Middle East Experience

Israel should harbor no illusions and realize that oftentimes "being smart, not right” will make absolutely no difference on the ground.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Jerusalem, Gaza: Key takeaways from Israel-Palestinian violence - analysis

“Our staff is receiving the injured in the emergency room while their families are at home in complete uncertainty,” doctor tells 'Post.'
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Nursery in a bomb shelter: Ashkelon hospital gears up for rockets

The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs confirmed Eid Al Fitr will start on Thursday..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar to celebrate Eid Al Fitr on Thursday – Doha News | Qatar

Iran is still the “greatest, single threat” to stability in the region, the top US general for the Middle East said Tuesday.“And they still pursue a wide variety of malign activities, both directly and through proxies, that threaten not only us but our friends and partners across the region,” head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Frank McKenzie told Al Arabiya during a televised interview.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Despite the continued malign activities of Iran and its proxies across the region, Washington is not looking for war with Iran.“What we would like for them to do is actually return to the family of nations in a responsible manner,” the US general said, noting the current nuclear talks in Vienna between US and Iranian officials via European, Russian and Chinese mediators.The Biden administration, which has been adamant on reaching a nuclear deal with Iran, is currently engaging indirectly with Tehran. But McKenzie warned: “While our diplomats do their work … it’s not in Iran’s interest to disturb this to some kind of military adventure.”McKenzie added that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to options of dealing with Iran and any potential attacks it may carry out on US interests.IraqIranian-backed militias continue to target bases in Iraq that host US forces and contractors.US troops are in Iraq at the invitation of the government in Baghdad to help fight ISIS.McKenzie said Iran had tried and was continuing its attempts to push US troops out of Iraq by carrying out attacks through its proxies and militias. “I believe we’re going to be able to stay in Iraq … and the future will be decided between the United States and the government of Iraq, not by some third party like Iran,” he said.AfghanistanAsked about the decision by President Joe Biden to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, McKenzie said the military was “fully committed” to carrying out the orders.Once US troops leave, the government of Afghanistan and its security forces will be responsible for protesting the US Embassy.He also reiterated previous comments about the uphill battle Afghani forces would face in dealing with the Taliban and defending themselves. “It will be a very difficult fight for the military; we will do everything we can to help them, but we will no longer be in the country and able to stand behind them there.”As for the peace deal, which was previously agreed between the US under the Trump administration and the Taliban, McKenzie said the latter had not negotiated in good faith. “The Taliban has been committed to fighting throughout the entire process,” he said.SyriaWith an estimated troop count of less than 1,000 in Syria, McKenzie said the goal of US presence in Syria was to “finish the destruction of ISIS, working with our [Syrian Democratic Forces] SDF partners up and down the Euphrates River Valley.“That’s the beginning and end of our mission there,” he said.Read more: Republican lawmakers demand answers from Biden officials on Iran-related sanctions
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran is ‘greatest, single threat’ to stability in Middle East: US general

Hostilities between Hamas and Israel escalated on Tuesday, with no imminent end to the violence as the Hamas leader said Israel had “ignited fire in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa and the flames extended to Gaza, therefore, it is responsible for the consequences.” Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister warned that the militant group would “pay a very heavy price.”Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised speech that Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations had been in contact urging calm but that Hamas’ message to Israel was: “If they want to escalate, the resistance is ready, if they want to stop, the resistance is ready.”“If (Israel) wants to escalate, we are ready for it, and if it wants to stop, we’re also ready,” Haniyeh, who currently lives outside the strip, said in a televised address.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Earlier, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu warned that militants in the Gaza Strip would “pay a very heavy price,” for the rockets, which reached the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday during a holiday in Israel commemorating its capture of East Jerusalem in a 1967 war.“We are at the height of a weighty campaign,” Netanyahu said in televised remarks alongside his Defense Minister and military chief Benny Gantz. “Hamas and Islamic Jihad paid ... and will pay a very heavy price for their belligerence ... their blood is forfeit.”For his part, Gantz said Israeli strikes so far on Palestinian targets in Gaza were “just the beginning,” after Hamas fired rockets toward Tel Aviv.“There are many targets,” to hit in Gaza, Gantz said following Israeli strikes on hundreds of targets in the territory since Monday evening.“This is just the beginning,” he said. “Terror organizations have been hit hard and will continue to be hit because of their decision to hit Israel. We’ll return peace and quiet, for the long term.”Read more:Israel strikes lead to 26 Palestinian deaths, while Hamas rockets kill two IsraelisIsraeli energy pipeline hit in Gaza rocket attack: Media reportsClashes in east Jerusalem ahead of court case on Palestinians’ eviction
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Hamas chief, Israel’s Netanyahu threaten to escalate violence

Hostilities between Israel and Hamas escalated on Wednesday, with at least 35 killed in Gaza and five in Israel in the most intensive aerial exchanges for years.Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza into Wednesday morning, as the Islamist group and other Palestinian militants fired multiple rocket barrages at Tel Aviv and Beersheba.One multi-story residential building in Gaza collapsed and another was heavily damaged after they were repeatedly hit by Israeli air strikes.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Israel said its jets had targeted and killed several Hamas intelligence leaders early on Wednesday. Other strikes targeted what the military said were rocket launch sites, Hamas offices and the homes of Hamas leaders.It was the heaviest offensive between Israel and Hamas since a 2014 war in Gaza, and prompted international concern that the situation could spiral out of control.UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland tweeted: “Stop the fire immediately. We’re escalating towards a full scale war. Leaders on all sides have to take the responsibility of de-escalation.“The cost of war in Gaza is devastating & is being paid by ordinary people. UN is working w/ all sides to restore calm. Stop the violence now,” he wrote.Gazans homes shook and the sky lit up from Israeli attacks, outgoing rockets and Israeli air defense missiles intercepting them. At least 30 explosions were heard within a matter of minutes just after dawn on Wednesday.Israelis ran for shelters or flattened themselves on pavements in communities more than 70 kilometer (45 miles) up the coast and into southern Israel amid sounds of explosions as interceptor missiles streaked into the sky.In the mixed Arab-Jewish town of Lod, near Tel Aviv, two people were killed after a rocket hit a vehicle in the area. Lod and other mixed towns have been gripped by angry demonstrations over the Gaza violence and tensions in Jerusalem.Hamas’s armed wing said it fired 210 rockets towards Beersheba and Tel Aviv in response to the bombing of the tower buildings in Gaza City. Israel’s military says that around a third of the rockets have fallen short, landing within Gaza.For Israel, the militants’ targeting of Tel Aviv, its commercial capital, posed a new challenge in the confrontation with the Islamist Hamas group, regarded as a terrorist organization by Israel and the US.The violence followed weeks of tension in Jerusalem during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, with clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in and around Al-Aqsa Mosque, on the compound revered by Jews as Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.These escalated in recent days ahead of a – now postponed - court hearing in a case that could end with Palestinian families evicted from East Jerusalem homes claimed by Jewish settlers.Violence has also flared in the occupied West Bank, where a 26-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire during stone-throwing clashes in a refugee camp near the city of Hebron.‘A very heavy price’There appeared no imminent end to the violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that militants would pay a “very heavy” price for the rockets, which reached the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday during a holiday in Israel commemorating its capture of East Jerusalem in a 1967 war.The outbreak of hostilities led Netanyahu’s political opponents to suspend negotiations on forming a coalition of right-wing, leftist and center-left parties to unseat him after an inconclusive March 23 election.Opposition leader Yair Lapid has three weeks left to establish a government, with a new election - and another chance for Netanyahu to retain power - likely if he fails.The militant group’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said Israel had “ignited fire in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa and the flames extended to Gaza, therefore, it is responsible for the consequences.”The White House said on Tuesday that Israel had a legitimate right to defend itself from rocket attacks but applied pressure on Israel over the treatment of Palestinians, saying Jerusalem must be a place of coexistence.The US was delaying UN Security Council efforts to issue a public statement on escalating tensions because it could be harmful to behind-the-scenes efforts to end the violence, according to diplomats and a source familiar with the US strategy.State Department spokesman Ned Price urged calm and “restraint on both sides”, saying: “The loss of life, the loss of Israeli life, the loss of Palestinian life, It’s something that we deeply regret.”He added: “We are urging this message of de-escalation to see this loss of life come to an end.”Israel said it had sent 80 jets to bomb Gaza, and dispatched infantry and armor to reinforce the tanks already gathered on the border, evoking memories of the last Israeli ground incursion into Gaza to stop rocket attacks in 2014.More than 2,100 Gazans were killed in the seven-week war that followed, according to the Gaza health ministry, along with 73 Israelis, and thousands of homes in Gaza were razed by Israeli forces.Video footage on Tuesday showed three plumes of thick, black smoke rising from a 13-story Gaza residential and office block as it toppled over after being demolished by Israeli air strikes.The Israeli military said the building, in Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood, housed “multiple” Hamas offices, including ones for military research and development and military intelligence.The existence of one Hamas office, used by political leaders and officials dealing with the news media, was widely known locally.Residents in the block and the surrounding area had been warned to evacuate the area before the air strike, according to witnesses and the Israeli military.A second residential and office building in the same neighborhood was heavily damaged in Israeli attacks shortly before 2am on Wednesday. Residents and journalists working in the building had already left.On Tuesday Gaza health ministry officials put the death toll at 32, but a Hamas-affiliated radio station later said three more people, including a woman and a child, were killed shortly before 2am on Wednesday in an Israeli air strike on an apartment above a restaurant.Israeli political leaders and the military said they had killed “dozens” of militants, and hit buildings used by Hamas.Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Israel had carried out “hundreds” of strikes, and that “buildings will continue to crumble.”Gaza’s health ministry said that of the people reported dead, 10 were children and one was a woman.Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said a 50-year-old woman was killed when a rocket hit a building in the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon Lezion, and that two women had been killed in rocket strikes on Ashkelon.Read more:Hamas chief, Israel’s Netanyahu threaten to escalate violenceIsrael strikes lead to 26 Palestinian deaths, while Hamas rockets kill two IsraelisIsrael’s Ben Gurion airport halts flights over Gaza rockets
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: At least 35 killed in Gaza, five in Israel, as violence escalates

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have registered in the organ donation program of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT), state news agency SPA reported Wednesday.King Salman established SCOT, Saudi Arabia’s primary organization for organ transplants, in 1984 in order to relieve the suffering of patients with kidney failure. The number of patients with kidney failure has been rising in the Kingdom.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Since then, the organization – previously known as the National Center for Kidneys – has worked to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation and has given Saudis a platform where they can sign-up to become donors.The center also emphasizes the importance of expanding the circle of organ donation to include all patients with end-stage organ failure and spread hope among those on waiting lists and whose recovery process depends on the transplant of a new organ such as a heart, liver, kidney, and lung, among others.In March 2021, Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet approved the human organ donation regulation during a virtual meeting chaired by King Salman.The regulation, which was approved by the Shoura Council in September 2019, allows for the transfer, cultivation, preservation, and development of organs to preserve human life, protect the rights of those from or to whom human organs are transferred, license health facilities, define their responsibilities in relation to organ donation and transplantation, and prevent exploitation of the patient or donor’s need or trafficking in human organs.A 1982 fatwa (religious edict) by the Senior Ulama Commission concerning organ donation and transplantation granted “the permissibility to remove an organ or part thereof from a dead person,” and allows for the donation of the organ, or part of it, to a living person.The Enrollment of King Salman and the Crown Prince aims to encourage residents and citizens in Saudi Arabia to register with the SCOT, and in turn save the lives of patients depending on vital organ transplants to survive, SPA reported.Read more:Saudi woman saves 7 lives by donating her organsLate Saudi sheikh’s early research on organ donation at center of Harvard studyDifferently abled Saudi boy hailed a hero for donating stem cells to save sister
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, Crown Prince enroll in organ donation program

Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, nurses across the region have emerged as the heroes of the unprecedented crisis, and have spoken of their frontline fight against the biggest challenge they have faced in their careers.Every year, International Nurses Day, which commemorates the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the first ‘professional nurse’ is observed on May 12. The theme this year is: “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare”.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Nurses remain at the forefront in fight against epidemics and pandemics and in the UAE, frontline heroes have spoken of their personal battles as they worked to save the lives of others.Harsha Pushpan, an Indian nurse at Bareen International Hospital, in Abu Dhabi’s MBZ City, herself tested positive with COVID-19 in February, 20201.She was heavily pregnant at the time.“I was experiencing high levels of stress as I was eight months pregnant,” she told Al Arabiya English. “I was suffering from fever, body ache and shortness of breath.”“I was really struggling for oxygen. COVID-19 affected my professional and personal life. I was admitted to a government medical facility with high flow oxygen.”“I could not walk or eat and did not see my loved ones for a long time.”Pushpan said she was worried about both her unborn child and her two-year-old daughter.“I had never felt so emotionally broken before. However, what kept me going was thinking about my daughter’s face, which gave me more courage to live.”“I was also eagerly waiting to see my unborn baby too. Within a month I received a negative report, after which I was physically ill, and it took me about two months to stabilize. Going through this rough phase made me learn the negative effects of this virus on our society.”Her personal fight against COVID-19 made her even more determined to help others suffering with the virus.“I was even more motivated to come back and fulfill my job as a nurse and take care of our patients at Bareen International Hospital who were COVID-19 positive. I was determined to give whatever it takes to ensure that our patients fight this virus with a smile on their face.”Resmi S Nair, another registered nurse at the hospital, also tested positive with COVID-19 while performing her duties. She was told she had the virus in January, 2021.“I was on duty that day. I had severe body ache, headaches, and fever,” she told Al Arabiya English. “I went to our urgent care doctor."“A day later, the PCR test result confirmed I was COVID-19 positive. I was forced to stay away from my family, particularly away from my two-year-old daughter. It was very hard for me. It gave me so much mental pressure.”Nair said she feared her family members would also test positive for the virus.“It was a very stressful situation for me as we were all uncertain about what would happen next. I was also overly concerned about post-COVID-19 syndrome.”“I was having trouble sleeping, followed by severe mood swings, difficulty in concentrating, loss of smell and taste, lack of appetite, severe body pain and stomach problems. I felt very miserable, both physically and mentally.”However, Nair said she was determined “not to quit.”“I decided to improve my physical and mental health. I began exercising moderately at home while ensuring I get plenty of rest too. I also trained myself to develop a positive mindset.”“I consumed healthy food and drank a lot of water. I was able to recover within 26 days. Surviving this road full of hurdles would not have been possible if I did not have the support of my workplace and my family with me.”“I got back to my professional life stronger than before, mentally, and physically, and was ready to do my duty. I hope that one day soon, my kids look back in time and feel proud of their mother as a nurse on the frontlines of COVID-19."Elsewhere across the region, a nursing chapter in Lebanon warned that the frontline heroes who helped the Middle Eastern nation battle the COVID-19 crisis are being forced to seek employment out of the country as they suffer low wages and minimum benefits.The President of the Order of Nurses in Lebanon, Dr Myrna Abdallah Doumit, said as International Nurses Day is marked across the globe, safeguarding nurses has never been more critical.“This past year, specifically from May 2020 to May 2021, many events have unfolded, and the nurses proved to be the cornerstone in the battle against COVID-19 being the frontline workers defending the people and the community,” she said.However, Dr Abdallah voiced her concerns about the future of the nursing profession and the economical and social status of nurses as a result of the “drastic decrease in salaries and benefits that does not correspond to their efforts” in Lebanon.“This reality has pushed experienced nurses to leave the country in search of better work opportunities, putting at risk the patients, the families and the community,” she said.The president emphasized that “rights are not given, they are taken”; calling on all nurses to fight together to gain long-term rights for the profession.Read more:Exhausted by COVID-19 fight, Lebanese nurses want pay not praiseCoronavirus: Five Saudi Arabian health heroes who fought against COVID-19WHO sounds alarm on global midwife shortage, UAE experts urge more to consider career
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: International Nurses Day 2021: Frontline heroes tell of their own COVID-19 battles

Hamas fires rockets at Israel in response to the violence in Jerusalem, while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seems relegated to the sidelines.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Hamas' attacks on Israel also aimed at Palestinian Authority

Jordan and Israel are on a collision course once again and Jerusalem remains at the heart of the crisis.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Jordan runs low on diplomatic options in east Jerusalem crisis