https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 13:13:14 +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/20230714-irans-diplomatic-drive-raisis-focus-on-the-global-south/ Fri, 14 Jul 2023 07:55:35 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652188 It's been quite a busy year for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in terms of diplomatic engagement. In February he made an official state visit to China, where 20 agreements were signed, in addition to receiving pledges from President Xi Jinping to strengthen security and economic cooperation – more on that later. Beijing was also the venue where Raisi's administration agreed to resume diplomatic relations with regional rival Saudi Arabia the following month. In May, Raisi visited close regional ally Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and signed long-term cooperation agreements. During his visit, Raisi also symbolically prayed at the historic Umayyad Mosque, achieving a gesture that Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once famously vowed to do in 2014 at the height of […]]]> 652188 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230609-iran-president-to-visit-3-us-sanctioned-latin-american-countries-to-bolster-ties/ Fri, 09 Jun 2023 14:11:42 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643879 Iran's President, Ebrahim Raisi, will lead a high-ranking government delegation on a maiden three-nation tour of Latin America on Sunday as his administration seeks expansion of ties with "friendly countries", Anadolu Agency reports. Accompanied by ministers of foreign affairs, defence, oil, and health, Raisi will visit Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua, the three nations that shared close ties with Iran and also are at odds with the US. Hassan Rouhani was the last Iranian president to visit Venezuela and Cuba in 2016, while his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had visited Nicaragua in 2007. According to Iran's state media, the three-nation Latin American tour, the first since Raisi came to power in 2021, seeks expansion of Iran's "economic, political and scientific cooperation" with […]]]> 643879 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230608-iran-president-to-visit-three-latin-american-countries-next-week/ Thu, 08 Jun 2023 13:20:19 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=643450 Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, will visit Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela next week, Iran's state news agency, IRNA, announced on Wednesday, adding that the upcoming tour stemmed from invites from the presidents of each of the Latin American nations, Reuters reports. IRNA said documents to expand bilateral cooperation will be signed between Iran and the three countries during Raisi's visit, mentioning economic, political and scientific issues, but without going into further detail. The state news agency said Raisi will leave Tehran on 11 June. The three-country tour will give Raisi face time with three regional allies, each of whom lead leftist governments that have been accused by critics of human rights violations. Iran and Venezuela are both members of the Organisation […]]]> 643450 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/20230519-in-search-of-saeed-from-guantanamo-to-an-algerian-prison/ Fri, 19 May 2023 10:45:41 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=637920 Saeed Bakhouche – who I know as my brother 'Saeed', or prisoner 685 – was the last of 26 Algerians in Guantanamo. Those of us freed before him were very pleased when we heard that he was finally repatriated on 20 April to his home country, as an innocent man. But instead of enjoying the joy and peace that returning home should bring to a man from whom 21 years of family life have been taken, Saeed has unbelievably found himself in another prison. This time he is in a prison outside the Algerian capital, facing new interrogators, with no legal representation and no family visits – a situation worse than Guantanamo. It has been a month now. Saeed was […]]]> 637920 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230503-the-palestinian-cause-and-argentinas-equidistant-policy/ Wed, 03 May 2023 14:07:00 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=632759 Although geographically distant, Argentina has a history of solidarity with Palestine. Before the approval of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947, the South American country was a contender as a possible location for a "national home for the Jews". This idea appeared in Theodor Herzl's The Jewish State published in 1896. Argentina was identified as one of the options for the Zionist project, along with Palestine, due to the fertility of its lands and its small population at that time. According to the Zionist ideologue, Argentina was "one of the most fertile countries in the world, [that] extends over a vast area, has a sparse population, and a mild climate." Herzl believed that, "The Argentine Republic would derive […]]]> 632759 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230420-us-transfers-guantanamo-detainee-to-algeria-30-remain-in-prison/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 18:32:07 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=630499 The US announced, Thursday, the transfer of long time Guantanamo Bay detainee, Saeed Bakhouche, to his home country of Algeria, Anadolu News Agency reports. Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, informed Congress of his intent to transfer Bakhouche to Algeria in February, the Pentagon said in a statement. A panel that reviews individual cases determined, 13 April, that it was no longer necessary to hold Bakhouche at the controversial prison, setting the stage for his release. "The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Algeria, and other partners to support ongoing US efforts toward a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and, ultimately, closing the Guantanamo Bay facility," the Defence Department said in a […]]]> 630499 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230413-guantanamo-yemeni-man-will-remain-in-prison-despite-us-court-ruling-he-is-no-threat/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 14:38:07 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=628888 A Yemeni man held in Guantanamo Bay for over 20 years without charge or trial will remain in detention despite a US court ruling that he does not pose a threat to the country. In an opinion yesterday over the ongoing case of Abdulsalam Al-Hela, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled that the authorities may not be allowed to keep a man imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay after he is no longer deemed a threat. According to the Washington Post, Al-Hela, a businessman and tribal sheikh from Yemen, was captured in Egypt in 2002. He was held overseas for two years before being taken to Guantánamo. He has been contesting his detention in court since 2005 and […]]]> 628888 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230412-calls-for-brazil-to-look-for-paths-to-peace-in-jerusalem-the-middle-east/ Wed, 12 Apr 2023 10:58:30 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=628606 The Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil condemned the Israeli occupation's attacks against Palestinians praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the continuous storming of the site by Israeli settlers and the targeting of many young people in different cities of the occupied West Bank. The Arab ambassadors, who met on Saturday in Brasilia, urged the Brazilian government to play a more active role with the international community and search for paths to peace in the Middle East after Israeli occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa last Wednesday, fired stun grenades at Palestinians, injured dozens and arrested more than 400 worshippers. In a statement, they said: "The disproportionate use of violence by the Israeli forces is a desperate attempt by the Israeli government […]]]> 628606 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230411-chile-argentina-cuba-slam-israel-attacks-on-al-aqsa-mosque/ Tue, 11 Apr 2023 08:15:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=628206 Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Cuba condemned the Israeli aggression on Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing that Israel must avoid escalating violence. In a statement reported by Quds Press, Argentina said: "Holy places in Jerusalem are designated for safe and peaceful prayers," calling for Israel to "respect the historical and religious status quo in this holy site." Meanwhile, Chile expressed its concerns about the violence which erupted "when the Israeli police stormed a place of worship and forcibly expelled the people who were inside it." It called for "avoiding such provocative actions because they lead to escalation of violence," reiterating the importance of respecting the religious historical status quo at holy site. For its part, the Mexican Foreign Ministry expressed its "deep worries about the use of […]]]> 628206 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230409-we-will-never-negotiate-under-pressure-ex-cuba-envoy-to-us-says/ Sun, 09 Apr 2023 07:30:22 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=626862 Jose Ramon Cabañas Rodriguez served in the Cuban diplomatic service for 37 years. In 2015 he became his country's first ambassador to the United States in 50 years. During his long and distinguished career, Cabañas was involved in some of the most difficult diplomatic challenges Cuba faced in recent decades. He played a key role in securing the release of the Miami Five from incarceration in the US. Now back in Havana, Jose is director of the Research Centre for International Policy (CIPI). We met recently while he was attending MEMO's conference on decolonisation and apartheid in Palestine. Fundamentals  I began our conversation by asking him about the fundamentals of Cuban foreign policy, its constants and its variables. "Some people […]]]> 626862 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230315-baghdad-youth-reclaim-their-city-20-years-after-us-led-invasion/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 17:00:18 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=622651 Mouayad Mohsen is appalled by the ways of the modern world, and the 58-year-old Iraqi soldier-turned-painter is on a mission to teach his neighbours some manners. "No one says hello anymore, especially the youth," he said, enjoying a tea at a cafe near his home in Baghdad Gate, a walled-off complex in the heart of Iraq's capital. Now, he makes a point of greeting everyone he sees entering his apartment building, even the shady businessman with the fancy car. He misses his old home and hates having to live in a neighbourhood surrounded by walls, but felt that he had no choice. READ: Iraqi poetry, revolution, danger and resistance: MEMO in Conversation with Kevin Jones The 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq […]]]> 622651 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230225-hamas-delegation-visits-cuba-ambassador-to-lebanon/ Sat, 25 Feb 2023 11:11:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=617757 A senior delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas on Friday visited Cuban Ambassador to Lebanon Jorge Leon Cruz. In a statement, Hamas said that its delegation consisted of Hamas representative to Lebanon Ahmad Abdul Hadi and Head of the Hamas Political and Media Relations Office Abdul Majeed Al-Awad. During their visit, Hamas officials discussed the latest developments related to the Palestinian cause and the issue of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. The Hamas delegation also briefed the Cuban ambassador about the violations committed by the Israeli occupation in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. READ: Brazilian Congress holds a special session for Palestine The delegation spoke with the ambassador about the escalation of illegal Israeli settlements and the continuous […]]]> 617757 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230224-us-repatriates-2-guantanamo-bay-prison-detainees-to-pakistan/ Fri, 24 Feb 2023 13:41:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=617691 The US said, Thursday, that it has transferred two detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba to Pakistan, Anadolu News Agency reports. "The Department of Defence announced today the repatriations of Abdul Rabbani and Mohammed Rabbani from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Pakistan," it said in a statement. The two men are brothers, according to reports. READ: UN condemns Israel's use of explosive weapons against Palestinians in Nablus raid The statement said that on 18 January, 2023, Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin, notified Congress of his intent to repatriate Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani to the government of Pakistan. They were arrested in 2002. As of Thursday, 32 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. The statement noted that "18 are eligible for […]]]> 617691 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230223-i-was-a-prisoner-in-guantanamo-bay-detention-camp-but-who-is-its-biggest-captive/ Thu, 23 Feb 2023 11:27:04 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=616984 It was 21 years ago this month that I was flown in the belly of a US cargo plane, hooded, blindfolded, gagged and chained in an orange jumpsuit, for over 40 hours. I didn't know where I was being taken, or why. My journey into the unknown started when I was sold to the CIA as an "Egyptian Al-Qaida general" in 2001 after the US invaded Afghanistan. I was 18 years old, and I am from Yemen. After I was imprisoned for around three months in a black site in Afghanistan, I was taken to Kandahar military prison, an airbase that served as a transit station to the unknown. I wasn't the only one being held there. When a huge […]]]> 616984 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230220-syrias-long-history-of-sanctions-hurts-the-people-much-more-than-the-regime/ Mon, 20 Feb 2023 16:59:50 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=616153 Some countries just seem to be doomed from the start, and Syria looks like one of them. With a family of dictators at the helm, an ongoing civil war, an economic crisis and now the devastating earthquake which has killed thousands and displaced more than  million people, it really does seem as if Syria can't get a break. But can a country that has been crippled by sanctions since the 1970s even dream of better days? Hafez Al-Assad and his son Bashar have both ruled Syria with an iron fist; Assad Junior still does. They built up a network of loyalists and spies which enabled them to gain and then stay in power. Their reputation, fanned by the West, is […]]]> 616153 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230205-cuba-commends-irans-progress-despite-sanctions/ Sun, 05 Feb 2023 15:06:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=611966 Cuba's President, Miguel Diaz-Canel has praised Iran for its advancements in science and technology under the pressure of US-led sanctions during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Havana yesterday. Diaz-Canel also expressed his country's willingness to strengthen bilateral ties with Tehran and noted that developments in Latin America and the world offer new opportunities to fortify multilateralism, Tasnim News Agency reported. Amir Abdollahian for his part spoke of the historical and friendly ties between the two countries and also thanked Cuba for co-operating with Iran to produce a joint-vaccine for coronavirus. In a separate visit today with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Amir Abdollahian said "The United States' policy of [imposing] unilateral sanctions [on other […]]]> 611966 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230111-as-guantanamo-turns-21-is-biden-close-to-shutting-down-the-notorious-prison/ Wed, 11 Jan 2023 15:05:07 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=605699 Much has changed since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on US soil, after which the country launched a so-called "global war on terror". America withdrew its military forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, but the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which was created to hold terrorist suspects captured in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, remains open. The notorious prison was established 21 years ago today in Guantanamo Bay, which the US leased from Cuba for the Navy in 1903. Since then, the detention camp, also known as "Gitmo", has held roughly 780 details, most of them without charge or trial, with many said to have gone through unspeakable horrors. Currently, 35 details remain, and 20 of them are eligible for […]]]> 605699 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230111-the-2026-fifa-world-cup-in-the-us-will-sportwash-the-horrors-of-guantanamo/ Wed, 11 Jan 2023 09:50:27 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=605618 The Western media spewed forth barrel loads of pompous invective recently about why Qatar should never have been chosen to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Bewildered Qataris found themselves being demonised by TV commentators and journalists alike in a tirade of what one news source described as "white outrage, colonialism and a game of capitalist greed." Instead of watching an uninterrupted festival celebrating football's finest, the BBC even refused to broadcast the opening ceremony in a show of unprecedented censorship. Instead, viewers were treated to a politicised attack on Qatar. However, while the press barons are still clinging to the moral high ground that is new territory to many of them, they might want to acknowledge that when "the […]]]> 605618 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221123-rising-cooperation-with-cuba-important-to-turkiye/ Wed, 23 Nov 2022 20:12:31 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=596489 Ankara attaches importance to its increasing cooperation with Cuba, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday, Anadolu News Agency reports. "I especially attach importance to increasing our cooperation and solidarity with Cuba, one of our main partners in the region," Erdogan said at a news conference with his Cuban counterpart, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez in the capital, Ankara. Erdogan said they discussed ways to develop existing cooperation in fields such as energy, tourism, construction, agriculture, development, health, and the environment. Diaz-Canel's visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of Turkiye and Cuba establishing diplomatic relations. READ: Cuba leader to visit Turkiye for talks "As you know, our relations with the Latin America and Caribbean region constitute one of the main pillars […]]]> 596489 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221122-cuba-leader-to-visit-turkiye-for-talks/ Tue, 22 Nov 2022 17:29:47 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=596340 Cuban President, Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez, on Tuesday, will pay a three-day visit to Turkiye to have talks on bilateral relations between the countries, Anadolu News Agency reports. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will welcome Bermudez in the capital, Ankara, and the leaders will discuss the steps to enhance bilateral cooperation, Turkish Presidency said in a statement. Within the scope of the visit, which corresponds to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkiye and Cuba, the leaders will also be expected to exchange views on the regional and global issues, particularly Latin America and the Caribbean, it added. Diplomatic relations between Turkiye and Cuba were established in 1952. Turkiye opened its first embassy in the Caribbean […]]]> 596340 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220920-saudi-arabia-to-fund-mosque-in-cuba/ Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:28:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=581332 Saudi Arabia will fund a mosque in Cuba serving the island's Muslim community, according to Havana's envoy to Saudi Arabia. In an interview broadcast on Saudi state TV, Vladimir Gonzalez, said: "Because of this donation from the Saudi side, today we can say that we're building in Havana the first mosque in our country." "We have a small Muslim community in our country; they are very organised. I'm honoured to facilitate their life as Muslim people in Cuba," he added. #الدبلوماسي | السفير الكوبي لدى المملكة: لدينا مجتمع مسلم، وبناء أول مسجد في كوبا سيكون على نفقة المملكة العربية السعودية. #قناة_السعودية pic.twitter.com/OnuBtSwmez — قناة السعودية (@saudiatv) September 19, 2022 Up until now Cuba's Muslim community, estimated to be no more […]]]> 581332 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220831-cuba-seeks-more-electricity-supply-from-turkish-power-ships/ Wed, 31 Aug 2022 12:42:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=576714 Cuba, mired in an energy crisis that has brought frequent blackouts, is negotiating with a Turkish company to have it double the megawatts it currently produces for the country from shipboard generators just offshore, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions, Reuters reports. Cuban officials are in talks with Karpowership, one of the world's largest operators of floating power plants and part of the Turkiye-based Karadeniz Holding, the sources said. The company already has five ships operating off Cuba with a capacity of around 250 megawatts (MW). The Communist-run country needs to generate more than 3,000 MW to meet minimum demand and is currently producing between 2,000 MW and 2,500 MW. The Cuban National Electric Union did not respond to a request for comment. […]]]> 576714 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220317-british-spies-allegedly-complicit-in-cia-torture-are-subject-to-uk-law-judges-rule/ Thu, 17 Mar 2022 14:53:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=544020 UK intelligence services who allegedly provided the CIA with questions to put to detainees being tortured at "black sites" are subject to the law of England and Wales and not that of the countries in which the prisoner was being held, British judges have ruled. In a case that that could determine if victims of state torture have the right to sue the UK government in the courts of England and Wales, three judges at the Court of Appeal ruled that Abu Zubaydah, who claims he was subjected to extreme mistreatment at secret CIA "black sites" in six countries, has the right to sue the UK government in British courts. UK intelligence officers are thought to have been complicit in […]]]> 544020 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220316-cia-tortured-9-11-detainee-as-prop-to-teach-interrogation-techniques/ Wed, 16 Mar 2022 13:10:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=543839 America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used a 9/11 detainee as a prop when teaching interrogation techniques, a newly declassified US government report has revealed. The shocking report dates back to 2008 but was only unsealed last week. It exposes gruesome details of the repeated torture of Ammar Al-Baluchi, a prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay and suspect in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The 44-year-old is one of five defendants before a military tribunal in Guantánamo Bay charged with participation in the 9/11 plot. The case has been in pre-trial hearings for 10 years, mired in a dispute over legal admissibility of testimony obtained after torture, the Guardian has reported. OPINION: Guantanamo Bay and an […]]]> 543839 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220206-cuba-venezuela-and-nicaragua-the-us-russia-conflict-enters-a-new-phase/ Sun, 06 Feb 2022 10:47:06 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=532931 As soon as Moscow received an American response to its security demands in Ukraine, it answered indirectly by announcing greater military integration between it and three South American countries, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba. Washington's response, on 26 January, to Russia's demands of withdrawing NATO forces from Eastern Europe and ending talks about a possible Kyiv membership in the US-led alliance, was noncommittal. For its part, the US spoke of 'a diplomatic path', which will address Russian demands through 'confidence-building measures'. For Russia, such elusive language is clearly a non-starter. On that same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced, in front of the Duma, Russia's parliament, that his country "has agreed with the leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua to […]]]> 532931 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220111-us-preparing-to-transfer-first-high-value-guantanamo-detainee/ Tue, 11 Jan 2022 20:11:52 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=525949 The first high-level detainee at the controversial US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been cleared for transfer with security guarantees, according to a recently published report and also reported by Anadolu News Agency. The Periodic Review Board at Guantanamo Bay has recommended that Guled Duran, a Somali national who has been held without charge at the facility since he was taken there by the CIA in 2006, be released, the New York Times reported Monday. But it is unlikely that Duran will be leaving the facility any time soon. Duran is one of 39 detainees who remain at Guantanamo Bay and now joins either 13 or 14 others who have been cleared for release, according to the Times. […]]]> 525949 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211215-algeria-morocco-israel-working-together-to-destablise-us/ Wed, 15 Dec 2021 09:02:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=520256 Morocco's ruling party is conspiring with Israel against Algeria's security and stability, the secretary-general of the Algerian National Liberation Front warned yesterday. Abu Al-Fadl Baadji told reporters that the Makhzen alliance and the Zionist entity aim to "influence Algeria's principled stances in support of just global causes, especially the Palestinian and Saharan issues." Baadji's remarks came during his meeting with the Cuban Ambassador to Algeria, Armando Vergara Bueno. On his part, Bueno stressed that his country was on the "same page as Algeria regarding the Palestinian and Saharan issues, as well as other international and regional matters." He explained that the Palestinian and Sahrawi peoples have been subjected to "blatant attacks that affect their right for freedom to determining their own destiny […]]]> 520256 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211127-yemeni-former-guantanamo-detainee-disappears-day-after-release/ Sat, 27 Nov 2021 15:27:27 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=515591 After 20 years of torture and indefinite and arbitrary detention, former Guantanamo detainee Abdulqadir Al-Madhfari was transferred to Yemen from his cell in a United Arab Emirates (UAE) prison. Despite being cleared of all charges, his freedom did not even last for a day. This article is in his honour. Abdulqadir Al-Madhfari was a medical student who travelled to Pakistan in 2001 to continue his studies. He was kidnapped and sold to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) by the Pakistani government following the 9/11 attacks. This story is a familiar one by now. Like many Muslim men sold to the US for bounty money, or taken as a result of mistaken identity, he was put in an orange jumpsuit, shackled, […]]]> 515591 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20211101-us-military-officers-slam-guantanamo-detainee-torture-as-stain-on-america/ Mon, 01 Nov 2021 19:57:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=506926 A group of US military officers is urging that the Pakistani man sentenced to prison should now be freed after he detailed the torture he faced from the CIA. Last week, Majid Khan became the first detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to publicly outline the kind of torture he received at one of the CIA's so-called "black sites", during the war on terror and the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. In a 39-page testimonial, Khan described being tortured, on and off, for three years, starting in 2003 in Karachi. He said the interrogation techniques used on him included waterboarding, being hung naked from the ceiling, and being physically and sexually assaulted. Khan had been convicted of aiding Al-Qaeda after […]]]> 506926 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210915-havana-syndrome-or-washington-syndrome/ Wed, 15 Sep 2021 10:15:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=494729 On 17 February, 2017, the then-US chargé d'affaires in Havana sent a complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) about alleged "attacks" against his staff, which had theoretically occurred since November of the previous year. There was no talk at that time of diseases or symptoms. Immediately, Cuban experts began to investigate, without ever questioning why the information was not shared with them from day one. When the press reports of that time are reviewed, it can be seen that the information about the alleged attacks was disseminated to the American public through specific journalists and media outlets; the rest only echoed without asking uncomfortable questions or questioning the official story. Cuban officials located and spoke with the directors […]]]> 494729 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210727-us-advices-unvaccinated-to-avoid-travel-to-israel-opt-as-covid-cases-rise/ Tue, 27 Jul 2021 12:13:48 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=485475 The US  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday raised its travel warning level for Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases, Anadolu news agency reported. The CDC said it was concerned about the rising number of coronavirus cases in Israel, the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza, raising its travel health notice to "Level 3: High". The Level 3 rating states that unvaccinated travellers should avoid nonessential travel to the concerned countries and is one level below the CDC's most severe travel rating. Israel's Ministry of Health reported 2,215 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, bringing the tally of infections in the country to 862,559. The death toll from the virus rose by one to 6,461, […]]]> 485475 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210719-us-transfers-moroccan-out-of-guantanamo-after-19-year-detention/ Mon, 19 Jul 2021 14:25:14 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=483840 US authorities today returned Abdul Latif Nasser to Morocco after releasing him from Guantanamo Bay, 19 years after holding him there without charge or trial, rights group Reprieve has said. "Abdul Latif is the first person released from Guantánamo in over three years," Reprieve added. "Abdul Latif was locked up for more than 19 years without charge or trial. He was unanimously cleared for release by six US intelligence agencies in 2016 – nearly five years ago to the day." BREAKING: Our client Abdul Latif Nasser has been released from #Guantanamo. He was cleared for release on July 11, 2016 – more than 5 years ago. Today, he is finally back on Moroccan soil. This wouldn't have happened without the campaigning of […]]]> 483840 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210525-cuba-celebrates-anniversary-of-first-medical-mission-to-algeria/ Tue, 25 May 2021 14:58:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=473416 Cuba has celebrated the 58th anniversary of sending its first medical mission to Algeria on 23 May 1963. The then President Fidel Castro had called on Cubans to contribute towards filling in the gap left by the departure of French health workers when the colonial power left the North African country. The medical team consisted of 54 health workers who flew to Algeria. There were 29 doctors, four dentists, 14 nurses, and seven health technicians. Algeria's Prime Minister at that time, Ahmed Ben Bella, went to New York before the mission left Cuba to participate in the ceremony marking his country's admission to the United Nations. Ben Bella boarded a plane for the Caribbean island the next day and was […]]]> 473416 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210510-putting-people-before-profit-how-covid-19-is-changing-our-view-of-development-and-power/ Mon, 10 May 2021 08:34:02 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=469779 Covid-19 has been a lengthy wake-up call. It is a loud and costly reminder of our lack of preparedness. One of many crucial questions this deadly pandemic is confronting us with pertains to the real definitions of human development, wealth, and power. When militarily powerful and rich countries, like the United States, find themselves in the unenviable position of leading the world in terms of the number of overall Covid-19 cases and deaths, then it is only befitting to ponder whether wealth and power, in their current form, are convincing indicators of development. While the US scrambled to contain the spread of the virus, much poorer countries like Cuba, Vietnam, and even Rwanda continue to lead the way in combating […]]]> 469779 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210429-syria-to-invite-friendly-states-to-observe-presidential-elections/ Thu, 29 Apr 2021 12:51:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=468547 The Syrian People's Assembly yesterday agreed to invite friendly Arab and foreign parliaments to observe the presidential elections scheduled in May, local media reported. SANA news agency said the parliaments of Russia, Algeria, Oman, Mauritania, Iran, Armenia, China, Venezuela, Cuba, Belarus, South Africa, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Bolivia will be invited to observe the elections. President Bashar Al-Assad recently met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and briefed him on preparations for the elections. Both Iran and Russia have confirmed their support for holding presidential elections in Syria, in accordance with the country's constitution. READ: 14 candidates for Syria presidency in addition to Assad ]]> 468547 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210404-guantanamos-cruelty-is-medieval-its-a-horror-story-and-its-true/ Sun, 04 Apr 2021 09:10:58 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=463935 Mohamedou Ould Slahi, 50, has never been convicted of any crime or even charged with any offence. Nevertheless, he spent 14 years of captivity in America's notorious Guantanamo Bay prison, where he was beaten, sexually humiliated, waterboarded, subject to mock executions, and electrocuted repeatedly. "They tried to force me to confess for a crime I did not commit," he explained to me. "I was deprived of sleep and interrogated for the first seventy days, as well as prevented from praying or fasting." On the basis of flimsy evidence, Slahi was dubbed Prisoner Number One and accused falsely of being one of the masterminds behind the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington because he had once supported Al-Qaeda during […]]]> 463935 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201114-turkey-cuba-sign-maritime-cooperation-agreement/ Sat, 14 Nov 2020 11:19:30 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=434678 Turkey and Cuba have signed an agreement to bolster cooperation and reduce bureaucracy in the maritime field, Turkish authorities revealed on Friday. The agreement was signed by Selim Dursun, the Turkish deputy transport and infrastructure minister, and Luis Alberto Amoros Nunez, the Cuban ambassador to Ankara. As part of the agreement, the two countries aim to boost cooperation in several fields such as sea freight, fleet management, port construction and maintenance, sailor training, ship establishment and floating trade, according to a statement by the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry. Turkey and Cuba plan to establish a platform to solve problems in those fields and create other cooperation mechanisms. The deal also aims to reduce bureaucracy, helping other countries' ships in accidents […]]]> 434678 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200917-beyond-borders-international-map-of-cuban-medical-cooperation/ Thu, 17 Sep 2020 14:12:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=423097 "The sun has spots. The ungrateful speak only of the spots. The grateful speak of light" José Martí. Before the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, on 1 January 1959, there were 6,250 doctors on the island; about half of them left the country after that date. In addition, more than 63.2% of those were located in Havana, where public hospitals, clinics and private health centres were accessible only to those who had the resources to access them and could pay for these services. Medical assistance hardly arrived in the countryside and more isolated parts. Public health from the first years of the Revolution became a priority for the Cuban State, who – from the beginning – understood it as a […]]]> 423097 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200915-ex-guantanamo-inmate-joins-taliban-negotiating-team/ Tue, 15 Sep 2020 12:53:47 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=422738 A former Guantanamo Bay inmate, Mullah Muhammad Nabi Omari, recently appeared in the Taliban delegation scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Fayez Al-Kandari claimed on Twitter that he had been imprisoned with Omari in Guantanamo and used to converse with him. Omari, 52, was detained for nearly 12 years in the infamous Guantanamo detention camp in Cuba. In 2014, he was transferred from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar along with another four inmates known as the Five Taliban Men, in a prisoner exchange deal that led to the release of US Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. In a deal that was mediated by the Gulf state. Russia's Sputnik news agency quoted a Qatari source as saying that the Taliban delegation scheduled […]]]> 422738 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200716-hamas-delegation-meets-cuba-ambassador-to-lebanon/ Wed, 15 Jul 2020 23:00:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=410430 A senior Hamas delegation headed by its chief in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdul-Hadi, met on Wednesday with Cuba's Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Moraga, a statement disclosed. The meeting took place in Cuba's embassy in Beirut in the presence of two other Hamas leaders, where both sides discussed the latest developments relating to the Palestinian cause, including refugees and the Israeli plan to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank. "The Palestinian cause is passing through a decisive situation," Abdul-Hadi informed Moraga, stressing on the importance of joint work to undermine conspiracies targeting the Palestinians and their rights. He reiterated to Moraga that the Palestinians and their resistance will not allow the implementation of any conspiracy against the Palestinian cause. Meanwhile, the […]]]> 410430 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191224-11-presidents-in-latin-america-have-had-arab-origins/ Tue, 24 Dec 2019 13:47:38 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=377717 Unique in the modern era, there have been 11 presidents in Latin America with Arab origins (ten plus one President-elect), a result of more than a century of Arab migration to the region. Throughout this period, Arab migrants have been considered as a significant and important section of society. All 11 presidents are of either Lebanese, Syrian or Palestinian origin. Carlos Menem Carlos Menem is the longest ruling president among those with Arab origins. He governed Argentina for ten years, from 8 July 1989, to 10 December 1999. Menem was born to Syrian parents who migrated to Argentina. He studied law, supported the exiled Argentine leader in Spain, Juan Perón, and protested against dictatorship. Having won the 1989 presidential election, […]]]> 377717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191203-it-is-time-to-use-the-legacy-of-cuba-venezuela-and-bolivia-to-support-the-palestinians/ Tue, 03 Dec 2019 14:07:08 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=374710 State violence against indigenous populations is arguably the most visible of human rights violations and, conversely, of the least concern to the international community. After the military coup in Bolivia which deposed indigenous President Evo Morales, Israel has secured another ally in Latin America, right-wing interim president Jeanine Añez who announced the restoration of diplomatic ties with the settler-colonial state. Eleven years have passed since Morales cut all ties with Israel in response to the 2008-2009 Israeli offensive against Gaza, known as Operation Cast Lead. According to Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Bolivia's reversal will "contribute to Israel's foreign relations and to its international status," adding that Morales was "hostile to Israel." Together with Cuba and Venezuela, Bolivia under Morales […]]]> 374710 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190805-the-powers-that-supported-mandelas-arrest-are-supporting-apartheid-in-israel-today/ Mon, 05 Aug 2019 13:00:15 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=356810 Today, the 5th August marks 57 years since President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela's arrest near Howick, KwaZulu Natal, in 1962. The Apartheid regime was in cahoots with the CIA and the USA regime to effect his capture. Once again the USA government was on the wrong side of history a penchant it seems to pursue to this today. Quite contrary to this position, the civil rights movement in America as part of the global anti-apartheid campaign stood squarely in the corner of President Mandela and the liberation struggle in South Africa. Madiba's arrest followed his return from military training by the Algerian FNLA part of a 16 country tour he undertook to mobilise support for the armed struggle. Upon his return […]]]> 356810 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190725-eastmed-another-front-in-the-encirclement-of-turkey/ Thu, 25 Jul 2019 01:19:35 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=354970 Imagine an Atlantic region where Canada, Mexico, Cuba and Venezuela teamed up to sign a new landmark NAFTA-like agreement, distributing amongst themselves the oil and natural gas reserves off the coast of the Americas. Such an alliance over so precarious an area for so valuable a resource would mean nothing other than the isolation of the vast land mass that is the United States. Imagine further that the Union of South American Nations (USAN) imposed devastating sanctions on the US, crippling its regional economy and ensuring that it has no share of any of the vast resources which have been discovered. Would that regional hegemon, which never lets anything escape its notice within its own backyard, let the situation go […]]]> 354970 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190723-non-aligned-movement-calls-for-lifting-unilateral-economic-sanctions/ Mon, 22 Jul 2019 23:23:22 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=354624 The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) called for the lifting of unilateral economic sanctions, Sunday. This came in a statement adopted at a ministerial meeting in Caracas, in which the speakers criticised US policy toward Venezuela, Iran, and Syria. The NAM, a movement founded at the height of the Cold War in Belgrade in 1961, stressed its rejection of unilateralism as an instrument to impose a foreign policy. The statement read: Unilateral measures adopted by some countries that could erode and violate the Charter of the United Nations, international law and human rights; in accordance with the Caracas Political Declaration. Thus, the declaration called for the complete and immediate "cancellation of the sanctions". READ: Russia seeks to remove Iran's influence over Syria […]]]> 354624 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190717-iranian-diplomats-families-living-in-new-york-face-us-travel-curbs/ Wed, 17 Jul 2019 03:03:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=353707 The United States has tightly restricted the travel of more than a dozen Iranian diplomats and their families living in New York, according to a US diplomatic note to sent to the Iran mission to the United Nations and seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The diplomats are subjected to the same rules imposed by the United States on Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who arrived on Sunday amid heightened tensions between the two countries. They may only travel between the United Nations, the Iranian UN mission, the Iranian UN ambassador's residence and John F. Kennedy airport. There is also a carve out for the six blocks surrounding Queensboro Plaza in Long Island City in the borough of Queens. It […]]]> 353707 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190713-cuba-should-be-careful-not-to-normalise-israels-colonisation-of-palestine/ Sat, 13 Jul 2019 11:40:11 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=352846 In 1947, Cuba was one of the few countries opposing the UN Partition Plan, which laid the groundwork for Israel's colonisation of Palestine. At the time, the Cuban envoy to the UN Dr Ernesto Dihigo spoke out against Zionist settler colonialism and, with clarity, pointed out the UN's incompetence and refusal to implement its rhetoric regarding the free determination of people. Decades later, and at a time when Palestinians are risking the loss of what remains of their land, Cuba must rethink its strategy which runs the risk of normalising Israeli colonialism and human rights violations committed against the Palestinian population. Israeli media has reported that Doron Markel, chief scientist at the Jewish National Fund (JNF), was invited to an […]]]> 352846 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190712-uighurs-saudi-arabia-and-russia-among-37-states-backing-chinas-policy/ Fri, 12 Jul 2019 19:16:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=352770 Saudi Arabia, Russia, and 35 other states have written to the United Nations supporting China's policies in its western region of Xinjiang, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters on Friday, in contrast to strong Western criticism. China has been accused of detaining a million Muslims and persecuting ethnic Uyghur in Xinjiang, and 22 ambassadors signed a letter to the UN Human Rights Council this week criticising its policies. But the letter supporting China commended what it called China's remarkable achievements in the field of human rights. READ: China tells Turkey to support its fight against Uyghur militants "Faced with the grave challenge of terrorism and extremism, China has undertaken a series of counter-terrorism and deradicalization measures […]]]> 352770 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190521-pdflp-condemns-renewed-us-sanctions-against-cuba/ Tue, 21 May 2019 03:07:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=344430 Palestinian Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PDFLP) condemned, Monday, renewed US sanctions on Cuba, Safan news agency reported. In a statement reported by Safa, the PDFLP said that the renewed sanctions and economic blockade, which are being imposed by the US President Donald Trump, are designed to undermine the sovereignty of the island and returning it to a "humiliating" relationship of dependency on the US. "The retreat of Trump's administration on the measures taken by the previous administration… is a dangerous aggressive step against Cuba and its leftist leadership," the statement said. In addition, the statement said that the new US measures aimed to return Cuba under the American domination "which is making the Latin American and Caribbean […]]]> 344430