Archives for December, 2020

Rafael Grossi (R), Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), listens to Iran's Atomic Energy Vice-President Ali Akbar Salehi, who attends virtually the 64th General Conference of the IAEA at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria on September 21, 2020. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by JOE KLAMAR has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Ali Akbar Salehi] instead of [Zarif]. Please immediately rem

European powers call Iran’s enrichment plans 'deeply worrying'

The governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom expressed concerns over Iran's reported plan to install additional centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility.

A woman walk by a billboard in honour of slain nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in the Iranian capital Tehran, on November 30, 2020. - Iran laid to rest a nuclear scientist in a funeral befitting a top "martyr", vowing to redouble his work after an assassination pinned on arch-foe Israel. Fakhrizadeh died on November 27 from his wounds after assailants targeted his car and engaged in a gunfight with his bodyguards outside the capital, according to the defence ministry, heightening tensions once more bet

Iran claims scientist was assassinated via satellite

Commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have said that Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed by use of satellite and face recognition.

Israeli FM responds to Saudi critique with renewed calls for dialogue with Palestinians

Ahead of President-elect Joe Biden assuming office, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi multiplies his calls upon the Palestinian leadership to return to the negotiating table.

Jordan’s 2021 budget is a harbinger of worse things to come

The Jordanian government approved the 2021 draft budget law, which suggests an even tougher and more unstable year for Jordanians, who are witnessing a growing economic crisis worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

Egypt begins dismissing imams based on Brotherhood ties

Some legal experts are questioning the Egyptian Ministry of Religious Endowments’ decision to dismiss a number of imams across Egypt over their ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Syrian opposition retracts decision on electoral committee

Against a wave of criticism by the Syrian opposition, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces backtracked on its decision to form a national elections commission.

Egyptian soldiers stand guard during an organised tour for diplomats to mark the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of the Suez Canal, in the northeastern city of Ismailia on November 17, 2019. - One hundred and fifty years after the Suez Canal opened, the international waterway is hugely significant to the economy of modern-day Egypt, which nationalised it in 1956. The canal, dug in the 19th century using "rudimentary tools" and which links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, was opened to navigation in 1

Egypt, Iraq deepen defense ties

Egypt and Iraq are expanding defense industry ties in a sign of deepening engagement among Cairo, Baghdad and Amman.

ANTALYA, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 15: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) greets Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz during the official welcome ceremony on day one of the G20 Turkey Leaders Summit on November 15, 2015 in Antalya, Turkey. World leaders will use the summit to discuss issues including, climate change, the global economy, the refugee crisis and terrorism. The two day summit takes place in the wake of the massive terrorist attack in Paris which killed more than 120 people. (Photo by Chri

Are there signs of thaw in Turkish-Saudi relations?

A phone call between the Turkish and Saudi leaders generated hopes for thawing of relations between Ankara and Riyadh, but significant roadblocks must be removed to end bellicose affairs.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a press conference in Jerusalem on August 13, 2020. - Israel and the UAE agreed to normalise relations in a landmark US-brokered deal, only the third such accord the Jewish state has struck with an Arab nation. The agreement, first announced by US President Donald Trump on Twitter, will see Israel halt its plan to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank, according to the UAE. (Photo by Abir SULTAN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ABIR SULTAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Imag

Live fact-checking comes to Israeli TV

For the first time ever, Israeli news broadcasts fact-checked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu live as he gave a press conference after the Knesset voted to dissolve itself.

Exhibitors and visitors attend the Saudi Arabia Renewable Energy Investment Forum (SAREIF) on April 17, 2017, in Riyadh. / AFP PHOTO / FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Gulf oil producers scramble to catch up on renewables

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed Gulf leaders to realize the region needs to accelerate its shift toward renewables; environmental activists accuse the Gulf states of double-talk.

Beitar Jerusalem fans cheer on their team prior to the UEFA Europa League play-off football match between Beitar Jerusalem and AS Saint-Etienne, at the Itztadion Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem on August 17, 2016.
Saint-Etienne beat Beitar Jerusalem 2-1. / AFP / AHMAD GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Beitar Jerusalem soccer club pursues talks with Emirati investor

Owner of Beitar Jerusalem soccer club Moshe Hogeg is determined to ignore threats by La Familia fan club against partnering with an Emirati investor.

United Arab Emirates

Israel issues travel warning involving several Middle Eastern states

The Israeli government wants Israelis to avoid travel to the UAE, Turkey and other countries following the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist.

Biden: 'Hard to tell' how scientist’s killing would impact Iran negotiations

The recent assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh could complicate Biden's pledge to rejoin the nuclear agreement.

Two Palestinian youths on crutches wearing a protective mask due to the Covid-19 pandemic, walk past graffiti depicting a disabled man carrying a national flag, during an event marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Gaza City on December 3, 2020. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)

No relief in sight for Mideast hotspots after catastrophic 2020

Conflict, disease, famine compound crises in Gaza, Yemen, Syria.

Hashem Mahmoud Atin, a ten-month-old displaced Yemeni child suffering from acute malnutrition and who is unable to reach a hospital for treatment, is held by his mother at a camp in Abs in northern Yemen's Hajjah province on September 3, 2020. - Hundreds of children and pregnant women have been negatively affected by the closure of medical clinics funded by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Yemen's displaced camps. (Photo by ESSA AHMED / AFP) (Photo by ESSA AHMED/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Congress warned of fallout if Yemen's Houthis labeled terrorists

A group of 29 aid agencies operating in Yemen warned congressional leaders that the Donald Trump administration's planned terror designation could hinder their live-saving work.

UAE responds to criticism from US senators on F-35 sale

A group of bipartisan senators has introduced legislation rejecting the Trump administration's planned sale of the advanced fighter jet to the United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates