Middle East Experience

The meeting was postponed because Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wants to maintain channels of communication with the Israeli government.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Abbas calls off PLO parley to avoid ‘confrontation’ with Israel, US

The United Arab Emirates’ civil aviation regulator has opened an investigation into an aborted take-off by an Emirates airline passenger jet this month at Dubai airport, the carrier said on Saturday.It is the second inquiry launched into the airline in less than a month, after another passenger jet in December did not immediately increase its ascent after take-off. The flight landed safely.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.An Emirates spokesperson said that safety is its top priority and there was no aircraft damage or any injuries as a result of the aborted take off from Dubai on Jan. 9.The jet, carrying passengers to Hyderabad in India, was instructed to “reject take-off on departure,” which the spokesperson said was “completed successfully.”The General Civil Aviation Authority’s Air Accident Investigation Sector is investigating the incident, the spokesperson said. The airline is reviewing it too.FlightRadar24, a flight tracking website, has reported the Boeing 777 jet started its take-off while another 777 was crossing the runway. The take-off was aborted after the wide-body jet reached 100 knots, it said.The regulator is already investigating what Emirates has publicly described as a “technical incident” that took place on a Dec. 20 passenger flight from Dubai to Washington DC.Industry blog The Air Current, citing FlightRafar24, has reported the passenger jet did not immediately climb after it took off from Dubai, flying unusually low over a neighborhood.The flight landed safely in the United States.The GCAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the incidents.Read more:UAE says Emirates pilots did not monitor settings in 2016 crashIn license scandal, Pakistan opens probes into 50 pilots, 5 aviation officialsUAE seeks to verify credentials of Pakistani pilots and engineers in its airlines
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE regulator investigating aborted Emirates take-off at Dubai airport

Qatar has been working on mending ties with the North African country ever since the Ula Declaration was signed last year..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Anti-Sisi hashtags top trends on Qatari Twitter

In November, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed the first-ever defense and security memorandum of understanding with his Moroccan counterpart.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Algeria prepares for war with Morocco, panics due to Israel - report

The forward has said he will not attend or watch the games this winter, citing Qatar to be unfit to host the competition. The World Cup in Qatar has been criticised since the date of its announcement in 2010. Criticisms are sometimes ill-informed generalisations about Qatar’s lack of history as a footballing nation, allegations of ..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Eric Cantona accused of hypocrisy over Qatar World Cup boycott

In less than two week, two horrific accidents have left four IDF officers dead.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: It's time for and IDF mindset change - editorial

Jordan’s top diplomat touched down in Washington last week, where he held meetings with nearly all the top US officials in the Biden administration, making him the first Arab foreign minister to do so this year.It was also his boss, King Abdullah II, who was the first Arab head of state to visit Washington and meet US President Joe Biden after he was elected.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Ties between Washington and Amman were reportedly strained under the Trump administration, but they have been noticeably bolstered over the last 12 months.Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, on Thursday and described the meeting as “excellent.”Safadi also held sit-downs with various members of Congress and Pentagon officials.“As you know, we have strong bilateral ties. The US is the number one supporter of Jordan, and this aid helps us face challenges, including economic issues we face as a result of the various crises that surround us in the region,” Safadi told Al Arabiya during an interview from the Jordanian Embassy in Washington.“We work towards serving our national interests as well as working towards solving regional issues, which we need to work on collectively, and the Palestinian issue is at the forefront of these issues,” he said shortly before departing Washington.Apart from discussing ways to work together to find peaceful solutions to the various crises in the Middle East, the main focus of Safadi’s meeting with the top US diplomat was on a new bilateral agreement.The current agreement, which is set to expire later this year, saw the US assist Jordan with some $1.2 billion last year alone.An agreement is being worked on for a new memorandum of understanding and for US assistance to continue to Jordan.“Talks were good, and there is mutual interest from both countries to bolster coordination and ties, as well as to increase coordination to solve regional issues and face mutual obstacles,” Safadi added.Iran must stop interfering in Arab affairsAsked about previous comments made by Jordan’s king about a Shia crescent being formed in the Middle East, Safadi said: “The king was speaking from a political point of view, not a sectarian or religious manner, about Iran’s role in the region and any policies that harm Arab interests.”But Safadi said that all Arab partners want good ties with Iran.“However, to reach… amicable ties, we must discuss the reasons for the [unstable] Arab-Iranian ties. One of the reasons is Iran’s interference in the Arab region, and this interference must stop in order to build Arab-Iranian ties,” he said.PalestineBeing one of the first two Arab countries to normalize ties with Israel, Jordan has been called upon by the White House to help ease tensions that boiled over last year between Palestine and Israel.According to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, there are more than 2 million registered Palestinian refugees living in Jordan.The Palestinian-Israeli conflict was one of the main topics discussed during Safadi’s meetings with various US officials and lawmakers.Asked about efforts for peace, which were seemingly stalled over the last few years, Safadi said that there was no alternative to a two-state solution.The only other option would be a one-state solution, which is not viable because “it will institutionalize apartheid,” he said.Safadi noted that there were revived diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, referencing resumed US aid to Palestine and the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA).The Biden administration has repeatedly stated the need for a two-state solution and said it would reopen the Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem, declared by Israel as its capital.“We must build on this momentum,” Safadi said. “It’s an effort that we’re trying to all work on.”Safadi also referenced the renewed communication with Israel’s new government after former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu essentially closed all doors for diplomatic efforts on the matter.In an interview with CNN on Friday, he said the previous Israeli government “did a lot to make sure that nothing really worked…”Ties with the GulfTies between Jordan and Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, are strong, and all sides are working to strengthen cooperation and coordination, Safadi said.“The [Jordanian] King has repeatedly said that the security of the Gulf, and Saudi Arabia, is part of the security of Jordan,” the foreign minister said. “And we stand with our Gulf brothers in every step they take to protect their security and stability.”Referencing the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, Safadi said that Amman continues to condemn the terrorist attacks on Saudi Arabia.“We stand with [Saudi Arabia] to confront this challenge. And we stand by their efforts to reach a solution to the disastrous Yemen crisis… The Houthis must abide by the agreements they signed, including the Riyadh Agreement and others.”Safadi added: “Our security is one, our stability is one, and we work together to build a better future for our peoples.”Lebanon energy deal and Caesar Act sanctionsJordan’s struggling economy has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic and the continued presence of refugees from Syria and Palestine.During King Abdullah’s visit to Washington last summer, providing Lebanon with natural gas and electricity was discussed.This US-backed plan would see Egypt sell natural gas to Lebanon via the Arab Gas Pipeline and Jordan sell electricity to Lebanon via Syria.This would require transit fees to be paid to Syria, which is under crippling US sanctions to choke off the Assad regime from foreign money.Since last summer, Beirut, Amman, Cairo and Damascus have reached individual agreements for these plans.“Agreements have been completed, and there is coordination with the US administration to provide requested guarantees to ensure that there will not be any violation of Caesar Act sanctions,” he said.Safadi said that it was evident during his talks with US officials over the last week that they want to help Lebanon with this project. “The issue now is a technical one, and we hope that Lebanon will be quickly supplied with electricity and gas,” he said.Syria and the Assad regimeJordan is among several Arab countries that have reached out to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in recent months.King Abdullah held his first public phone call with Assad in a decade last year.Other Arab moves towards Assad included the UAE foreign minister flying to Damascus and meeting the Syrian president. Last month, Bahrain named its first ambassador to Syria in 10 years.Although the Biden administration has not openly welcomed any of these moves and advised against recognizing the Assad regime, Safadi said there needed to be a realistic approach to ending the yearslong war.“We want a solution that ensures the unity, independence and stability of Syria. How we reach a solution, we must be realistic,” he said.As for Syria being readmitted to the Arab League, the Jordanian diplomat said it was not his decision.“This is a decision for the Arab League and for all Arab countries to make.”Safadi also called for an end to all foreign military presence in Syria and lamented the significant decrease of international attention and aid to the plight of Syrian refugees and their host countries.In coordination with the US and other partners, Jordan is working to find new approaches to end the war, he said.Read more: Jordan’s King Abdullah receives first call from Assad since start of Syria war
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran needs to stop interfering in Arab affairs: Jordan’s FM

Lt.N was supposed to be questioned Thursday, but it was postponed due to his mental state.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Military Police to question officer who shot commanders on Sunday

Minister Eli Avidar, who was one of the leaders of the protests, called the demonstrators to also insist on a probe of the Submarine Affair. 
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Anti-Bibi plea deal protest held outside A-G's house

All the remaining hostages being held at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, were safely released on Saturday night more than ten hours after a gunman disrupted a religious service and began a tense stand-off with police.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Members of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team stormed the synagogue to free the three remaining hostages. The gunman was dead, Colleyville Police Chief Michael Miller said at a news conference.The gunman had initially taken four people hostage, including the rabbi, at the Congregation Beth Israel, officials said. One hostage was released unharmed six hours later.Local reporters said they heard the sound of explosions, possibly flashbangs, and the sound of gunfire shortly before Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the crisis was over.“Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe,” Abbott said on Twitter. The FBI said they have confirmed the identity of the gunman but said they would not yet disclose it. The FBI declined to confirm the cause of his death, saying it was still under investigation.The Colleyville Police Department said it first responded to the synagogue with SWAT teams in response to emergency calls beginning at about 10:41 a.m. during the Shabbat service, which was being broadcast online. FBI negotiators soon opened contact with the man, who said he wanted to speak to a woman held in a federal prison.No injuries were reported among the hostages.In the first few hours, the man could be heard having a one-sided conversation in what appeared to be a phone call during a Facebook livestream of the service of the Reform Jewish synagogue in Colleyville, which is about 16 miles (26 km) northeast of Fort Worth. The livestream cut off around 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT).Before the livestream was ended, the man could be heard ranting and talking about religion and his sister, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The man could be heard repeatedly saying he didn’t want to see anyone hurt and that he believed he was going to die, the newspaper said.President Joe Biden was briefed on the crisis, and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Twitter he was praying for the safety of the hostages.Barry Klompus, a member of the congregation since it opened in 1999, said he tuned into the livestream.“It was horrible listening and watching,” Klompus said in a telephone interview.A U.S. official briefed on the matter told ABC News the hostage-taker had claimed to be the brother of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year U.S. prison sentence for her 2010 conviction for shooting at soldiers and FBI agents, and that he is demanding she be freed.Siddiqui is being held at a federal prison in the Fort Worth area. A lawyer representing Siddiqui, Marwa Elbially, told CNN in a statement the man was not Siddiqui’s brother. He implored the man to release the hostages, saying Siddiqui’s family condemned his “heinous” actions.The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a U.S. Muslim advocacy group, condemned the man’s actions.“This latest antisemitic attack on Jewish Americans worshipping at a synagogue is an act of pure evil,” CAIR said in a statement.Klompus said he did not know of any significant previous threats to the congregation.“We don’t have a security officer on staff but we have what I would say is a very good relationship with the local police,” he said.Read more: Several arrests over German synagogue attack threat on Yom KippurTwo dead, dozens hurt in Israeli synagogue accident: Ambulance serviceAfter Israel deal, Bahrain’s Jews seek to revive community with new rabbi, synagogue
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Texas synagogue suspect is ‘deceased’: Police chief