Middle East Experience

Iraq’s top court on Tuesday confirmed the re-election of Mohammed al-Halbousi as parliament speaker,..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iraq’s top court upholds re-election of Halbousi, parliament to reconvene

United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on a state visit to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, in an effort to bolster ties amid “attempts to destabilize” Arab countries, according to the Egyptian presidency.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The visit comes after the Iran-backed Houthi militia launched several attacks towards the UAE capital on January 17 and January 24.Al-Sisi intended to “[consult] and [coordinate] on the latest regional developments, in light of what the current stage requires of concerted efforts to protect Arab national security and to counter attempts to destabilize the security and stability of Arab countries,” a statement from Egypt’s presidency read.An official reception ceremony took place at the al-Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi, where Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the president, who received a 21-gun salute, the UAE’s official WAM news agency reported.The two leaders discussed historical ties, and “aspects of the close and extended bilateral relations between Egypt and the UAE,” the Egyptian presidency said.The Houthi militia killed three foreign nationals with a drone strike that targeted an ADNOC facility in Abu Dhabi on January 17.They separately struck Abu Dhabi’s airport, causing a fire but no casualties.On Monday, the Houthis launched ballistic missiles at Abu Dhabi, which were intercepted before finding their targets.Read more: Massive fire breaks out in El Gouna Film Festival site in EgyptDubai Expo 2020: Ancient pharaonic coffin arrives at Egypt PavilionEgypt’s President Sisi is moving to thaw relations with Israel, reap economic rewards
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Al-Sisi visits UAE to bolster relations amid ‘attempts to destabilize’ Arab countries

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said on Wednesday that his nation welcomes last week’s Kuwaiti proposal of confidence-building measures to end a diplomatic rift with Gulf states.Aoun added on Twitter that the answers to the initiative will be conveyed by Lebanon’s foreign minister to the Arab ministerial meeting in Kuwait.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.On Saturday, Kuwait’s foreign minister said his visit to Lebanon was to rebuild trust with the country and show solidarity with the Lebanese people, adding that the move had been coordinated with other Gulf countries.Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad al-Sabah’s visit to Beirut was the first by a senior Gulf Arab official since a diplomatic rift over comments made by a former Lebanese minister that were critical of Saudi Arabia’s role in the Yemen war.Read more:Lebanon draft budget applies range of FX rates: Official sourceVisit aims to rebuild trust with Lebanon: Kuwait foreign ministerLebanon’s currency plummets again amid financial crisis and political deadlock
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: President Aoun says Lebanon welcomes Kuwaiti initiative

The US is “very concerned” about Lebanon’s energy crisis and supports a plan to increase electricity in the crisis-struck country, a senior State Department official said, noting that none of the planned projects would support rehabilitating the Assad regime.Under a World Bank proposal, backed by the United States, two plans would see Egypt and Jordan sell natural gas and electricity to Lebanon via Syria.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.But the deal would require transit fees being paid to the Assad regime, which has had crippling Caesar Act sanctions prevent foreign countries and companies from dealing with the Syrian government as a result of its war crimes.The deal was first reported by Al Arabiya English last summer and later confirmed by the US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea.It also comes when multiple Arab countries are reestablishing contact with the Syrian government, including a trip by the UAE’s foreign minister to Damascus and Bahrain’s appointment of an ambassador to Syria for the first time in ten years.Asked about potential sanctions waivers or the ability for the deal to bolster Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the US official said no Caesar Act sanctions would be lifted or waived “in this case, or any other case, for that matter.”Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official insisted: “We do not support efforts to normalize relations with Syria or rehabilitate Assad. And none of these projects that we are currently supportive of are designed to do so. Nor do we believe that they actually will do so.”With Lebanon suffering from one of the worst economic downfalls in history and very few hours of electricity per day, the official said the plans were “entirely intended” to support Lebanon and the Lebanese people. “And if we do not address the power shortages in Lebanon in the near term, there are great risks of continued degradation of the economy.”Jordan’s and Syria’s energy ministers are in Beirut to sign separate deals, while Egyptian officials are absent.Amman’s top diplomat was in Washington last week and reportedly received guarantees that his country would not be sanctioned for a deal that would pump excess electricity to Syria’s power grid and then to Lebanon.There appear to be a few reasons for the delay in the Egyptian gas export deal.One of the obstacles is the pipeline portion on the Lebanese territory, which is currently being worked on “right now,” the US official said.Another consideration is the need for the Lebanese government to implement specific reforms in the energy sector, which the official would not elaborate on.“We are not asking, and the World Bank is not asking, for the kinds of reforms that are not doable; we’re being very realistic,” the US official clarified, adding that they believed the Lebanese government would follow through. “I think they’re [Lebanon’s government] fully aware of what it means if this effort fails because of [the lack of reforms], and the price Lebanon will pay.”As for any potential timeline of Egyptian gas reaching Lebanon, the official said the contract needed to be finalized. “We’re about 98 percent there, but sometimes the last 2 percent could be the trickiest,” the official said.After the Lebanese government approves the needed reforms, the World Bank will approve the plan. Following this phase, the US Treasury Department needs to carry out a final review of the project for potential sanctions violations. “I think we should be okay.But that’s why this has been an effort to a very strict timeline and format and the contract is specifically there to address and ensure it doesn’t violate sanctions,” the US official said.The US has said it is looking for more sustainable solutions to Lebanon’s decades long electricity crisis. The most recent plan is expected to provide upwards of 10 hours of additional electricity per day, drawing some criticism over such a short additional period.However, the US official stressed that the plans were sustainable and had the potential to be long-lasting. This includes possibly injecting more gas from “Qatar and other places,” the official suggested.“This [first phase] is to get us out of the dark and get us into a process to build something that’s modular and increase over time.”“We have to start with something; I loathe to look at steps two and three, and we need step one first.”Separately, Amos Hochstein, the State Department’s senior advisor for global energy security, vehemently denied any deal between Lebanon and Israel related to the electricity and natural gas coming from Egypt.“There is no deal between Israel and Lebanon on gas from Israel to Lebanon, and no Israeli gas is intended to go into this system to get to Lebanon. I foresee no Israeli gas actually ending up in the Lebanese system, regardless of how we do this,” Hochstein recently stated.Lebanon-Israel maritime disputeHochstein was scheduled to visit Beirut and Tel Aviv this month, but coronavirus issues forced the trip to be rescheduled.At the heart of the dispute between the two countries, technically in a state of war, are close to 860 square kilometers of water where there are believed to be large swathes of natural gas reserves.Hochstein is expected to make the trip in the coming two weeks, despite pressing US issues, including Russian aggression on Ukraine threatening global energy supplies.He was last in Lebanon in October.Initially, Hochstein said he hoped to resolve the dispute by March when Lebanon was scheduled to hold parliamentary elections.But those elections have since been rescheduled for May.“We got some extra breathing room, but there is no doubt that this is a relatively short timeframe,” the senior State Department official said.The official said that US diplomats would not be traveling or involving themselves in such diplomacy if they did not believe two things: “How critically important and how doable it is.”The official remained tightlipped about the sticking points preventing reaching such a deal.“We have a window of opportunity, a moment in time, and we need to take advantage of this.”Read more: Lebanon’s former PM Hariri declares boycott of elections, stepping away from politicsUS-brokered maritime border talks with Lebanon to resume next week: Israel
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US ‘very concerned’ about Lebanon energy crisis

Saudi Arabia has launched a group to develop its video gaming industry, state media reported Wednesday, as the Gulf country seeks to diversify its predominantly oil-dependent economy.Video gaming and esports have grown in popularity in the Kingdom of some 35 million people, the majority of whom are under the age of 25.Saudi Arabia’s games market reached $1 billion in 2021, the highest value among the Arab countries of the Gulf, according to market researcher Niko Partners.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Saudi-backed Savvy Gaming Group, headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to be a “pioneer in the development of the gaming and esports industry locally and internationally,” according to the official Saudi Press Agency.The group, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), has acquired esports companies ESL Gaming and FACEIT, it said.The establishment of Savvy Gaming Group will contribute “to providing opportunities for development and for promoting diverse sources of economic income,” it added.The launch aims to “create opportunities for the growth and diversification of Saudi Arabia’s economy, to help achieve the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” according to a PIF statement.Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt are forecast to have a total of 85.8 million gamers generating $3.1 billion in revenue by 2025, said Niko Partners.Read more:Middle East sports industry to grow fastest in the post-pandemic world: ReportSaudi's Gamers Without Borders: Halfway point sees 30,000 more gamers than 2020
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia's PIF launches esports group, acquires ESL Gaming, FACEIT

Lebanon signed deals on Wednesday to purchase electricity from Jordan via Syria to help the small Mediterranean country deal with its crippling energy crisis..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanon signs deals to receive electricity from Jordan via Syria

For over 15 years, a yeshiva has existed illegally at the site, despite multiple evacuations.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Homesh yeshiva won’t be razed, Knesset House Chair states

The Saudi-led coalition used a precision-guided munition made in the United States in last week’s air strike on a detention centre in Sa’adah, north-western Yemen, which, according to Doctors without Borders, killed at least 80 people and injured over 200, Amnesty International said today. The laser-guided bomb used in the attack, manufactured by US defense ..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Yemen: US-made weapon used in air strike that killed scores in escalation of Saudi-led coalition attacks

The current battlefield setbacks prompted Yahai Sarei, a Houthi military spokesman, to threaten further attacks on the UAE..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: In setback for Houthis, government forces sweep through Marib

A group of MKs is pushing legislation that would allow bereaved families who have lost sons or husbands during military service to retrieve their sperm.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Using fallen IDF soldiers' sperm raises huge ethical dilemma - editorial