Middle East Experience

A senior Pentagon official said Wednesday that the US supports a deal for Turkey to get F-16 fighter jet upgrades, less than 24 hours after Ankara cleared the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.Turkey has been sanctioned and kicked out of the US F-35 program because it refused to get rid of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. But Ankara appears to have won some concessions from the international community, including from the US, for removing opposition to Finland’s and Sweden’s bid to join NATO.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.US officials have said over the last 24 hours that there was no deal-making between the Turkish president and US President Joe Biden, who reached out to his Turkish counterpart hours before Ankara signed a three-way deal with Finland and Sweden.Talks between the US and Turkey have been ongoing for months in a bid to resolve the fighter jet dispute, including “dispute resolution discussions” that began last year.After the NATO agreement on Sweden and Finland, Assistant Secretary for Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander was on a call with reporters and was asked about the US stance on selling F-16s to Turkey.“So, the US Department of Defense fully supports Turkey’s modernization plans for its F-16 fleet. These plans are in the works,” Wallander said, noting that such plans would need to be worked through “our contracting processes.”Wallander added: “But the United States supports Turkey’s modernization of its fighter fleet because that is a contribution to NATO security and therefore American security.”In lieu of no longer being part of the F-35 program, Turkey has pitched a deal where it would buy new F-16s from the US while upgrading its existing fleet of 80 older F-16s, badly in need of modernization.Congress must approve this, where there is strong bipartisan frustration with Ankara, but the Biden administration has signaled it is ready to greenlight the deal.A top State Department official told Al Arabiya English that it is crucial for NATO to ensure that Turkey has fully functioning air capabilities. “Turkey desperately needs to upgrade its current fleet of combat aircraft [for NATO],” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.And according to the State Department official, the lifespan of Turkey’s current fleet of F-16s would be extended by “about five to 10 years” if the US provided specific technology. “It’s their decision and could be easy. They could just ship out the S400s to Ukraine,” the official said. Although this is unlikely, the official pointed out that this would almost certainly see a positive response from Congress.Wallander, the Pentagon official, told reporters that Turkey was a “highly capable, highly valued, strategic NATO Ally.“And Turkish defense capability -- strong Turkish defense capabilities contribute to strong NATO defense capabilities,” she said.Turkey is considered a key NATO ally, and its geostrategic importance has pushed member states to look at ways of appeasing a country that continues to crack down on freedom of expression and has purchased weapons from Russia, considered non-compliant with NATO.Read more: First-of-their-kind ‘dispute resolution’ talks between US, Turkey over F-35 jets
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US says it supports sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey

An Israeli was detained while on holiday in Greece last week under an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Lapid, Greek FM working to release Israeli wanted by Interpol

Moscow ally Syria on Wednesday recognized the independence of eastern Ukraine's two separatist republics, making it the first state other than Russia to do so.The breakaway states of Donetsk and Lugansk, whose independence Moscow recognized in February, are situated in the Donbas region at the centre of Russia's invasion and have escaped Kyiv's control since 2014.“The Syrian Arab Republic has decided to recognize the independence and sovereignty of both the Lugansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic,” a source at Syria's foreign ministry told the official SANA news agency.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“We will communicate with both countries to agree on frameworks for strengthening relations, including establishing diplomatic relations in accordance with established rules,” the source said.Earlier this month, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with a Russian delegation and representatives of the Donetsk republic.During the meeting he said Damascus was ready to start political relations with Donetsk.This is not the first time that the Syrian government, which since 2015 has been heavily backed by Russia in its own civil war, has supported Moscow's recognition of breakaway states.In 2018, Syria recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent from the former Soviet state of Georgia, prompting Tbilisi to cut diplomatic ties.Abkhazia and South Ossetia are internationally recognized as part of Georgia, which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, but Russia and a handful of other countries recognize their independence.Read more:Pro-Russia separatists claim gains outside Ukraine’s AvdiivkaExplainer: The story behind Ukraine’s separatist regionsUkraine’s Lugansk separatist region may hold referendum on joining Russia: Pasechnik
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Syria joins Russia in recognizing Ukraine separatist republics

On Sunday, LGBTQ activists filed a petition with the High Court after police notified them that their parade was approved, but the route was not.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: High Court gets police to reinstate gay pride march in Mitzpe Ramon

Bennett will make a press statement regarding his announcement, after speculation about his running ran high over the past week.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel elections: Naftali Bennett will not run in next elections

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) called the Israeli poet a romanticizer of an "illegal Israeli settlement" on an "ethnically cleansed Palestinian village." The song is a war anthem from the 80s.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Palestinian org.: Israeli poem read by Pelosi 'romanticizes Israeli settlement'

Divas hosted debauched salons on them, and a Nobel laureate wrote a novel on one. “They’re a kind of romantic dream,” one well-known writer said. “They’re so much a part of the heritage of Cairo.”..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Egypt Destroys Nile Houseboats, Washing Away a Living Lore

New research supports the connection between eating one egg per day and a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Does an egg a day keep the doctor away?

Saudi Arabia’s citizen unemployment rate fell to the lowest since 2008 as economic growth surged on the back of higher oil revenue.Joblessness was at 10.1 percent in the first quarter, down from 11 percent in the final three months of last year.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The rate reached 5.1 percent for male citizens and 20.2 percent for female citizens, according to data published Thursday by the Kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics.The economy of the world’s largest crude exporter grew nearly 10 percent in the first quarter, buoyed by higher oil prices and production. The non-oil economy, the engine of job creation, expanded 3.7 percent.Citizen unemployment peaked at over 15 percent at the height of the pandemic in mid-2020 and has since fallen almost every quarter.Yet even in a booming job market, the labor participation rate for Saudi citizens fell by 1.4 percentage point from the fourth quarter to 50.1 percent in the first three months of this year.Read more:Saudis constitute 63.6 pct of 34 mln population; 8.6 pct fall in number of expatsSaudi Arabia: Mecca, Medina ready to serve Hajj pilgrims with 41 pct more 5G towersSaudi Arabia confirms July 9 as Eid al-Adha date after moon sighting
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia lowest since 2008 as economy booms

Private sector employees in the United Arab Emirates will get a four day holiday for Eid al-Adha starting from July 8 to July 11, with work set to resume on July 12, according to a statement.The announcement was made by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Federal government workers in the UAE will also share the same long weekend for the Eid-al-Adha holiday, officials announced on Thursday.The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources said the holiday for government employees will run from Friday July 8 until Monday July 11, with work to resume Tuesday July 12, the Emirates news agency (WAM) reported.It comes after the first day of Eid al-Adha was declared to begin on July 9 following the sighting of the crescent moon in Saudi Arabia at the Tamir observatory.The Muslim holiday of sacrifice falls during the lunar month of Dhu Al-Hijjah, which begins on June 30, marking the month when the Hajj pilgrimage takes place.Muslims mark Eid al-Adha by buying sheep and goats to slaughter then distribute to the needy. This annual ritual stems from the story of the prophet Abraham, commanded by God to slaughter his son Ismaeel as a test of his faith.Read more:Saudi Arabia confirms July 9 as Eid al-Adha date after moon sightingEid al-Adha holiday announced for UAE federal workers
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE announces Eid al-Adha holiday dates for employees in private sector