukraine which has blamed Moscow for problems with the agreement. Moscow did not immediately provide documentary evidence to back its assertion. Russia and Ukraine both say the deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkiye in July, is in danger of collapsing, just as Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have imposed import bans on Ukrainian grain. Russia has repeatedly warned it will not […]]]> 630276 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230414-doubts-surround-death-of-syria-refugee-in-polish-detention-centre/ Fri, 14 Apr 2023 15:01:30 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=629168 The Polish Border Guard, on Thursday, publicly admitted the death of a Syrian man at a detention centre for refugees in south-western Poland, but almost a month after the man died, Anadolu News Agency reports. The refugee of Syrian origin, Mahmoud Ryad Albana, died on the night between 16 to 17 March, after seven days in the Guarded Centre for Foreigners in the city of Przemysl, Piotr Zakielarz, the spokesperson of the Bieszczady Border Guard Unit, told Polish Press Agency (PAP). However, Polish activists, who help refugees from Africa and the Middle East coming into Poland via Belarus, say they were the first to inform about the man's disappearance from the centre, after he had been complaining of being sick […]]]> 629168 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230330-egypt-saudi-arabia-tops-list-of-food-importers-in-2023/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:39:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=625440 Saudi Arabia ranked first on the list of importers of food from Egypt during the first two months of 2023 with total imports amounting to $69 million, Egypt's Food Export Council (FEC) said yesterday. Saudi food imports from Egypt grew 13 per cent year on year, followed by Libya with $44 million, Palestine with $40 million and the United States with $38 million. Yemen, Italy, Jordan, Poland and the European Union were also on the list of food importers from Egypt. Exports of sugar and sugar cane products topped the list of the most important commodities exported during January and February, with a value of $51 million and a growth rate of 61 per cent. Frozen strawberries followed with a […]]]> 625440 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230214-fascism-is-already-there-in-israel-says-jewish-professor-of-the-holocaust/ Tue, 14 Feb 2023 12:59:07 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=614815 Israel is hurtling towards fascism, Holocaust historian Daniel Blatman has said in an interview with Haaretz. Blatman is a professor at the Institute for Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University. His fields of interest are the Holocaust, Nazism, fascism, genocide and East European Jewry during the Holocaust. He is currently involved in establishing the Warsaw Ghetto Museum, which is scheduled to open in 2025. Haaretz interviewed Blatman because of an article he had written in 2017 which predicted that Israel was heading for a collision of forces, the conclusion of which would be the end of democracy and the rise of fascism. His prediction has more or less played out exactly as he described six years ago, which is why […]]]> 614815 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230127-four-yemenis-freeze-to-death-while-fleeing-to-europe/ Fri, 27 Jan 2023 12:03:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=609690 Four Yemenis froze to death on the border of Belarus while trying to immigrate to Europe, local media sources have reported. Two were named by the Yemeni Embassy in Moscow, as Tawfiq Ali, and Omar Ahmed Al-Hushairi. Both died on the international border between Poland and Belarus "due to the very low temperature." The other victims were mentioned by the Yemeni embassy in Berlin. The death of four Yemenis is just the latest in a series of tragedies involving migrants. There have been frequent reports of the death of Yemenis during their attempts to immigrate to Europe. While some drown, others die of extreme cold and even more pass away through other causes. READ: UNESCO lists Yemen Kingdom of Saba on […]]]> 609690 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221127-theres-no-israel-only-palestine-saudi-fan-tells-israel-reporter-he-is-not-welcome-at-qatar-world-cup/ Sun, 27 Nov 2022 16:24:33 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=596940 In the latest incident of Arab football fans snubbing Israeli reporters covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Qatar, a Saudi Arabian supporter was filmed telling Israeli reporter Moav Vardi of broadcaster Kan 11 that he was "not welcome" in the Gulf state following the kingdom's two-goal defeat by Poland on Saturday. Upon discovering the reporter was Israeli, the Saudi fan told him: "It is Palestine, there is no Israel. Go please. You are not welcome here. This is Qatar, this is our country – you are not welcome here. There is only Palestine. There is no Israel." Others can be heard saying "Free Palestine" in the brief encounter which has gone viral on social media. مشجع سعودي يرفض الحديث […]]]> 596940 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221019-israel-is-facing-diplomatic-problems-in-every-direction/ Wed, 19 Oct 2022 12:18:53 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=587423 Despite Israel's efforts to strengthen its ties with countries around the world, it has recently been involved in several political crises. These have uncovered a big diplomatic failure, given that the countries it's clashing with were some of its close political allies. Tensions started east, with Russia. These increased after Moscow's war on Ukraine and intensified further after Tel Aviv's public condemnation of Russia's bombing of Kyiv. The Russian embassy in Tel Aviv responded by highlighting what it says is Israel's double standards. Tel Aviv, the embassy said, kept silent for eight months about the Ukrainian attacks in the Donbass and turned a blind eye to the recent deadly attacks against a refugee convoy in the Kharkiv region, the brutal […]]]> 587423 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220928-report-egypt-tops-list-of-arms-importers-from-france/ Wed, 28 Sep 2022 08:36:28 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=583357 Egypt has topped the list of arms importers from France in 2021 thanks to an order of 30 Rafale fighter jets, making the Middle East the largest arms buyer from France last year, according to an annual parliamentary report published yesterday. In 2021, Egypt requested the purchase of French weapons worth €4.5 billion, ($4.5 billion) followed by Greece (€2 billion), Croatia (€971 million), India (€492 million) and Saudi Arabia (€381 million), according to the report published by Challenges magazine. French arms exports doubled in 2021 to €11.7 billion, including €5.2 billion worth of arms exports to the Near and Middle East; 44 per cent of Paris' total sales, the publication reported. Exports to Europe, where France seeks to redirect its […]]]> 583357 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220926-western-democracy-is-being-destroyed-to-protect-israel/ Mon, 26 Sep 2022 10:55:05 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=582616 The past few days have seen an almost unprecedented attack on high-profile supporters of Palestine resulting in a concerted effort to silence some of Israel's most vocal critics once and for all. While this blatant attack on free speech has been rolled out it has also served to divert attention from a hard-hitting TV investigation exposing a campaign to undermine democracy and pro-Palestinian support in Britain's Labour Party. A damning three-part Al Jazeera TV documentary has based its findings on the content of the largest ever document leak in British political history. "The Labour Files: The Purge" has revealed how a small number of unelected officials plotted to bring Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's political juggernaut to a shuddering halt. In […]]]> 582616 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220913-morocco-army-chief-given-official-reception-in-israel/ Tue, 13 Sep 2022 08:50:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=579297 Morocco's army chief Lieutenant General Belkhir El-Farouk started an official visit to Israel today to participate in a military conference in Tel Aviv. An official reception ceremony was held upon El-Farouk's arrival and he was welcomed by Israeli army chief Aviv Kochavi. For the first time in history, we welcomed the Inspector General of the @MoroccanArmed Forces, LTG Belkhir El Farouk, to Israel today. The IDF Chief of the General Staff led an honor guard as LTG El Farouk arrived for the International Operational Innovation Conference. ???? pic.twitter.com/v5QCOR2Qpi — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 13, 2022 El-Farouk will take part in the Israeli army's International Operational Innovation Conference along with military leaders from other countries including Finland, India, Poland, Italy, Czech Republic, […]]]> 579297 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220913-israel-sells-anti-drone-system-to-ukraine-via-poland/ Tue, 13 Sep 2022 07:56:27 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=579288 An Israeli firm has supplied anti-drone systems to Ukraine through Poland, Israeli media revealed yesterday. According to the Hebrew news website, Zman Yisrael, a source in the firm said that the equipment was being sold to Poland to circumvent Israel's refusal to sell advanced arms to Ukraine. The Israeli firm, according to the newspaper, reported the sale of the anti-drone system to the Israeli Defence Ministry, telling it the buyer was Poland. The firm appeared not to know that Poland was just a mediator and was transferring the system to Ukraine. READ: Iran says developed drone designed to hit Israel's Tel Aviv, Haifa The anti-drone system, which can intercept and disrupt unmanned aerial vehicles, is classified by the Israeli Defence Ministry as "advanced defensive technology" and as such can't be sold to Ukraine. […]]]> 579288 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220713-israel-poland-begin-normalising-ties-after-halt-over-polish-holocaust-law/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 12:59:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=566508 Poland and Israel have begun the process of normalising their diplomatic relations after a halt for nearly a year over a Polish Holocaust-related law, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced yesterday. The remarks came in a press conference after he met with his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, in the Polish capital city of Warsaw. "We agreed that it was time to get back to normal relations," Duda said on Twitter, adding that the Israeli Ambassador, Yacov Livne, had officially presented his credentials as a "first step" towards normalising ties between the two countries. On his part, Herzog thanked Duda for the move, describing it as an "important first step to advancing Israeli-Polish relations." "I hope to receive the letters of credence […]]]> 566508 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220707-warsaw-confirms-detention-of-polish-scientist-in-iran/ Thu, 07 Jul 2022 13:59:54 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=565934 Poland confirmed on Thursday that a Polish scientist had been arrested in Iran and said it was working to secure his return home, after Tehran announced the arrest of several foreigners that it accused of spying, Reuters reports. Iranian state television reported on Wednesday that its Revolutionary Guards had arrested the foreigners for acts that included taking soil samples in restricted areas. The Iranian report identified one of those arrested as a Polish scientist named Maciej Walczak, and another as Giles Whittaker, the second-ranking diplomat at the British Embassy. Britain has denied one of its diplomats was detained. A statement from the Polish Foreign Ministry confirmed the arrest of a Polish "recognised scientist", giving no further details about his identity. […]]]> 565934 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220513-15-european-countries-urge-israel-to-stop-plans-for-more-illegal-settlements-in-west-bank/ Fri, 13 May 2022 18:41:33 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=555370 Fifteen European countries, on Friday, urged Israel to stop plans for more illegal settlements in the West Bank, according to an official statement, Anadolu News Agency reports. "We are deeply concerned by the decision of the Israeli Higher Planning Council to advance plans for the construction of more than 4,000 housing units in the West Bank," said spokespersons for the foreign ministries of France, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden. "We urge the Israeli authorities to reverse this decision," the statement added. "The new housing units would constitute an additional obstacle to the two-State Solution," it added. The statement said the Israeli settlements are in "clear violation of international law […]]]> 555370 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220410-jewish-woman-who-drew-up-schindlers-lists-during-holocaust-dies-at-107/ Sun, 10 Apr 2022 10:01:18 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=547733 Mimi Reinhardt, who drew up lists for German industrialist Oskar Schindler that helped save hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust in World War II, has died, according to the Times of Israel newspaper, citing her family. She was 107. Anadolu Agency reported that as Schindler's secretary, Reinhardt was in charge of compiling names of Jewish workers from the ghetto of the Polish city of Krakow to work at his factory, saving them from deportation to Nazi regime's death camps. "My grandmother, so dear and so unique, passed away at the age of 107. Rest in peace," Reinhardt's granddaughter, Nina, wrote in a message to relatives. Austrian-born Reinhardt worked for Schindler's factory until 1945. After the end of the war, she […]]]> 547733 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220406-non-profit-founded-by-syria-refugee-welcomes-ukrainians-to-romania/ Wed, 06 Apr 2022 12:13:20 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=547047 A non-profit founded by a Syrian refugee is welcoming Ukrainians into neighbouring Romania, which shares a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine. Refugee4Refugees is welcoming people escaping the Russian invasion and offering them food, clothes, legal advice and a place to stay, reports ABC News. Omar Alshakal fled the fighting in Syria in 2014 when he was 17 and arrived in Greece after swimming for 14 hours from the Turkish coast. "What we're trying to provide here [is] a safe area where people can come to rest for a few hours or a night," Omar told ABC News. Just two days after Russia invaded Ukraine the OHCHR reported 64 civilian deaths. As of 4 April, 1,430 people have now been killed. OPINION: Time to […]]]> 547047 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220406-irish-auto-parts-manufacturer-leaves-ukraine-relocates-to-morocco/ Wed, 06 Apr 2022 09:55:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=547008 An Irish factory which specialises in electrical parts and car cables has decided to suspend its activities in Ukraine and relocate to other countries, including Morocco, the Moroccan television website SNRTnews reported. According to the station, Aptiv, which is based in Dublin, will move production to Poland, Romania, Serbia and Morocco. "The process of moving production outside Ukraine will take more than six weeks," it added. Since the outbreak of the Russian war on Ukraine, car sales have been suspended in Ukraine, and several factories employing tens of thousands of workers have shut down. On 24 February, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, amid international condemnation which led to the imposition of tough economic and financial sanctions on Moscow. READ: Morocco […]]]> 547008 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220405-hrw-ukraine-should-immediately-release-asylum-seekers-detained-in-the-country/ Tue, 05 Apr 2022 11:43:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=546866 Human Rights Watch has called on the Ukrainian authorities to immediately release migrants and asylum seekers who are arbitrarily detained and at heightened risk due to military activity in the vicinity. Up to 15 nationalities are being held in the Zhuravychi Migrant Accommodation Centre in Volyn oblast, including people from Syria, Algeria, and Afghanistan. "Migrants and asylum seekers are currently locked up in the middle of a war zone and justifiably terrified," Nadia Hardman of HRW said. "There is no excuse, over a month into this conflict, for keeping civilians in immigration detention. They should be immediately released and allowed to seek refuge and safety like all other civilians." The rights watchdog said that it had interviewed four men being […]]]> 546866 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220302-ukraine-asks-israel-to-stop-turning-refugees-away/ Wed, 02 Mar 2022 08:52:31 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=539382 Ukraine's Ambassador to Tel Aviv, Yevgeny Kornichuk, said he was "disappointed" that Israel was not accepting all refugees from the war in his country. In a press conference, Kornichuk said: "The last six days Israel turned away dozens of refugees that came from different countries in the world, and in the airport, they were sent back to the places where they came from, instead of granting them asylum." "We are not talking about illegal workers, we're talking about something completely different," Kornichuk said. "We want peace and we want Israel to support us in all aspects, even in such hard times." He went on to thank Israel for sending humanitarian assistance to Ukraine that consisted of 100 tonnes of medicines, […]]]> 539382 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220214-israel-studies-ukraine-request-for-military-assistance/ Mon, 14 Feb 2022 11:56:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=535487 Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said yesterday that his government is studying a Ukrainian request for military assistance, Sama News Agency reported. According to Sama, the Israeli Public Broadcaster Kan, reported Lapid speaking after meeting with Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova in Jerusalem. During the meeting, Lapid expressed his concern over Ukraine's tensions with Russia, and updated her on travel warning to Israelis in her country. The Times of Israel reported him saying that Israel is preparing for the possibility of evacuating Israelis and Jews from Ukraine by land to the West. Turkiye's FM: Western states should not cause panic in Ukraine Neighbouring countries including Moldova, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania responded positively to Israeli consultations about the possibility of evacuating Israelis to their soils. According to Lapid, 6,050 Israelis […]]]> 535487 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220107-poland-admits-using-israels-pegasus-spyware/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 14:23:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=524914 Poland's ruling Conservative Party leader has acknowledged that the country bought Israel's Pegasus spyware, which has been found to be used by numerous governments to crackdown on opposition groups. "It would be bad if the Polish services did not have this type of tool," Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in an interview to be published in Monday's edition of the weekly Sieci. He denied that it was being used to target his political opponents and noted that the Pegasus spyware, developed by Israel's military spyware firm the NSO Group, represents a technological advancement over earlier monitoring systems, which limited the services to monitor encrypted messages. The claims come despite reports by the Associated Press that Citizen Lab, a cyber watchdog group at the University of […]]]> 524914 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211221-un-urges-belarus-poland-to-deal-with-appalling-border-situation/ Tue, 21 Dec 2021 20:50:38 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=521894 Following interviews with migrants and refugees in Poland fleeing Belarus after being forced to cross the border, the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday called on both countries to urgently address the "appalling situation", reports Anadolu Agency. Belarus has refused to allow officials of the UN Rights Office to visit the border area, office spokeswoman Liz Throssell told a press conference. While Poland allowed one of its teams to visit the country from November 29 to December 3, Throssell said it was not permitted to enter the restricted Polish border area where the human drama is unfolding. "Those interviewed describe dire conditions on both sides of the border," he said. The majority claimed that while in Belarus they were beaten […]]]> 521894 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211221-turkey-supported-allies-primarily-poland-in-belarus-migrant-crisis/ Tue, 21 Dec 2021 20:25:57 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=521892 Turkey has supported its allies, primarily Poland, during the migrant crisis with Belarus, the Turkish foreign minister said on Tuesday, reports Anadolu Agency. "As a country hosting more than 5 million refugees and the largest number in the world since 2014, Turkey is the best country to understand the difficulties that our ally Poland and other countries are witnessing," Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Budapest at the sixth meeting between foreign ministers of Turkey and the Visegrad Group of four Central European nations. He said the situation in the Balkans was "concerning" as stability and prosperity in the region are vital for both Turkey and the European Union. Cavusoglu said the Visegrad Group, EU, and all relevant countries must work together […]]]> 521892 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211218-iraq-announces-evacuation-of-3817-citizens-stranded-in-belarus/ Sat, 18 Dec 2021 16:54:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=520860 The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday announced the evacuation of 3,817 of its illegal immigrants stranded at the Belarus border via ten emergency flights. "Within one month, we managed to conduct ten exceptional flights to return those wishing to return voluntarily," the ministry's Spokesperson Ahmed Al-Sahaf disclosed in a statement, of which Anadolu Agency received a copy. "The evacuation flight to return those wishing to return voluntarily carried 258 citizens for this day, while we have succeeded so far in returning 3,817 Iraqis. Five hundred eighteen passing passports have been granted so far, we are coordinating for humanitarian field support within Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland,"  the spokesperson confirmed. "Depending on the efforts of the Iraqi embassies in […]]]> 520860 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211211-un-2021-migrant-death-toll-tops-4400-surpassing-preceding-year/ Sat, 11 Dec 2021 00:46:27 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=518940 More than 4,470 migrants died globally in 2021, after dozens were reportedly killed when a truck packed with passengers crashed in Mexico, lifting it above last year's fatality count, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) said on Friday. "COVID-19 has meant an unprecedented decrease in human mobility, but the Missing Migrants Project still documents deaths almost every day," said Frank Laczko, director of IOM's Global Migration Data Analysis Centre, in a statement and reported by Anadolu News Agency. Globally, the number of deaths this year is already more than the 4,236 recorded in 2020, the IOM said. More than 45,400 deaths and disappearances have been recorded since 2014, the IOM's Missing Migrants Project said, making this an especially deadly year […]]]> 518940 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211207-poland-aims-to-become-top-exporter-to-qatar-says-president/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 11:07:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=517697 Poland aims to become an important supplier of high-quality goods and services to Qatar, President Andrzej Duda said on Monday. This is in addition to being an importer of Qatari gas, the Polish Press Agency has reported. According to Duda, his country also wants to collaborate with Qatar in the agricultural food sector. He made his comments during the 2nd Poland-Qatar Economic Round Table session in Doha. Poland, he said, could offer high-quality foodstuffs and innovatory know-how for the Qatari food sector. Aviation and engineering are also possible fields for cooperation. Official figures show that Poland's annual imports of liquefied gas from Qatar stand at around 2.1 million tonnes. The Polish trade minister said that by last year annual trade […]]]> 517697 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211206-eu-spending-millions-on-surveillance-technology-to-turn-refugees-back/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 12:12:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=517228 In a new report the Guardian has mapped out the surveillance and deterrent systems being used on EU borders to deter refugees. Last month Poland approved a $398 million, 18-foot-high wall, with cameras and motion sensors to be built along its border with Belarus. It is also sending automated texts to people telling them not to attempt to cross from Belarus. Last year Frontex awarded a $121 million contract for the Heron and Hermes drones which operate over the Mediterranean and can be watched from the Frontex HQ in Warsaw. The drones are manufactured by two Israeli companies and have been used in the Gaza Strip. Mobile radars, thermal cameras on vehicles, heartbeat detectors and CO2 monitors are used to spot movement and find […]]]> 517228 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211202-belarus-syria-airlines-to-be-sanctioned-by-eu/ Thu, 02 Dec 2021 16:05:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=516871 The European Union is planning to impose sanctions on airlines belonging to Belarus and Syria, as thousands of migrants and refugees continue to be trafficked to eastern Europe and amass at the Polish border. According to the news outlet, Bloomberg, which cited two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the Belarusian national carrier, Belavia, and the Syrian airline, Cham Wings, are set to be sanctioned, if approved by the EU member states this week. The two companies are amongst 17 individuals and 11 entities which are on the list to potentially be subject to European sanctions. The other entities include the Belarusian nitrogen fertiliser producer, Grodno Azot, and oil producer, Belarusneft, and individuals include Belarusian border officials and judges. READ: […]]]> 516871 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211129-dont-use-migrants-as-pawns-in-political-strategies-pope-tells-governments/ Mon, 29 Nov 2021 20:34:46 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=516213 Pope Francis said on Monday that migrants were being exploited as "pawns" on a political chessboard in an apparent reference to the crisis at the Belarus border, Reuters reports. Thousands of migrants are stuck on the European Union's eastern frontier in what the EU says is a crisis Minsk engineered by distributing Belarusian visas in the Middle East, flying them in, and letting them go to the border. In a video message for the Geneva-based International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) 70th anniversary, Francis said denying migrants their basic dignity was against the tenets of most religions. "Even more regrettable is the fact that migrants are increasingly being used as bargaining chips, as pawns on a chessboard, victims of political rivalries," […]]]> 516213 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211125-a-tatar-restaurant-cooks-meals-for-migrants-in-polands-freezing-forests/ Thu, 25 Nov 2021 23:12:52 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=514730 Lilla Swierblewska, a minority Muslim Tatar from Eastern Poland, always wanted migrants to feel at home in her country. Now, having mobilised the kitchen of a restaurant she opened in Bialystok a year ago, she is cooking to support the cause. That means dinners of turkey meatballs in carrot sauce and chicken with green beans, pasteurised and sealed in jars, then shipped to charities going to the forests of Poland to help migrants who have crossed from Belarus, Reuters reports. Hundreds have been left stranded for weeks in Poland's forests. Humanitarian agencies say at least 13 migrants have died at the border, where many have suffered in the cold with little food or water. "I have to ask myself, what […]]]> 514730 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211123-poland-says-migrants-still-crossing-from-belarus-despite-steps-by-minsk/ Tue, 23 Nov 2021 20:48:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=513935 Poland said, on Tuesday, that groups of migrants had made new attempts to cross over the border from Belarus and it would be premature to say that the worst of the crisis on the European Union's eastern frontier was over, Reuters reports. Border Guard spokesperson, Anna Michalska, said about 50 migrants tried to cross on Monday evening, with 18 briefly making it across the barbed wire barrier. Another group of similar size gathered but ultimately gave up an attempt to cross at another location. European countries have, for months, accused Belarus of engineering the migrant crisis by flying in migrants from the Middle East and pushing them to try to illegally cross into the EU via Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. […]]]> 513935 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211122-belarus-president-it-is-absolutely-possible-our-soldiers-force-refugees-to-cross-to-eu/ Mon, 22 Nov 2021 20:49:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=513075 Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, has admitted it is "absolutely possible" that his forces helped migrants and refugees cross into neighbouring states such as Poland, as the crisis continues to amass at the country's borders. Over the past few months, migrants and refugees from countries such as Syria and Iraq have been mounting at Belarus's border with Poland and other nearby states, after being trafficked to Minsk by a consortium of smugglers and airlines. Since then, thousands of the migrants were held at the Belarus's border with Poland, in particular, where Belarusian forces have reportedly been beaten, abused, and, at times, forced them to cross the border in harsh weather conditions. In a controversial interview with the BBC last week, Lukashenko […]]]> 513075 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211122-pa-following-up-on-palestine-refugees-at-poland-belarus-border/ Mon, 22 Nov 2021 10:24:49 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512662 The Palestinian Authority said yesterday that it is following up on the issue of stranded Palestinian refugees at the Polish-Belarusian border, Wafa news agency reported. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs, the PA said: "Based on the directions of Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, the PA ambassador to Belarus is following up on the issue of Palestinian refugees 24 hours a day." The statement also said that the "Palestinian embassy is exerting much efforts to keep in contact with the Palestinians stranded in the buffer zone between Poland and Belarus." However, the statement pointed out that the exact number of stranded Palestinian refugees is not known. "The refugees have tourist visas or study visas," the statement […]]]> 512662 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211121-poland-says-belarus-keeps-bringing-migrants-to-its-border/ Sun, 21 Nov 2021 13:46:22 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512616 Poland accused Belarus on Sunday of continuing to ferry migrants to its border, despite clearing camps close to the frontier earlier this week, as the country's prime minister started a tour of Baltic states to seek support in the crisis, Reuters reported. Europe accuses Belarus of flying in thousands of people from the Middle East and pushing them to cross into the European Union, which has been at odds with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko since a disputed election last year. Minsk, which denies fomenting the crisis, cleared a migrant camp near the border on Thursday and started to repatriate some people to Iraq in an apparent change in tack in the conflict that has mushroomed into a major East-West confrontation. 'It's deadly': Syrian doctor in […]]]> 512616 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211119-its-deadly-syrian-doctor-in-poland-warns-migrants-against-journey-through-belarus/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 15:16:28 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512216 Syrian doctor, Kassam Shahadah, settled in Poland as a war refugee three years ago and now volunteers on its border to help desperate Middle East migrants trying to enter after a perilous trek through freezing forest, Reuters reports. He feels lucky to have won residence through asylum. And though he understands the same aspirations to life in the European Union in the new wave of migrants, he has seen enough in his volunteer work to advise them: Don't do it this way. "Every child dreams of a better life, of peace and everything that gives him joy and happiness. Everybody would want to escape from that country … It is hell," Shahadah said, referring to his homeland from which some […]]]> 512216 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211118-humanitarian-tragedy-at-borders-between-belarus-poland-lithuania-alarms-red-cross-societies/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 21:50:41 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512152 The two global Red Cross societies, on Thursday, expressed alarm at the "humanitarian tragedy" unfolding at the borders between Belarus, Poland and Lithuania, as thousands of migrants hoping to cross into the EU freeze in camps, Anadolu News Agency reports. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said at least 10 people are known to have died, including a 14-year-old boy, due to hypothermia. "The situation is set to worsen with the most serious winter weather yet to arrive," the IFRC—the world's biggest humanitarian organization—and the ICRC— which protects victims of conflicts in countries as well as across borders—said in a joint statement. READ: Poland faces months of […]]]> 512152 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211118-premiers-of-poland-iraqs-krg-discuss-migrant-crisis-over-phone/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:51:07 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512148 Poland's Prime Minister, on Thursday, held a phone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), discussing the migrant crisis at the Belarus border, Anadolu News Agency reports. Mateusz Morawiecki and Masrour Barzani agreed that the migrants were deceived by "organised human traffickers" and described the migrants as "victims of organised crime," according to a statement by the KRG. During the phone conversation, they also evaluated measures taken at airports and borders, as well as efforts to facilitate the voluntary return of migrants to their homes. Since August, the EU countries bordering Belarus—Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland—have reported a dramatically growing number of irregular crossings. READ: Poland faces months of migration pressure from Belarus, Minister says Over […]]]> 512148 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211118-there-are-no-friends-for-kurdish-migrants-on-the-polish-border/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:57:10 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=512132 US President Joe Biden is worried, and his worry is shared by Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Not, I might add, because of the "attempted assassination" of Iraq's caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi last week. Their feelings, along with those of all of the other US, European and Middle Eastern officials, were deeper than mere concern, condemnation, denunciation and allegations of terrorism. They went as far as the UN Security Council, which is known for its usual silence about Israel's genocidal crimes against the Palestinian people, and its lack of meaningful condemnation of Israel's illegal settlements. In fact, the Security Council's silence has also been deafening regarding the sectarian forced expulsions in the Diyala Governorate of eastern Iraq in recent weeks […]]]> 512132 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211117-poland-faces-months-of-migration-pressure-from-belarus-minister-says/ Wed, 17 Nov 2021 15:38:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=511953 The crisis on Poland's border with Belarus will last months, the Polish Defence Minister said on Wednesday, as several thousand migrants remained stranded on the EU's eastern frontier in what the bloc calls a deliberate blackmail campaign by Minsk. Nine Polish service members were injured on Tuesday and Poland used water cannons against small groups of migrants throwing stones across the barbed-wire border fence, Reuters reports. Belarusian state news agency, BELTA, said on Tuesday evening border guards had started moving some migrants to a reception centre away from the frontier. Belarusian and Polish border guards said on Wednesday around 2,000 migrants remained at the fence. European countries accuse Minsk of flying in thousands of migrants, mainly from the Middle East […]]]> 511953 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211116-desperate-father-searches-for-daughter-trapped-at-belarus-border-for-25-days/ Tue, 16 Nov 2021 18:46:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=511513 Anguished relatives of migrants trapped in the forest along the Poland-Belarus border are arriving in Polish border towns in the hope of helping their loved ones escape as violence from border guards escalates and temperatures plummet. Among them is a Syrian living in Sweden who is desperate to find his daughter, Hilda Naaman, a 25-year-old doctor who was on her way to Europe from Syria, Reuters reports. The man, who called himself Abou Elias, said she has spent the last 25 days on the border hungry, thirsty, and recovering from beatings by the Belarusian border guard. "She can't walk anymore. My daughter's nails were pulled off. Belarusians came at night, beating them with an electric stick … telling them to […]]]> 511513