Middle East Experience

'When Israel is singled out because of anti-Jewish hatred that is anti-Semitism,' Vice President Harris plans to say at an upcoming ADL conference.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Kamala Harris to condemn 'anti-Jewish' demonization of Israel

Organizations advocating for state-recognized halacha qualifications for women insist that ministry immediately open examinations.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Religious Services Min. proposes new body to run women's halacha exams

Iran will not stop advancing its nuclear program until it is confident the US will lift all sanctions imposed on Tehran under former President Donald Trump in a “verifiable” manner, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday.“Iran will not stop its [nuclear] retaliatory actions until it is confident” all US sanctions imposed on Tehran following Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal under Trump in 2018 “will be lifted at once and in an effective and verifiable manner with the necessary guarantees,” state media quoted Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Iran began breaching the deal gradually in 2019 in response to Trump’s withdrawal from the deal the previous year and Washington’s reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.Indirect talks between the US and Iran aimed at reviving the accord, which have been stalled since June, are set to resume in Vienna on November 29.Khatibzadeh reiterated Iran’s demand that Washington must provide guarantees that it will not leave the deal again in the future.Iran’s deputy foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani will travel to Berlin, London and Paris this week to discuss the upcoming talks, Khatibzadeh said.Read more:Iran begins annual war games ahead of nuke talks with WestIran marks anniversary of 1979 takeover of US Embassy with demonstrationsFrance leaves door open for IAEA action against Iran
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran says will continue nuclear advances unless US lifts all Trump-era sanctions

A drone attack that targeted the Iraqi prime minister on Sunday was carried out by at least one Iran-backed militia group, Iraqi security officials and sources close to the militias said.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The sources, who spoke to Reuters on Monday condition of anonymity, said the drones and explosives used in the attack were Iranian-made.A spokesperson for one Iran-aligned paramilitary group declined to comment immediately on the attack and who carried it out. Other Iran-backed groups could not be reached immediately for comment, and there was no immediate comment from the government in Tehran.Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unhurt from the attack on his residence in Baghdad, which was carried out using explosives-laden drone.Read more:Iraqi PM al-Kadhimi says he knows those behind assassination bid, will pursue themIraq PM speaks out after attempted assassination, photos show attack aftermathIraq military: PM targeted in failed ‘assassination’ attempt, drone struck his house
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran-backed militia used Iranian-made drones in attack on Iraqi PM: Sources

The head of Iran’s Quds Force, Brig. Gen. Esmail Ghaani, arrived in Baghdad on Sunday where he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi whose residence was attacked earlier the same day, a pro-Iran TV station reported on Monday.Ghaani urged against “any action that threatens the security of Iraq” during his meetings with al-Kadhimi and other Iraqi figures, Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen TV reported citing unnamed sources.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Quds Force, which Ghaani heads, is the arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that controls its allied militias abroad, including in Iraq.Al-Kadhimi escaped unharmed after a drone laden with explosives targeted his residence in Baghdad early on Sunday in what officials called an attempted assassination. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.Citing Iraqi security officials and sources close to Iran-backed militias, Reuters reported on Monday the attack on al-Kadhimi was carried out by at least one Iran-backed militia group using Iranian-made drones and explosives.Ghaani “stressed the need to meet the demands of the people and protesters legally,” al-Mayadeen said, in reference to supporters of Iran-backed militias that are contesting last month’s election result.The attack on al-Kadhimi came two days after clashes in Baghdad between government forces and supporters of Iran-backed groups that lost about two-thirds of their parliamentary seats following the October 10 vote.“What pro-Iran forces did not win at the ballot-box, they are trying to take through intimidation and escalation,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said.Al-Kadhimi said on Sunday that those behind the attack were well known and would be exposed.“The use of drones, coupled with the political backdrop of protests should be a dead giveaway as to who was behind the attack,” Ben Taleblu said, referring to Iran.“The recent assassination attempt exposes the importance of having a counter Iran strategy in the region, which is currently missing in action. It also underscores the imperative of countering and defeating the Iran-backed drone threat in the Middle East,” he added.Read more:Iran-backed militia used Iranian-made drones in attack on Iraqi PM: SourcesIraqi PM al-Kadhimi says he knows those behind assassination bid, will pursue themIraq PM speaks out after attempted assassination, photos show attack aftermath
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran Quds Force chief meets Iraqi PM in Baghdad after assassination attempt: Report

Mustafa al-Kadhimi says he knows who was behind Sunday's drone attack on his Baghdad home..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iraq PM says his would-be assassins have been identified

Tensions between the US and Turkey are arguably at an all-time high. Both analysts and officials believe that the status-quo could remain until the 2023 elections in Ankara, with the result of potentially diminishing Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s role.The frustration with Turkey has become bipartisan in Washington, and US law gives the Biden administration little room to maneuver with regards to Ankara’s appetite for more engagement with Russia and other US adversaries.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Additionally, the overwhelming narrative among US lawmakers and officials is one of irritation from Turkey’s recent actions.Ties have been severely damaged due to Erdogan’s decision to acquire Russia’s S-400 missile system. Not only did the move force US sanctions, but it also drew the ire of NATO member states.Erdogan cozies up to RussiaMember states said that Moscow would be able to collect intelligence on the F-35 program, which is incompatible with Russia’s S-400s.Nevertheless, Erdogan has upped his rhetoric against the US and the Biden administration, saying he wanted to increase Ankara’s defense relationship with Russia. He has repeatedly said he will not back down from buying more Russian weapons or S-400s.The Turkish president even accused Washington of supporting terrorists in reference to US support for Kurdish forces in Syria. He has demanded some sort of compensation for the $1.4 billion payment made for the F-35s. He has said Turkey wanted F-16 fighter jets and an upgrade to its existing fleet in return for the money paid.During a meeting with US President last week, Erdogan claimed that Biden said he would “do his best,” but that there was a “fifty-fifty chance” it would pass through Senate and Congress. While Erdogan described his meeting with Biden as positive, the US president’s new envoy to Ankara told lawmakers in his confirmation hearing that more sanctions would come if Turkey bought more Russian weapons.Post-Erdogan TurkeyAs Erdogan’s provocative steps and threats to act against the West show little sign of easing, such as the recent vow to expel 10 ambassadors, analysts and US officials are eyeing a post-Erdogan period.“For the time being, there seems to be silent but concerted efforts to contain the Erdogan government’s belligerence,” said Aykan Erdemir, senior director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).“In the United States, there is a strong bipartisan sentiment that as long as Erdogan holds the reins of power, there is limited opportunity to put bilateral relations back on track and bring Turkey back into the NATO fold,” Erdemir, also a former member of the Turkish parliament, told Al Arabiya English.US diplomats and officials have privately said there is a need to remember that there will be a post-Erdogan period in Turkey. “We need to keep that in the back of our minds, while also remembering that Turkey is a very important geostrategic ally,” one official, speaking on condition of anonymity said.Parliamentary and presidential elections are slated for 2023.“If Turkey’s big-tent opposition bloc succeeds in winning the 2023 parliamentary and presidential elections, there will be significant opportunities to welcome Turkey back into the Western alliance through economic, diplomatic, and defense incentives,” Erdemir said.“The short-term goal of Turkey’s NATO allies is to prevent Turkey’s further drift away from transatlantic values into Russia’s sphere of influence,” the former Turkish lawmaker said.The risk of Turkey breaking away for good seems farfetched, as does Washington’s appetite to completely decouple.Turkey’s ongoing economic reliance on the West, plus its membership in a long list of Western multilateral institutions, will keep it anchored in the transatlantic alliance.Erdemir said this would also allow Ankara to repair the damage caused by Erdogan’s two-decade rule.Democratic declineLawmakers have been at the forefront of blocking US arms sales to Turkey for several reasons. The head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Menendez, has been at the “helm of focusing Washington’s attention to the democratic decline in Turkey for the last several years,” the senator’s communications director told Al Arabiya English.During the confirmation for Jeff Flake, Biden’s nominee to be the next envoy to Turkey, Menendez lashed out at Erdogan’s “repressive tactics.” The top senator said an ambassador “who will not hesitate to hold Turkey accountable and will push it to live up to the principles that undergird NATO membership” was needed.And during a July 21 hearing on US policy toward Turkey, Menendez said Erdogan has “tragically shredded” his country’s democratic journalists.“Erdogan sees his country as on par with the great powers of the world. It’s not,” Menendez said.And in what was an allusion to the post-Erdogan Turkey period, Menendez said: “The region and the world needs a stable and democratic Turkey. Under Erdogan, such a future is but a dim hope.”Read more: US President Biden singles out Turkey for undermining fight against ISIS in Syria
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Analysis: US eyes post-Erdogan Turkey as tensions simmer

The vegan leather shoes worn at Kornit Fashion Week were printed with ink made with Kornit technology.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Nova Milan debuts revolutionary sustainable shoes at Kornit Fashion Week

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah issued two royal decrees pardoning some political dissidents, the speaker of parliament, Marzouk al-Ghanim, said in remarks published on parliament’s Twitter account on Monday..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: With eyes on much-needed reform, Kuwait moves to end political stand-off

His fourth presidential term is a frightening prospect for a nation beset by a grave human rights crisis..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Ortega’s re-election augurs a terrible new cycle for human rights in Nicaragua