Category: Arab News
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Ghoncheh Ghavami on second hunger strike
A British Iranian woman held in Iran after attempting to watch a men’s volleyball match is on hunger strike for the second time. Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, was part of a group of women who tried to watch Iran play Italy in a match June 20, BBC reported. The women were arrested and allegedly beaten…
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Palestinians arrested for Jerusalem riots
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Seventeen Palestinians have been arrested for their involvement in recent riots in east Jerusalem, Israeli police said. A total of 111 people have been arrested in the city over the past 10 days for disturbing public order, Xinhua reported. Five Jewish men were Sunday detained in Jerusalem’s Old City for attempting to enter the Temple…
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Special Report: Kurdish women fighters
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Kurdish women fighters, an unprecedented example of equality in Middle East The Syrian city of Kobane, where resistance against jihadis of the Islamic State (IS) has become a symbol of Kurdish unity, is also an unprecedented example of equality for its women, who fight side by side with men in the streets. The images of…
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US urges restraint in Jerusalem
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The US today voiced concern about escalating tensions across Jerusalem, urging all sides to refrain from “provocative actions”. “We condemn yesterday’s shooting of a US citizen in Jerusalem,” Xinhua quoted State Department spokesperson Jennifer Psaki as saying at a daily press briefing. “We’re extremely concerned by escalating tensions across Jerusalem and particularly surrounding the Haram…
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COMENT: Israel-Hamas Talks
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU, looks into the new development in the Middle East Although the expected resumption of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Cairo was postponed, it will likely take place in the next few weeks as the two sides appear to seek…
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Iraqi Kurds onward to Syria to fight ISIS
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A group of Iraqi Kurdish fighters arrived in Turkey to fight the Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, a media report said. A private plane carrying Peshmerga forces landed at an airport in Sanliurfa province from the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Erbil, Xinhua reported citing state-run Anatolia news agency. The forces, sent by the Kurdish…
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N-deal possible in a month: Rouhani
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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that a final nuclear deal between Tehran and the six world powers may be possible within a month. In a meeting with Norwegian Ambassador to Tehran Odyssey Norheim , Rouhani said that Iran has taken positive steps in the previous rounds of nuclear talks with the P5+1 group…
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Israel beefs up security in Jerusalem
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that security forces have been increased significantly in East Jerusalem to prevent further violence by Palestinian youths. He told the weekly cabinet meeting that an additional 1,000 police and paramilitary border police, including special forces, have been deployed in Arab neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem, Xinhua reported. “We will not…
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ISLAMIC NEW YEAR 1436AH
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Islamic New Year 1436AH has now begun. Islamic New Year is based on the lunar calendar. The Muslim calendar began when the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his followers immigrated (Hijra) from Makkah to Madina to establish a new Islamic state based on the teachings of the Holy Qurân…
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Egypt closes Rafah crossing
Egypt shut down the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip following the deadly attack in Sinai, officials said. The Gaza-based corporation for crossings and borders said in an e-mailed press statement that Egyptian authorities have officially informed the Palestinian side about the closure of the main crossing for the coastal enclave, Xinhua reported.…
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Plight of Yazidis by Yaser Yunes
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To escape IS jihadis, Yazidis hide on Mount Sinjar…writes Yaser Yunes from Mosul, Iraq Recent inroads by militants of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Yazidi territory in Iraq have led 2,500 people to seek refuge on Mount Sinjar, which has become a safe haven for the minority Kurdish sect for the second time this year.…
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THE TROUBLE WITH TELESPEAK
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DAILY DOSE BY Bikram Vohra They came from London to this terrific job in the Gulf and the first day he went to work and his wife called his office and was told by the operator that he wasn’t in his cabin. “Not in his cabin,” she said, ” Not in his cabin, but that’s…
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Israeli settlers occupy homes in east Jerusalem
A large number of Israeli settlers took over two buildings in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem overnight , Israel Radio reported. The buildings, which contain nine apartments, were allegedly seized by members of Ateret Cohanim, a far-right Jewish organisation dedicated to moving as many Jews as possible to the Palestinian neighbourhoods of…
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Plight of Palestine refugees
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, looks into the plight of Palestinian Refugees During the donor conference held in Cairo a few days ago, the US, EU, and other countries pledged $2.7 billion for reconstruction in Gaza. It is undoubtedly necessary to make such a humanitarian effort…
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US airdrop arms in Kobane
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US military has airdropped weapons, ammunition and medical supplies to Kurdish fighters in the Syrian city of Kobane to heighten up defence against the Islamic State (IS) militants. “The aircraft delivered items that were provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq and intended to enable continued resistance against IS’ attempts to overtake Kobane,” the Pentagon…
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200,000 dead in Syria civil war: UN
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More than 200,000 people have died in Syria’s civil war since it started in March 2011, said new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein. He said new statistics would be published shortly on the number of victims in the Syrian conflict and predicted that the updated death toll “will be well over…
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Palestinian statehood through negotiations: US
The US has insisted that a Palestinian state should be created through negotiations with Israel. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki reiterated the US’ stance on the issue as the British Parliament passed a non-binding resolution Monday offering diplomatic recognition to Palestinian statehood as Sweden did earlier this month. “… while we still support the Palestinian…
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Obama talks long-term campaign against ISIS
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US President Barack Obama warned that there would be periodic setbacks in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and said it is a long-term campaign. “This is going to be a long-term campaign; there are no quick fixes involved,” Obama said after a meeting with coalition military leaders at Joint Base Andrews in…
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Special Report: India’s ties with Morocco
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Tarun Basu recently toured Morocco at the invitation of the Moroccan government. He is saying India should engage more with Morocco Two vignettes stand out from a recent trip to Morocco — one, a smartly-dressed woman police officer flags down an errant male driver at a busy Rabat intersection and ticks him off for a traffic violation;…
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Under 60 barred from Al-Aqsa mosque
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Palestinian pilgrims under the age of 60 were barred from entering the Al-Aqsa mosque in Old Jerusalem, a day after clashes with Israeli police. Many worshippers trying to enter the compound were turned away by police, who prevented all but those aged over 60 from entering the site, forcing many Palestinians to offer their dawn…
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UN chief launch reconstructions in Gaza
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon arrived in the Gaza Strip to launch a reconstruction process in the coastal enclave. Ban’s convoy passed through Erez crossing point between Israel and the northern tip of Gaza and is scheduled to stay in the territory for several hours, Xinhua reported. The UN chief headed to Jabalia refugee camp…
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British Parliament Recognises Palestine state
A motion forwarded by Labour MP Grahame Morris seeking recognition of Palestine state was passed with huge majority at British Parliament. 274 members favoured the motion against 12. Recognising Palestine as a state would be a “symbolically important” step towards peace, British MPs said during the debate. Morris said relations between Israelis and Palestinians are “stuck…
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Palestinians clash with Israeli soldiers
Several Palestinians were injured and one was arrested in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian security sources told the local Maan news agency. Thirty five Israeli military vehicles entered Palestinian territory to escort a group of about 300 Jewish pilgrims who came to pray at the funerary monument,…
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Cairo conference talk Gaza re-construction
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US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Cairo to participate in a conference aimed at raising funds for the re-construction of the war-torn Gaza Strip. The conference will be attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, chief of Arab League Nabil Al Arabi, and representatives of the International Tripartite Committee,…
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Palestinian PM wrap up Gaza visit
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Palestinian unity government Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and his 12 West Bank ministers wrapped up a one-day visit to the Gaza Strip, during which they held the first ever meeting of the cabinet in the besieged enclave. The visit was in general positive and included a series of understandings that would enable the government to…
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Leaving No Escape Route For ISIS
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, says ISIS is a movement driven by religious fanaticism that rejects any other brand of Islam and defies any limits or constraints to achieve their perverse objective to establish a Caliphate encompassing Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, and…
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Iran to meet US,EU over n-talks
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Top diplomats of the US, the European Union (EU) and Iran will meet next week as the deadline approaches for negotiating a comprehensive agreement over Tehran’s controversial nuclear programme. US Secretary of State John Kerry, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will have a tri-lateral meeting Oct…
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Abbas warns Israel of conflict turning religious
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that the Israeli measures in east Jerusalem and against al-Aqsa Mosque may turn the conflict in the Middle East into a religious one. “The Palestinian people will never accept the serious Israeli measures taken against al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron,” Abbas said in a statement to reporters…
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US fears Syrian city of Kobani will fall to ISIS
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US Joint Chief of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey has said that it is possible that the Syrian city of Kobani, bordering Turkey, could be seized by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in the next few days. “I am fearful that Kobani will fall,” said Dempsey in an interview with ABC television aired Tuesday about…
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British court quashes Bahrain prince’s immunity
A court in Britain has ruled that Prince Nasser bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain is not immune from prosecution over allegations of torture during a pro-democracy protest in Bahrain in 2011, a leading British daily reported. The High Court of Justice of England and Wales overturned a decision by British prosecutors that the prince had…
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Biden apologises to UAE
US Vice President Joe Biden has apologised to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for comments made at a conference wherein he suggested that the two nations had contributed to arming and financing terrorists in Syria. The White House Monday said Biden clarified his comments over the weekend via telephone calls he made to…
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UK minister visits Gaza Strip
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British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood visits Gaza and meets Palestinian Authority Minister for Labour. British Minister for the Middle East Tobias Ellwood MP visited the Gaza Strip . He is the first British Minister to travel to Gaza since this summer’s conflict. “Today I saw first-hand the disastrous consequences of this…
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Gazans let to pray in Jerusalem
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Some 500 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip travelled to pray at a Jerusalem mosque, marking the first occasion since 2007 that Israel allowed such visits from the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave. The holiday permits were issued to about 1,500 Gazans, aged 60 and over, a spokesperson for the Israeli army said in a statement. They…
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Israel to summon Swedish envoy
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Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Sunday it will summon the Swedish ambassador to protest new Prime Minister Stefan Lofven’s decision to recognize the Palestinian state. “I regret that the Swedish prime minister was in a hurry to make statements on Sweden’s position regarding recognition of a Palestinian state, apparently before he had time even…
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US strikes kill 35 ISIS fighters
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At least 35 fighters of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group were killed by the strikes of the US-led anti-terror coalition in northern Syria, media reports said. The strikes, carried out by US drones along with Jordanian war jets, targeted the IS positions in the countryside of the northern province of Hasaka and the…
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‘What a shame’ Alan Henning executed
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A video purporting to show UK hostage Alan Henning being beheaded has been released by Islamic State militants. The Salford taxi driver was delivering aid to Syria in December when he was kidnapped and then held hostage by ISIS. “What a world,” the president of the UN Security Council said late last night as…
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UK deplores Israeli plans
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UK deplores Israeli government decision to advance plans for settlement units in Givat Hamatos and urges them to reverse decision The Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: “The UK deplores the Israeli government’s decision to advance plans for 2610 settlement units in Givat Hamatos. This is an ill-judged decision which will have serious implications for the possibility…
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Palestinians, Israelis resume talks on Gaza
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Palestinians and Israelis have resumed negotiations on implementation of the permanent ceasefire agreed to in August that put an end to 50 days of intense conflict on the Gaza Strip. The meeting was attended by Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry and Israel’s Coordinator…
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Israel approves new settlement in East Jerusalem
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An Israeli committee has granted approval to the construction of a massive Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem, Israeli settlements watchdog Peace Now said . The approval by Jerusalem District Committee came shortly before the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington for a meeting with US President Barak Obama. The move is expected to…
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Britain conducts first airstrike against ISIS
Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) military jets have conducted their first strikes on an Islamic State (IS) heavy weapon position in Iraq, the British ministry of defence said. In the course of an armed reconnaissance mission, two Tornados were tasked to assist Kurdish troops in northwest Iraq who were under attack from IS, also known…
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Jewish settlers seize houses in east Jerusalem
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Dozens of Jewish settlers, escorted by heavy police force, took over at least seven empty buildings in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem Tuesday. The buildings are located in the Wadi Hilweh neighbourhood of Silwan, only some 300 metres across from the volatile area of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound and the…
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Palestinians rap Bibi’s UN speech
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Netanyahu’s UN speech provocative say Palestinian officials Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the UN General Assembly in New York was provocative to Palestinians, officials said. Netanyahu Monday said that the Hamas movement and the Islamic State (IS) are two branches of a toxic tree, and that he is seeking to reach a historic…
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SPECIAL: Dubai ruler on ISIS & Jihadism
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HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, calls for united front against Jihadists like ISIS. Only one thing can stop a suicidal youth who is ready to die for ISIS: a stronger ideology that guides him onto the right path and convinces…
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Israel to counter Palestinian claim in UN
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday headed to New York to address the UN General Assembly (UNGA), pledging to expose the alleged “lies” stated by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his speech there. “In my address to the UNGA, I will refute all of the lies being directed at us and I will tell the…
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UAE for Arab strategic food reserve
The UAE minister for food and agriculture, Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, Friday said the Gulf Arab desert state is committed to support joint Arab efforts to set up a strategic food reserve in response to the world food crisis, WAM news agency reported. Bin Fahad also emphasised the need to establish and implement Arab-wide mechanisms…
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India committed to Palestinian cause: Sushma
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India has said that as a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) it has always supported the cause of Palestine and its commitment to the Palestinian cause has been a feature of its foreign policy. At the NAM Committee on Palestine here, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said: “NAM has consistently reaffirmed its…
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Turkey may support US-led forces
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Turkey would lend its support to international military operations against the Islamic State (IS) terrorists if the actions were aimed at bringing stability and long-term peace in the region, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said. “If a military operation, with the prospect of a lasting peace, aims to bring stability to the region, we will…
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US airstrikes continues against IS
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The US forces continued airstrikes in Iraq and Syria held by Islamic State (IS) militants, the US Central Command (USCENTCOM) has said. The forces conducted 10 new strikes. Fighter-bombers and drones were used in the raids unleashed between Thursday and Friday on facilities near Kirkuk and Baghdad and other locations in Syria and Iraq where…
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ISIS the real Saudi nightmare
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By Saeed Naqvi In President Barack Obama’s initial list of the coalition against the Islamist State (ISIS) are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan. Others are being cajoled, tempted, lured but are not quite there. India too was sounded. Mercifully, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is embarked on a mission of economic diplomacy. He…
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ISIS: Illusions Vs Reality
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir looks in to the rise of ISIS as a global threat and the US strategy to destroy it Much has been said about President Obama’s strategy to degrade and eventually “destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Regardless of the soundness of the President’s strategy, to ensure greater success in…