Middle East Experience

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has inaugurated Israel’s embassy in Abu Dhabi, his first task in his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Lapid opens Israeli Embassy to UAE

Israel’s new foreign minister inaugurated its embassy in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and offered an olive branch to other former adversaries, saying: “We’re here to stay.”During his two-day visit, the first to the Gulf power by an Israeli cabinet minister since the countries established ties last year, Yair Lapid was also due to inaugurate a consulate in Dubai and sign a bilateral agreement on economic cooperation.The trip is an opportunity for the two-week-old Israeli government of Naftali Bennett, a nationalist who heads an improbable cross-partisan coalition, to make diplomatic inroads.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Israel wants peace with its neighbors - with all its neighbors. We aren’t going anywhere. The Middle East is our home,” Lapid said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Abu Dhabi high-rise office serving as a temporary embassy.“We’re here to stay. We call on all the countries of the region to recognize that,” he said, according to a transcript.Brought together by shared worries about Iran and hopes for commercial boons, the UAE and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel last year under so-called “Abraham Accords” crafted by the then US administration of President Donald Trump.Sudan and Morocco have since also cultivated Israel ties.Tuesday’s agreement will be the 12th between Israel and the UAE, Lior Haiat, spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, said. Lapid is also set to visit the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, a world fair opening in October where Israel has built a pavilion.The UAE formally opened its embassy in Israel, temporarily located in the Tel Aviv stock exchange, to little fanfare this month.Signaling Israel’s haste to cement relations, the Abu Dhabi embassy still has only three diplomats and a head of mission, Eitan Naveh, who has yet to be confirmed as full ambassador.The consulate in Dubai is similarly located in temporary premises.Lapid was also conciliatory toward former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose attempts to organize a trip to the UAE while in office were scotched by COVID-19 restrictions and who has sought to cast his ouster by Bennett as illegitimate.Thanking Netanyahu as “the architect of the Abraham Accords and who worked tirelessly to bring them about,” Lapid said: “This moment is his, no less than it is ours.”The Israeli foreign minister also thanked Trump and US President Joe Biden, who has pledged to try to expand the circle of Arab and Muslim countries that recognize Israel.Read more:Israel-based i24News channel to open office in Dubai Media CityBahrain in touch with Israel’s new government to learn about peace policy: MinisterBiden says effort to restore calm in Middle East is a ‘work in progress’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Israel inaugurates new embassy in Abu Dhabi during FM’s first UAE visit

A Yemeni government official said Tuesday that the Iran-backed Houthi militia fired two missiles in a government-held city killing at least three people, including a child.The missiles landed in the Rawdha neighborhood in the central city of Marib, according to Ali al-Ghulisi, the provincial governor’s press secretary.At least 10 other people, including two children, were wounded in the attack, al-Ghulisi said.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.A Houthi spokesman was not immediately available for comment.Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when the Iranian-backed Houthis swept across much of the north and seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. The Arab Coalition entered the war the following year on the side of the government. The war has killed more than 130,000 people and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.Tuesday’s missiles landed in the same neighborhood where a Houthi missile and explosive-laden drone attack hit a gas station earlier this month, killing at least 21 people, including a father and his 2-year-old daughter.Iran-backed Houthis have been attempting since February to capture Marib from the internationally recognized government.However, they have not made substantial progress and have suffered heavy losses amid stiff resistance from government forces backed by the Arab coalition.The Houthis have fired ballistic missiles and sent drones into Marib, often hitting civilian areas and camps for displaced people.More than 120 civilians have been killed, including 15 children, and more than 220 wounded in Marib in the past six months, according to the government.Read more:Arab coalition destroys explosive-laden drone fired by Yemen’s HouthisDanger and demons: Yemen’s mysterious ‘Well of Hell’US officials condemn Iran-backed Houthis for blocking peace efforts in Yemen
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Houthi missiles hit key city in Yemen, killing three people, including child

Many countries from China to Indonesia and Brazil rely heavily on Chinese vaccines to inoculate their people against COVID-19, but there are growing concerns about whether they provide enough protection against the Delta variant, first identified in India.Below are views from China’s health experts about the effectiveness of home-grown vaccines against the Delta, which is becoming the globally dominant variant, and virus preventive measures China is taking.Do Chinese vaccines work against Delta?China has not provided vaccine effectiveness results against the variant based on large-scale data in clinical trials or real-world use, nor offered detailed information from lab tests, but Chinese experts are urging people to get inoculated as soon as possible.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The lack of detailed data on the Chinese vaccines against the Delta has hobbled any meaningful peer reviews by foreign experts.Researchers found that Chinese vaccines are somewhat effective in reducing the risk of symptomatic and severe cases caused by Delta, Zhong Nanshan, a epidemiologist who helped shape China’s COVID-19 response, told reporters.It is based on analysis of infections in Guangzhou city, and Zhong told Reuters the results are preliminary and the sample size is small.Sinovac spokesman Liu Peicheng told Reuters preliminary results based on blood samples from those vaccinated with its shot showed a three-fold reduction in neutralizing effect against the Delta.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.He said a booster shot following the two dose-based regimen could quickly elicit stronger and more durable antibody reaction against the Delta. However, he didn’t provide detailed data.Antibodies triggered by two Chinese vaccines are less effective against the Delta compared with other variants, Feng Zijian, former deputy director at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told state media last week.Feng did not provide details including the name of the two vaccines.The shots could still offer protection, since none of those vaccinated in southern Guangdong province, where China’s first cases of the Delta variant were found, developed severe symptoms. All severe cases are from unvaccinated people.Jin Dong-Yan, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, said Feng’s comment alone is not enough to back up the claim that Chinese vaccines are effective against severe cases, as more data is needed.Indonesia, which has reported record daily cases recently due to a surge in the Delta variant, saw hundreds of medical workers infected by the COVID-19 despite being vaccinated with Sinovac’s shot, officials said earlier this month.It was not immediately clear, however, if the Indonesian medical workers were infected by the Delta variant.How do they compare with western shots?A study by Public Health England (PHE) found in May the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 88 percent effective against symptomatic disease from the Delta two weeks after the second dose.That compared with 93 percent effectiveness against the Alpha variant, first identified in Britain.Two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were 60 percent effective against symptomatic disease from the Delta compared with 66 percent effectiveness against the Alpha, PHE said.There is no substantial data showing how protective Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is, and U.S. infectious disease experts are weighing the need for booster shots using mRNA vaccines.How severe was the Guangdong outbreak?Guangdong, China’s major manufacturing and export hub, became the country’s biggest cluster of Delta cases since reporting its first locally transmitted Delta variant infection in May.The Delta infections included 146 cases in Guangdong’s capital Guangzhou and several cases from the southern tech hub of Shenzhen and nearby Dongguan city.No new domestic transmissions of any variant have been reported in the province from June 22.What China has done?Guangdong, which has 126 million people, has fast-tracked its vaccination effort since the outbreak. It had administered just 39.15 million doses as of May 19, but the number shot up to 101.12 million by June 20.Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan quickly sealed off neighborhoods where those who were infected and their contacts visited and launched multiple rounds of mass testing, following the protocols observed during previous outbreaks.The cities also required those travelling out of the province to show proof of negative COVID-19 test results.Zhong, the epidemiologist, said that without effective control measures 7.3 million people in Guangzhou city would have been infected in the first 20 to 30 days after the initial case.Read more:Explainer: What is the Delta variant of COVID-19 with K417N mutation?Hong Kong to ban passenger flights from UK to curb new COVID-19 variantsDelta COVID-19 variant infects some fully vaccinated adults in Israel: Report
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Explainer: Are Chinese COVID-19 vaccines effective against the Delta variant?

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Matera, Italy on Tuesday.During the meeting, the two officials discussed details of strategic partnerships between the two countries, according to Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry. The pair also spoke about the ways in which they could provide support to each other in a bid to further strengthen their ties in several other avenues and to serve the greater good.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The foreign mister and secretary spoke about strengthening their joint coordination on dealing with Iran and its subversive interference in the region, as well as its financing of Houthi militias in Yemen and other extremist militant groups that threaten international security and peace.In addition to this, the discussion also featured some of the most prominent topics discussed at the meeting of foreign ministers of the G20 countries.The G20 meeting marked a push in the direction of returning to normalcy as the group of foreign ministers met for the first time in two years on Tuesday, with host Italy aiming to push multilateral cures for global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.The one-day gathering in the southern Italian city of Matera is expected to include debate on how to improve cooperation on global health, climate change and international trade, among others.In a sharp reversal from the previous US administration, Blinken emphasized the need for multilateral institutions as foreign ministers from the Group of 20 major economies met in the ancient Italian city of Matera.“Multilateral cooperation will be key to our collective ability to stop this global health crisis,” said Blinken, winding down a week-long trip to Europe.“That’s also true for the work we must do to strengthen global health security moving forward so we can detect, prevent and respond better to future health emergencies.”The talks will prepare for a G20 leaders’ meeting in October in Rome that is expected to see the first summit between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping amid soaring tensions between the world’s two largest economies.With China participating virtually in Matera, Tuesday’s conference was focused more on general themes but marked a major US shift following the defeat of former president Donald Trump, who belittled international institutions as part of his “America First” philosophy.With agenciesRead more:Saudi Arabia’s FM and IAEA chief discuss Iran’s nuclear programSaudi Arabia devoted all its efforts to confront COVID-19: Deputy FMPolitical solution only way to resolve Syrian crisis: Saudi FM
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal, US Secretary Blinken meet in Italy for G20 

The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran told Reuters that his office had collected evidence of the mass executions to share with the UN Human Rights Council.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: UN's Iran investigator calls for inquiry on Raisi's role in 1988 executions

The top leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas held talks in Beirut on Tuesday about last month’s 11-day war with Israel in the Gaza Strip..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Nasrallah, Hamas chief talk recent Gaza war in Beirut

The World Bank said this month that the crisis is one of the worst in modern history.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Lebanese government raises fuel price

A U.S. State Department czar should lead a campaign to stop China and Russia from gaining control of multilateral agencies..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Biden Needs an International Organizations Strategy

The UN investigator on human rights in Iran has called for an independent inquiry into allegations of state-ordered executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and the role played by President-elect Ebrahim Raisi as Tehran deputy prosecutor.Javaid Rehman, in an interview with Reuters on Monday, said that over the years his office has gathered testimonies and evidence. It was ready to share them if the United Nations Human Rights Council or other body sets up an impartial investigation.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.He said he was concerned at reports that some “mass graves” are being destroyed as part of a continuing cover-up.“I think it is time and it’s very important now that Mr. Raisi is the president (-elect) that we start investigating what happened in 1988 and the role of individuals,” Rehman said from London, where he teaches Islamic law and international law.A probe was in the interest of Iran and could bring closure to families, he said, adding: “Otherwise we will have very serious concerns about this president and the role, the reported role, he has played historically in those executions.”Raisi’s office could not be reached for comment. The office of the spokesman of the Iranian judiciary was not immediately available to comment. Iran’s missions to the United Nations in both New York and in Geneva did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Raisi, a hardline judge, is under US sanctions over a past that includes what theUS and activists say was his involvement as one of four judges who oversaw the 1988 killings. Amnesty International has put the number executed at some 5,000, saying in a 2018 report that “the real number could be higher”.Raisi, when asked about allegations that he was involved in the killings, told reporters: “If a judge, a prosecutor has defended the security of the people, he should be praised ... I am proud to have defended human rights in every position I have held so far.”Rehman said: “We have made communications to the Islamic Republic of Iran because we have concerns that there is again a policy to actually destroy the graves or there may be some activity to destroy evidence of mass graves.”“I will campaign for justice to be done,” he added. ARRESTS, INTIMIDATIONRaisi succeeds Hassan Rouhani on Aug. 3, having secured victory this month in an election marked by voter apathy over economic hardships and political restrictions.Rehman denounced what he called “deliberate and manipulative strategies adopted to exclude moderate candidates and to ensure the success of a particular candidate”.“There were arrests, journalists were stopped from asking specific questions about the background of the presidential candidate Mr Raisi and there was intimidation towards any issues that were raised about his previous role and background.”Iran has never acknowledged that mass executions took place under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the revolutionary leader who died in 1989.“The scale of executions that we hear imply that it was a part of a policy that was being pursued...It was not just one person,” Rehman said.He said there had also been “no proper investigation” into the killing of protesters in Nov. 2019, the bloodiest political unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.“Even by conservative estimates we can say that more than 300 people were killed arbitrarily, extrajudicially, and nobody has been held accountable and no compensation,” he said.“There is a widespread and systemic impunity in the country for gross violations of human rights, both historically in the past as well as in the present.”Read more:Iran will never get a nuclear weapon, US President Biden tells Israeli counterpartUS hits rocket launching positions after Iran-backed militias attack base in SyriaAnalysis: US sends warning to Iran with weekend strikes, but escalation unlikely
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UN investigator on human rights backs probe into Iran’s 1988 killings, Raisi’s role