https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:16:33 +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/20230808-is-there-anything-new-on-turkiyes-path-towards-europe/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:16:40 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658629 As usual, Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan has made another political U-turn with his country's foreign policy. After stressing repeatedly just a few days before the NATO summit in Lithuania last month that Sweden has still not done all that is required of it to Turkiye's satisfaction as agreed (along with Finland) in June last year, and criticising the Swedes for allowing protesters to burn copies of the Holy Quran, Erdogan has agreed to proceed with the country joining NATO. Following a meeting between Erdogan, the Swedish Prime Minister and NATO's secretary-general, the organisation's closing statement included Turkiye's agreement to refer Sweden's NATO accession to the parliament in Ankara. In return, Sweden made certain commitments, including cooperation with Turkiye to […]]]> 658629 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-football-star-mohamed-salah-isnt-heading-for-saudi/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:50:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658622 Liverpool football player Mohamed Salah will not be transferred to the Saudi club Al-Ittihad, according to the Egyptian player's agent Rami Abbas. "If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn't have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC," Abbas wrote on Twitter yesterday after recent reports in the Saudi press that Al-Ittihad had offered the Egyptian international €180 million ($198 million) for two seasons, in addition to the £60 million ($77 million) that his club, Liverpool, would receive. The Egyptian football star has a contract with Liverpool that is valid until 2025; and is currently preparing for the start of the English Premier League season. Liverpool will not participate in the Champions League this season because it […]]]> 658622 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-iranian-foreign-minister-meets-with-japanese-premier-kishida-in-tokyo/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 18:09:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658358 Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Monday and discussed bilateral cooperation as well as the Iran nuclear deal, reports Anadolu Agency. Amirabdollahian arrived in the Japanese capital on Sunday evening and is also scheduled to meet with senior government officials to discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues. "As a supporter of the Iran nuclear deal, Japan is seriously concerned about the expansion of Iran's nuclear-related activities and requested full and unconditional cooperation in the joint statement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Kishida said in a statement released by the Japanese Foreign Ministry. He also urged Iran to respond in a "constructive" way. Earlier, the Iranian […]]]> 658358 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-israel-can-no-longer-rely-on-an-acquiescent-international-community/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 15:00:09 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658321 The Zionist state of Israel has been receiving preferable treatment and support from an acquiescent international community, mainly countries in the West which dominate international bodies and other countries around the world, even before it was created in occupied Palestine in 1948. Despite never declaring where its borders lie (so that it can continue to expand on stolen Palestinian land) and not even fulfilling a major condition of its membership the UN — allowing the Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland — it is recognised as a full member of the international organisation. Most of its citizens are so uncertain about its viability that they maintain dual citizenship. Meanwhile, most countries of the world do not recognise the State […]]]> 658321 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-petition-to-bear-grylls-draws-900-in-support-of-scout-leader-expelled-on-anti-semitism-claims/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:39:10 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658333 A petition from expelled scout leader Pete Gregson to Chief Scout Bear Grylls has raised 900 signatures, just a month after it was launched on Change.Org. Gregson, treasurer of the 150th Craigalmond Scout Group, was expelled for being affiliated to the Campaign Against Bogus Antisemitism (CABA). He believes the Scouts appear to be working to the IHRA Definition of anti-Semitism which equates criticism of Israel to anti-Semitism, while Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of Neturei Karta says: "Pete is in no way anti-Jewish." Gregson was expelled after a complaint was lodged because his number was used on a CABA Facebook page five years after the same number was published in a 2017 advert on behalf of the Scout Group seeking volunteers for the committee. […]]]> 658333 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-uk-government-divided-over-labelling-irans-revolutionary-guards-terrorist-group/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:09:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658326 The UK government is divided over designating Iran's Revolutionary Guards as terrorists, the Financial Times has reported. Disagreement between Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on labelling Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group is said to be causing tension within the government. Braverman is increasingly alarmed by alleged plans of Iranian agents to target British citizens. However, Cleverly and officials at the Foreign Office are hesitant to classify the Revolutionary Guards as terrorists, fearing that such a move could be counterproductive. READ: UK security minister labels Iran-funded mosque a 'vile threat' to the country Labelling the armed force of another nation as terrorists is quite unusual for the UK, officials in the Foreign Office have argued. There are […]]]> 658326 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-quran-burnings-proof-of-broader-bias-against-migrants-in-europe-ex-un-rapporteur/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 11:22:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658295 A recent wave of Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark is "an assertion of a broader anti-immigrant, anti-non-European right-wing bias that has grown to be quite politically strong," a former UN special rapporteur has said. "There's no legitimate purpose by allowing groups to burn the holy scriptures of another religious faith," Richard Falk, a professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, said. "It seems to me to serve … no possible constructive purpose. And I think there is a strong case for [such acts to be] prohibited." In recent months, far-right groups have desecrated and burnt several copies of the Quran in Denmark and neighbouring Sweden, drawing fierce condemnation from Muslims around the world and calls for measures to stop […]]]> 658295 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230807-31-missing-after-2-migrant-boats-sink-off-italy/ Mon, 07 Aug 2023 07:49:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658261 More than 30 people are missing after two boats carrying migrants sank off the coast of the Italian island of Lampedusa over the weekend. According to the UN migration agency, IOM, survivors who were on one of the boats spoke about 28 people who were on a boat with them and are now missing. Three other migrants were reported missing from the second boat. IOM spokesman Flavio Di Giacomo told AFP that his organisation believes there are at least 30 missing based on testimonies from survivors. An investigation into the tragedy has been opened in the city of Agrigento on the island of Sicily. Agrigento police chief Emanuele Rechevari said the smugglers no doubt knew the waves would be rough as a storm […]]]> 658261 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-will-saudi-arabia-make-friday-a-working-day/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 15:45:33 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658192 In a thought-provoking op-ed published on Friday by Saudi Arabian daily newspaper Okaz, entitled "Friday is a working day," writer Mona Al-Otaibi questions whether the Kingdom's traditional Friday-Saturday weekend needs an overhaul, igniting a debate on social media. The piece highlighted the potential financial losses incurred due to Friday being an important workday in the financial world, and it has sparked discussions about whether Saudi Arabia should consider shifting its weekend to Saturday-Sunday, following in the footsteps of neighbouring UAE which made the controversial change last year, after plans were announced in 2021. At the time, the Emirati the government said it would "ensure smooth financial, trade and economic transactions with countries that follow a Saturday-Sunday weekend, facilitating stronger international […]]]> 658192 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-turkish-foreign-minister-ukrainian-counterpart-discuss-black-sea-grain-deal/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 12:32:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658168 Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday spoke over the phone and discussed steps that can be taken for the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, according to Turkish diplomatic sources, Anadolu reports. On July 17, Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, saying the Russian part of the agreement was not implemented. It sought the loosening of banking restrictions and the ability to ship its fertilizer before returning to the agreement. The agreement, signed in July 2022 in Istanbul by Turkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine, was aimed at resuming grain exports from Ukrainian ports halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022. Turkiye has said […]]]> 658168 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-algeria-eu-call-for-return-of-constitutional-order-in-niger/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 10:38:42 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658155 Algeria and the EU have called for unifying political and diplomatic pressures to ensure a return of the "constitutional order" in Niger, Anadolu reports. This came during a phone call between Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and EU foreign policy chief, according to a statement issued by the Algerian Foreign Ministry. The duo discussed developments in Niger and exchanged views on the threats they pose to both Niger and the entire region. READ: Algeria warns against foreign military intervention in Niger Meanwhile, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune emphasized the need for a diplomatic solution in Niger, saying: "We call for the restoration of constitutional legitimacy, and if they seek assistance from Algeria in this matter, we would gladly welcome it." On July […]]]> 658155 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-turkish-fm-us-secretary-of-state-discuss-black-sea-grain-deal-nato-enlargement/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 10:30:51 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658152 Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke over the phone on Saturday and discussed the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the security of the Black Sea and NATO enlargement, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that the two also discussed developments in the South Caucasus and the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia during the phone call held at Blinken's request. READ: UK takes lead in Turkiye earthquake aid, donating over £150 million]]> 658152 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-helping-palestinians-in-need-is-not-terrorism-they-are-the-victims-of-israeli-terrorism/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 09:37:14 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658149 I know none of the details of the arrest of Palestinian Amin Abu Rashid and his daughter Israa in Holland recently. I do know, however, that the track record of European governments in levelling allegations of "funding terrorism" against Palestinian-European organisations over the past twenty years or so has been abysmal. In almost every case, when taken to court the authorities have lost the legal argument. Will this happen again with Abu Rashid and Israa? Time will tell, but what is interesting is that it introduces to the world another no doubt well-funded "Israeli activist group", Ad Kan. It is well known, of course, that all allegations of "terrorism" and "funding Hamas" arise from "intelligence" shared by Israel and its […]]]> 658149 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-us-state-dept-says-it-wants-to-see-75m-in-food-aid-for-palestinian-refugees-freed-up/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:47:34 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658104 The US State Department said Friday that it is in talks with Congress as a pair of Republican lawmakers continues to block the dispersal of some $75 million in food aid for Palestinian refugees in hopes of seeing the funds released, Anadolu reports. "The Department of State remains in discussion with Congress regarding funds provided in the FY 2023 appropriations act intended to maintain food assistance to vulnerable Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in response to rising food and transport costs," a State Department spokesperson told Anadolu "The Administration supports the intended use of the funds in question, which are designed to address worsening food insecurity in Palestinian communities," the spokesperson added in an emailed statement. READ: Palestine minister […]]]> 658104 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-denmark-studying-legal-measures-to-prevent-quran-burning-egyptian-foreign-ministry/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:29:54 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658102 Denmark is studying several measures and legislation to prevent the recurrence of Quran burning incidents, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Friday, Anadolu reports. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen affirmed this in a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement. Rasmussen told Shoukry that the recent incidents involving the burning and desecration of the Quran in Denmark were "regrettable and contradicted Denmark's societal values," the statement added. Reiterating Egypt's strong condemnation of Quran burning, Shoukry said that such incidents provoke Muslims worldwide. READ: Iran-born Swedish woman burns Quran in Stockholm He also affirmed that these incidents violate human rights, threaten peaceful coexistence and fuel extremism. On Tuesday, despite wide-ranging condemnation, members […]]]> 658102 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-saudi-arabia-urges-its-citizens-to-quickly-leave-lebanon/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:20:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658098 Saudi Arabia called on its citizens to quickly leave Lebanese territory and to avoid approaching areas where there have been armed clashes, the Saudi embassy in Lebanon said in a statement posted late on Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter, Reuters reports. The kingdom did not specify which areas in Lebanon that it was advising its citizens to avoid. The embassy stressed "the importance of adhering to the Saudi travel ban to Lebanon," the statement added. READ: Hamas, Lebanon discuss stabilising Ain Al-Hilweh ceasefire  Kuwait also issued an advisory early on Saturday calling on Kuwaitis in Lebanon to stay vigilant and avoid "areas of security disturbances" but stopped short of asking them to leave the country, according to a statement […]]]> 658098 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-russian-airstrikes-kill-3-civilians-in-northwestern-syria/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 13:14:56 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658095 Three civilians were killed in attacks by Russian warplanes on a village in northwestern Syria, local sources said on Saturday, Anadolu reports. Two Russian warplanes departed from the Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia, and carried out four airstrikes on the village, according to the Syrian opposition aircraft observatory. Six others were injured in the attacks which hit the village of Ein Shib in Idlib province, said the White Helmets, a civil defense group. The injured people were transferred to nearby hospitals. In September 2018, Turkiye and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited. The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks […]]]> 658095 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-tunisia-rescues-15000-migrants-in-first-half-of-2023/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 10:51:03 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658086 Tunisian Security Services have rescued 15,327 illegal migrants during the first half of 2023, Tunisian Interior Minister Kamal Feki announced on Friday. According to Feki, 95 per cent of the migrants hold African or sub-Saharan identities. He noted that the security services are carrying out a direct humanitarian follow-up in coordination with the relevant international organisations. In order to address the crisis, the security forces have been closely collaborating with pertinent international organisations, providing a humanitarian response and conducting fieldwork. The Tunisian minister considers what was reported by some international organisations untrue, especially a recent statement by the United Nations (UN) deputy spokesperson about the alleged treatment of African refugees and migrants on the Tunisian borders. "We are deeply concerned about […]]]> 658086 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230805-algeria-announces-further-reduction-in-oil-production-by-20000-barrels-per-day/ Sat, 05 Aug 2023 09:18:54 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658074 Algeria has announced a further voluntary reduction in oil production of 20,000 barrels per day to reach 940,000 barrels per day during August. This comes in compliance with the agreement to limit the production by the 13 members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and 11 other non-OPEC members, known as OPEC+. This was announced in a speech by the Minister of Energy and Mines Mohamed Arkab on Friday, during his participation in the 47th meeting of the OPEC Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) and others, which was held virtually. The OPEC+ alliance includes OPEC and allies, including Russia, and pumps about 40 per cent of the total global crude oil production. Arkab shared: "As we announced at […]]]> 658074 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/20230804-un-urged-to-help-unblock-russia-fertiliser-stuck-in-europe/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 12:58:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658015 Russian and seven African leaders, on Friday, called on the UN to take necessary action to release 200,000 tons of Russian fertiliser stuck on European seaports for immediate delivery to the world's second-largest continent, Anadolu Agency reports. In a joint statement, published on the Kremlin website, the presidents of Comoros, Congo, Egypt, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia "called for specific steps to remove obstacles to Russian grain and fertiliser exports, thus allowing the resumption of the full implementation of the Black Sea package initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General as endorsed on 22 July 2022 in Istanbul." "The Leaders also called upon the United Nations to take necessary action in order to release 200 thousand tons of Russian […]]]> 658015 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-un-documents-591-settlements-related-incidents-in-occupied-palestinian-territory-in-1st-half-of-2023/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 12:54:36 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658013 The number of settler-related incidents in the Occupied Palestinian Territory reached 591 in the first six months of 2023, the UN said on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports. "That's an average of 99 incidents every month and a 39 per cent increase compared with the monthly average of the whole of 2022, which is 71," Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said at a UN briefing in Geneva. The number of such incidents, which are resulting in Palestinian casualties, property damage, or both, in 2022 was already the highest since OCHA started recording them in 2006, Laerke said. READ: Palestinian farmer loses $10,000 after settlers set fire to his beehives He highlighted that […]]]> 658013 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-germany-inks-30m-deal-to-support-unrwa/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 11:36:04 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658003 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) yesterday announced that it has signed three agreements with Germany worth €28 million ( $30.6 million) to support Palestinian refugees, Anadolu news agency reported. The agency said the three agreements were signed by the German Development Bank (KfW). "The German government will continue to support Palestine refugees across the region," said Oliver Owcza, head of the German Representative Office in Ramallah. "The new agreements will make a significant contribution to improving living conditions in the Palestine refugee camps," he added. He pointed out that "the agreements will enable UNRWA to invest in camp infrastructure and modernise its service delivery system. This would make UNRWA services more efficient and accessible to Palestine refugees." […]]]> 658003 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-saudi-to-extend-oil-output-cuts-for-another-month/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 11:17:15 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657992 Saudi Arabia will extend a voluntary oil output cut of one million barrels per day for another month to include September, it said yesterday, adding it could be extended beyond that or deepened, Reuters reported. The kingdom's production for September will be around nine million barrels per day (bpd), the state news agency SPA cited an official source at the energy ministry as saying. "This additional voluntary cut comes to reinforce the precautionary efforts made by OPEC+ countries with the aim of supporting the stability and balance of oil markets," the source said. The cut may be "extended, or extended and deepened", he added, flagging the possibility of further market tightening. The decision came on the eve of a panel meeting from OPEC+, which […]]]> 657992 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230804-saudi-jails-egypt-psychiatrist-on-terror-charges-following-salary-dispute-hrw-reveals/ Fri, 04 Aug 2023 08:19:24 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657968 Saudi Arabia jailed an Egyptian psychiatrist on charges of terrorism last year in an "unfair trial" due to a salary dispute that he won in the kingdom, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has revealed. According to the rights group, 66-year-old Egyptian psychiatrist Sabri Shalabi – who was employed by the Saudi Ministry of Health between 2006 and 2019 – had won a court case against the kingdom's authorities to receive years of unpaid compensation that he was owed, after he discovered that he was paid far less than other colleagues. In January 2020, however, days before an appeals court decision in his civil case, plainclothes police officers – without a warrant – took him from his home in the north-west of the […]]]> 657968 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-eu-views-reckless-quran-burnings-in-denmark-sweden-as-individual-provocations/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 19:01:24 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657952 Recent "reckless" attacks on Islam's holy book, the Quran, in Denmark and Sweden are "individual" provocations, the EU said on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports. "The EU has always been clear that manifestations of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance have no place in Europe," Nabila Massrali, the EU spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said at a press conference. Responding to reporters' questions, Massrali said such actions are incompatible with the values ​​upon which the EU was founded, which include respect for religious communities. "These reckless acts committed by individual provocateurs only benefit those who want to divide us and our societies," she added. She reiterated that the EU attaches "great importance" to promoting religious freedom or belief for Muslims […]]]> 657952 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-turkiye-withdraws-as-host-of-cop16-blaming-februarys-earthquakes/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 17:46:51 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657942 Turkiye has withdrawn from hosting the United Nations' Cop16 biodiversity summit in 2024, citing three large earthquakes in February that devastated parts of the country, Reuters reports. According to the report, the UN convention on biological diversity announced that Turkiye had withdrawn due to "a force majeure situation", inviting other countries to offer to host the conference. It is hoped the scheduled dates – 21 October to 1 November – will not change. France, the UK, Switzerland and Spain are all possible replacement destinations for the conference, where governments will discuss how they are meeting targets to protect 30 per cent of land and sea, reform $500bn of environmentally damaging subsidies and restore 30 per cent of the planet's degraded terrestrial, inland water, […]]]> 657942 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-number-of-hungry-in-sudan-rises-above-20m/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:20:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657891 The estimated number of people facing acute food insecurity in Sudan has risen faster than expected to 20.3 million, or 42 per cent of the population, as a conflict between rival military factions deepens a humanitarian crisis, a food security body said, Reuters reports. The worst hit areas include the capital, Khartoum, the western region of Darfur, and parts of Kordofan, all of which have seen fighting, attacks and looting since the war broke out in mid-April, according to the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC), a partnership of UN agencies, NGOs and other groups. The conflict between Sudan's Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted amid disputes over an internationally backed plan for a transition to civilian rule, […]]]> 657891 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-beirut-port-blast-three-years-on-victims-still-await-accountability/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:07:25 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657885 Lebanon, on Friday, marks the third anniversary of the Beirut port explosion which killed at least 220 people, wounded thousands and damaged swathes of the city. Despite the devastation, an investigation has brought no senior official to account. Here is a summary of what happened and how the investigation has been stymied: The explosion  The blast is thought to have been set off by a fire at a warehouse just after 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) on 4 August, 2020, detonating hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate. Originally bound for Mozambique aboard a Russian-leased ship, the chemicals had been at the port since 2013, when they were unloaded during an unscheduled stop. No one claimed the shipment, tangled in a legal […]]]> 657885 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-time-place-of-meeting-of-russia-turkiye-presidents-to-be-set-via-diplomatic-channels-kremlin/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 12:59:32 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657878 The details of a meeting between the Russian and Turkish presidents, including the time, place and date, will be coordinated via diplomatic channels, a Kremlin spokesman said Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports. "In general, the presidents confirmed their intention to meet soon" during a Wednesday phone call between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow. "But the venue of the meeting and the timing of this meeting will continue to be agreed through diplomatic channels." Peskov also decried remarks by top EU diplomat, Josep Borrell, who accused Russia of trying to create dependence on its grain among developing countries. "This is absolutely not the case. Russia has always been, and remains – with known […]]]> 657878 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-rights-groups-urge-independent-impartial-probe-into-greek-migrant-shipwreck/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 12:51:58 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657872 Human rights groups, on Thursday, underlined the need for an "independent and impartial investigation" into a migrant shipwreck off the coast of Greece in June that left more than 80 irregular migrants dead and hundreds of others missing, Anadolu Agency reports. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in a joint statement, expressed concern over conflicting accounts from the Greek coastguard and survivors and underscored "the urgent need for an effective, independent and impartial investigation." On 14 June, a 30-meter-long fishing boat, "Adriana", capsized and sank about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Greece's southern coastal town of Pylos, with the majority of people on board from Pakistan, Syria and Libya. There were 104 survivors, with 82 bodies recovered out of 400-700 […]]]> 657872 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-israel-is-an-apartheid-state-so-why-did-an-eu-diplomat-refuse-to-say-so/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 12:12:26 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657865 Outgoing EU Envoy to the occupied West Bank and Gaza Sven Kuhn Von Burgsdorff attracted the wrong sort of attention when he paraglided off Gaza's coast last month, purportedly promoting a promise of freedom even as the EU persists in the moribund two-state narrative. Israel described the stunt as provocative, while for Palestinians, the distinction between diplomats' freedom and the annihilation of their own freedom of movement was made all too apparent. Palestinians can do the same, said the EU envoy, when they are free. He knows full well that the Palestinian people's freedom is not on the international political agenda. His stunt simply served to demonstrate the EU's diplomatic conceit. In an interview with the Times of Israel, Von […]]]> 657865 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-sudan-civilians-living-in-unimaginable-horror/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 11:51:03 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657849 Civilians are living in "unimaginable horror" in Sudan, where the army and the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since 15 April, Amnesty International has said in its latest report, "Death Came to our Door". The human rights group points out that there have been "mass civilian casualties in both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks by the warring parties." The report focuses on Khartoum and the Darfur region in the west of the country, and is based on telephone interviews with 181 people in eastern Chad. "Civilians throughout Sudan are suffering unimaginable horror every single day as the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces vie recklessly for control of territory," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General. READ: Sudan: meeting in […]]]> 657849 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-brazil-president-supports-accession-of-saudi-arabia-uae-to-brics/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 11:41:45 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657845 Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has expressed his support for more countries joining the BRICS group. Lula said in the capital, Brasilia, yesterday that he supports countries such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joining the group. BRICS, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is due to hold a summit in Johannesburg from 22-24 August. He also described the seven leading industrialised countries as a "club" that should not exist, considering that its form in terms of geopolitical affairs is outdated. The UK, US, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Germany make up the group of Western industrialised countries, known as the G7. Some 22 countries have "formally" asked to join the BRICS group, while […]]]> 657845 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-hrw-says-israeli-offensives-against-gaza-increase-suffering-of-people-with-disabilities/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 10:43:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657823 Israeli offensives against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip increase the suffering of people with disabilities, Human Rights Watch has warned. The military offensive in May might have faded from the memory, but the wounds are still fresh, it said on Wednesday. The latest HRW report shared the example of a Palestinian family including disabled young women whose house was destroyed during the Israeli attack in May. "People with disabilities remain among the most affected," the report said. "On May 13, an Israeli officer ordered the Nabhan family to evacuate their homes in Jabaliya refugee camp within three minutes. They housed at least 40 members of the extended family, including five people with disabilities." HRW spoke to Najah, 50, who […]]]> 657823 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-danish-ultranationalists-continue-to-desecrate-quran-burning-holy-book-for-3rd-day-in-a-row/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:47:14 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657555 Members of the ultranationalist group known as Danske Patrioter (Danish Patriots) continued the desecration of Muslims' holy book, the Quran, for the third consecutive day on Wednesday in Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, as they burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy for the second day in a row, Anadolu Agency reports. Under the protection of local police, the members of the group chanted slogans against Islam in front of the embassy and unfurled anti-Islamic banners as well as ones calling for a boycott of Turkish products. Despite worldwide condemnation, members of the Danske Patrioter burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy on Tuesday. The members of the group chanted anti-Islamic […]]]> 657555 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-will-egypts-coup-leader-escape-scrutiny-in-south-africa/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 18:09:42 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657515 Has South Africa overlooked Egypt's problematic participation at the forthcoming BRICS summit? Dignifying its military leader Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with the expected red-carpet treatment will in effect be an endorsement of regime change via military coup, which is how Cairo's despot overthrew the democratically elected Morsi government to gain power. This month marks a decade since Al-Sisi appeared on TV in a military beret to announce the constitution's suspension and the end of Morsi's presidency. RSF (Reporters Without Borders) documents that as he spoke, security forces were preparing to storm the Cairo bureaus of the Qatari TV channels Al-Jazeera and Al-Jazeera Mubasher and arrest their journalists. That same evening, Al-Sisi's military goons led a purge against many more media outlets and shut them down for allegedly supporting Mohamed Morsi's party, […]]]> 657515 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-un-hunger-displacement-spiralling-out-of-control-in-sudan-amid-ongoing-violence/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:42:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657543 The UN warned that hunger and displacement in Sudan are "spiralling out of control" amid ongoing fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, Anadolu Agency reports. More than 6 million people in Sudan, about 13 per cent of the population, are now one step from famine, according to the UN aid agency, OCHA. Over 20 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity due to the conflict, economic decline and mass displacement, OCHA said in a statement. The war-torn nation has been ravaged again by fighting two decades after a conflict broke out. The recent fighting since April has killed 3,000 civilians and injured thousands, according to local medics. Several cease-fire agreements brokered […]]]> 657543 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-russia-criticises-un-chief-for-calling-proposal-to-supply-grain-to-africa-handful-of-donations/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 16:43:08 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657531 Russia, on Wednesday, criticised UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, for calling its initiative to supply African countries grain free of charge "handful of donations", Anadolu Agency reports. Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, urged Guterres to ask the recipients how they evaluate this very "handful of donations" and what they want. "By recipients, I mean the countries to which humanitarian aid is intended. Can we give them a word? Maybe the Secretary-General should ask them before going to the cameras and making such statements? What do they think, maybe it's really extremely important for them?" she said. The spokeswoman added that African representatives applauded Russian President, Vladimir Putin, when he made the announcement at the second […]]]> 657531 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-geopolitical-realities-in-the-middle-east-and-the-political-mandate-of-the-iaea/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:45:44 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657382 Geopolitical events in the Middle East, as well as the recent visit of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, to Iran for nuclear programme talks, contribute to how quickly the world is changing. With rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia brokered by China, undermining US influence, new geopolitical realities are being created in the region. Having received funding from the UN, the IAEA has decided to take on a political mandate. Although Iran has never been charged with breaking the law, there is a widespread assumption in the West that this may be the case. Uncertainties result from this deficit of trust. During discussions between 2002 and 2018, Iran committed to stick to several […]]]> 657382 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-putin-reaffirms-russian-stance-on-grain-deal-in-call-to-erdogan/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:23:12 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657529 Russian President, Vladimir Putin, told his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, on Wednesday that Moscow was ready to return to the Black Sea grain deal as soon as the West met its obligations with regard to Russia's own grain exports, Reuters reports. The deal, brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations in July 2022, allowed for the safe export of grain from Ukraine's Black Sea ports. Last month, Moscow exited the deal, accusing the West of hampering Russia's own grain and fertiliser exports. In a statement on Putin's call with Erdogan, the Kremlin said: "It was noted that, in the conditions of a complete lack of progress in the implementation of the Russian part of the 'grain deal', its further extension […]]]> 657529 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-refugees-as-grassroots-activists-memo-in-conversation-with-dr-anne-irfan/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 15:00:41 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656121 The international humanitarian body UNRWA was created to support Palestine refugees functioned as a surrogate state, however Palestinian refugees have continued to demand their political rights while resisting the UN's categorisation of their plight as an apolitical humanitarian issue. Join us as we speak to Dr Anne Irfan about her book 'Refuge and Resistance: Palestinians and the international refugee system' to discover how engagement with world politics was driven as much by the refugee grassroots as by the upper echelons of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), making refugee groups important actors in global politics, not simply aid recipients. Dr Anne Irfan is Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Race, Gender and Postcolonial Studies at UCL. Her work examines colonial legacies in displacement and bordering […]]]> 656121 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-liverpool-manager-jurgen-klopp-urges-fifa-to-intervene-against-saudi-pro-league/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 13:04:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657359 Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is the latest high-profile name to express his exasperation over the Saudi Pro League. The German manager raised his concerns over the discrepancy in transfer window closing dates between Europe and Saudi Arabia. He has called on football world governing body, FIFA, to act as the Saudi transfer window is set to close three weeks later than that of the top five European leagues, which shut on 1 September. Clubs in Saudi Arabia have until 20 September to finalise their business, and this extended window has resulted in significant investments in player acquisitions throughout the summer. The mismatch in deadlines could have potential ramifications for European squads, particularly if the Saudi Pro League continues to attract […]]]> 657359 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-israel-files-complaint-against-lebanon-at-un-security-council/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:45:38 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657209 Israel yesterday submitted an official complaint against Lebanon at the United Nations Security Council, demanding the Lebanese government and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) take immediate action to prevent Hezbollah's ongoing construction of military infrastructure on Israel's northern border, Anadolu news agency reported. Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, submitted the complaint with the Security Council, warning of a "catastrophe" if no preventive measures are taken against Hezbollah's actions. "If the Security Council does not condemn Hezbollah's destabilising activities and demand that Lebanon take action against the illegal military build-up on its territories, or at least work to enable UNIFIL to fully carry out its mandate, the situation on the ground will continue to deteriorate […]]]> 657209 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-oic-israeli-violations-at-al-aqsa-mosque-provoke-muslims-around-the-world/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:51:42 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657183 The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said on Tuesday that Israel's aggressive violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque provoke Muslims around the world. The comment about "dangerous violations" was made during the 18th Extraordinary Online Session of the OIC's Council of Foreign Ministers. "The [ongoing] violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque amount to a flagrant breach of international law and unprecedented contempt for the historic and legal status quo," said the OIC council. "We have concerns about the attempts of the extremist [Israeli] settlers to ignite a religious conflict through the imposition of a spatial and temporal division [between Muslims and Jews at Al-Aqsa Mosque]." The council described the latest raid and desecration of the Noble Sanctuary of Al-Aqsa by Israel's National Security Minister, Itamar […]]]> 657183 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-sudan-meeting-in-cairo-to-discuss-end-to-fighting/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:37:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657166 Sudanese political forces met in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the formation of a "civilian front" to stop the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. Representatives of the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, which is the former ruling coalition, met the Arab League's Assistant Secretary, Hossam Zaki, at the League's headquarters in Cairo. They also held a separate meeting in Cairo with the US ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey. The Sudanese group said afterwards that its delegation met Zaki in the context of mobilising and coordinating international and regional efforts to end the war in Sudan. The group added that the meeting covered developments in Sudan and the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. The meeting […]]]> 657166 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-un-demands-immediate-end-to-expulsion-of-migrants-from-tunisia/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 20:00:36 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657159 The UN, Tuesday, called for an immediate end to the expulsions of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from Tunisia to the borders with Libya and Algeria, Anadolu Agency reports. In July, hundreds of people from sub-Saharan African countries were forced from the coastal city of Sfax by Tunisian security forces, and left stranded in a desolate desert area, without food, water or shelter, according to human rights groups. "We are deeply concerned about the expulsion of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from Tunisia to the borders with Libya and also Algeria," UN deputy spokesperson told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York. "Several have died at the border with Libya and hundreds including pregnant women and children reportedly remain […]]]> 657159 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-sweden-to-boost-border-controls-after-quran-burnings/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 18:29:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657148 Threats to Sweden have increased after recent Quran burnings, the country's government said on Tuesday, adding it had strengthened border controls to give police wider authority to stop and search people, as a result, Reuters reports. A new law, effective from the start of August, gives police extended powers to perform checks on and around the country's borders, including body searches, and allows for increased electronic surveillance. "Border controls are a measure that gives us the conditions to identify people coming into Sweden who could represent a threat to security," Justice Minister, Gunnar Strommer, told a news conference. Sweden and Denmark have seen a string of protests in recent weeks, in which copies of the Quran were burned or otherwise damaged, prompting outrage […]]]> 657148 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-us-proposal-to-rescue-israel-is-as-offensive-as-it-is-ridiculous/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 17:18:18 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657098 "Why is the US paying for Israel's peace?" is a reasonable question to ask in light of recent rumours in Washington over the latest proposal to rescue the occupation state from the brink of disaster. The sentiment was widely shared in response to a recent article by Thomas Friedman in which the New York Times columnist revealed details of a possible deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel and the price American would have to pay to make such a deal possible. Americans are rightly asking "Why does the US even care if Saudi Arabia has peace with Israel and why would WE have to purchase that peace at the price of tying ourselves to Saudia Arabia if it were attacked […]]]> 657098 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-despite-truce-violent-clashes-resume-in-palestine-refugee-camp-in-lebanon/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 17:13:53 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657141 Despite a cease-fire agreement, violent clashes resumed in Ain Al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports. The largest of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the Ain Al-Helweh camp located near Sidon city, has been witnessing clashes since Saturday. The clashes between Islamic groups and Palestinian security forces affiliated with the Fatah movement left 11 people dead and more than 40 others injured, according to UN figures. Clashes erupted again on Tuesday, despite a cease-fire reached late Monday after communications between Lebanese and Palestinian officials. The Lebanese army is working to tighten surveillance and inspection at all entrances to the camp and is patrolling its vicinity, asking citizens not to approach the roads leading to the […]]]> 657141