Middle East Experience

The Palestinian Authority reported several incidents throughout the territory. It follows other violent clashes in recent weeks between the Israeli military and Palestinians.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Clashes in West Bank during anti-Israeli settlement protests

Ons Jabeur is the highest-ranked Arab woman in tennis history. She hopes more women from the region will pick up rackets.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur loses at Australian Open

Whether the United States pulls forces from the Middle East to counter China may well depend on the success of Biden's diplomacy with Iran
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Pentagon ‘comfortable’ with troop levels in Middle East ahead of review

The Arab Coalition intercepted an explosive drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthis towards the Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, the coalition’s spokesperson Colonel Turki al-Maliki said on Saturday.The coalition destroyed the improvised explosive device (IED) that was heading towards the airport, he said.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The “terrorist attacks” by the Houthis are a “systematic” and “deliberate” attempt to target civilians, the spokesperson added.The latest attempted attack comes after a civilian plane caught fire on Wednesday when it was hit by a Houthi drone.The Iran-backed group took responsibility for the attack shortly after the airport was hit.“The UAV air force targeted the airfields of warplanes at Abha International Airport - which is used for military purposes to target the Yemeni people - with four drones,” Yahya Sarie,” Houthi military spokesman said in a tweet after the attack on Wednesday.“The strike was accurate, thanks to God.”A US State Department spokesperson told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Thursday that Washington will continue to put pressure on the Iran-backed Houthi militia in an effort to end the group’s “heinous” attacks in the region.Read more:US to continue pressure on Iran-backed Houthis for attacks in the region: ReportSaudi Arabia’s FM, US counterpart discuss Abha airport attack, regional developmentsUK condemns Houthi attack on Abha airport in Saudi Arabia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Arab Coalition thwarts Houthi attack on Abha airport in Saudi Arabia

The United Arab Emirates reported fifteen COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, its highest number of new coronavirus deaths since the outbreak began, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced. For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The virus-related death toll in the country is now 1,001, according to officials. Meanwhile, 3589 people recovered from the virus, which raises the total number of recoveries in the country to 326,780. Authorities recorded 2,631 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the UAE to 345,605. The UAE has been reporting a spike in the number of new infections everyday since the beginning of 2021, largely resulting from the large influx of tourists who traveled to the emirate of Dubai for the holidays. Dubai has had to increase its healthcare capacity, recruiting workers from abroad and increasing beds for coronavirus patients to deal with the rising number of cases, according to a top health official. “Recently when the numbers started to rise again... the health system has managed to surge its capacity to stay ahead of the curve and make sure that every patient today in Dubai... who needs care, gets it without any interruption,” the Dubai Health Authority’s deputy director general Alawi Alsheikh-Ali told AFP. The UAE has been pushing its citizens and residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, and is offering the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, the Pfizer dose, and the AstraZeneca vaccine for free. Read more:Dubai ramps up healthcare capacity to deal with rising COVID-19 cases Dubai Police fines outdoor tour operator $13,600 for breaking COVID-19 rules‘Aviation will return to normal; we have to move past the pandemic’: CEO of Wizz Air
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE reports highest number of new COVID-19 deaths, total death toll passes 1,000

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned Saturday of a Covid-19 “fourth wave” as cases rise in certain areas of the Middle Eastern country hardest hit by the pandemic.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.“This is a warning for all of us,” Rouhani said in televised remarks.He said some cities in the southwestern province of Khuzestan were now “red” – the highest on Iran’s colour-coded risk level – after weeks of low alert levels across the country.“This means the beginning of moving towards the fourth wave. We all have to be vigilant to prevent this,” Rouhani added.The country of more than 80 million people has lost close to 59,000 lives out of more than 1.5 million cases of Covid infection.Iran has officially registered less than 7,000 daily infections since late December, but the number has crossed this level since early February.Daily deaths have been below 100 as of early January, the lowest level since June.Rouhani’s remarks come a day after Iran received 100,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V jab “ahead of schedule” on Friday, according to health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.Iran started its vaccination campaign on Tuesday, with the first shipment arriving on February 4.The Islamic republic has purchased a total of two million doses of the Russian vaccine, according to Jahanpour.Health Minister Saeed Namaki has said Iran would also receive 4.2 million doses of the vaccine developed by Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca and Oxford University, purchased via the international vaccine mechanism Covax.Iran is also working on its own vaccine.Read more:Iran faces COVID surge in southwest, receives second vaccine batchIran's coronavirus death toll nearly triple what was officially reported: BBC
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran’s Rouhani warns of ‘fourth wave’ of COVID-19, says some cities on ‘red’ alert

Two young men were arrested in Abu Dhabi over a video they uploaded to social media showing one of them walking around in public after he tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Police tracked down and arrested the men after identifying them in the footage, WAM reported.In a statement, the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution said on Saturday the men were being investigated on charges of “endangering the health of others and violating the preventive measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”The video reportedly showed one of the men revealing a positive COVID-19 test result on his phone before walking around in a public place.According to the law of the United Arab Emirates, violators can face a jail sentence and fines of between $2,720 (AED 10,000) and $13,600 (AED 50,000).The arrests come weeks after UAE authorities announced that they would enforce more stringent measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of new cases in the new year.Official news channels have recently been highlighting cases in which rulebreakers are being punished, with some landing hefty fines for flouting regulations.A tour operator was fined $13,600 (AED 50,000) for organizing an outdoor gathering, as reported by Dubai Media Office on Friday. Organizers of a yacht party in Dubai were also fined $13,600 (AED 50,000), while each partygoer was fined $4,000 (AED 15,000).The UAE on Saturday recorded its highest-ever number of daily deaths from the virus, with 15 infected patients dying, bringing the country’s total death toll to 1,001.Meanwhile, 2,641 new coronavirus cases were detected in 24 hours.Dubai opened its doors to tourists early on in the pandemic, restarting the issuance of tourist visas in July. The rest of the country followed suit in September.The country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum promoted a domestic tourism drive in December in order to boost the service-heavy economy hard-hit by the pandemic.However, cases surged around the time of the New Year holiday, and on Monday February 1, a swathe of new restrictions were put in place including closures of bars and new limits on public gatherings.Read more: UAE reports highest number of new COVID-19 deaths, total death toll passes 1,000UAE to enforce ‘more stringent’ punishments for COVID-19 rulebreakers: NCEMADubai tightens coronavirus restrictions: Closes bars, reduces mall, hotel capacity
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Abu Dhabi pair arrested over video showing man with positive COVID-19 test in public

Women in Kuwait are calling for an end to sexual harassment in the country and the introduction of laws that clamp down on violators, who activists say have gotten away unpunished for far too long.Under the Arabic hashtag “Lan Asket” – translated to “I will not be silenced” in English – women shared countless stories online of being catcalled in shopping malls and grocery stores, followed by speeding cars on crowded streets, and touched inappropriately in broad daylight.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The campaign was first ignited by Kuwaiti blogger Ascia al-Faraj, who spoke out about her own experience with sexual harassment in the country.“Every time I go out, there is someone who harasses me or harasses another woman in the street. Are you not ashamed?” al-Faraj had said in a video posted on her Snapchat.In a country where speaking openly about harassment is considered a taboo, the movement quickly garnered attention from everyday women– including Kuwaiti citizens, expatriates living in the country, conservative women, and more liberal women.Also read: UAE abolishes ‘honor crimes’ law granting leniency in latest move towards equality“The movement is for every single person in Kuwait. We are all not going to be silent about any injustice that happens to us,” the founder of the Lan Asket Instagram page, Dr. Shayma Shamo, told Al Arabiya English.The Lan Asket account has been used to share the stories of people who experienced sexual harassment and infographics on the topic of harassment.The page, which was launched two weeks ago, has so far amassed almost 11,000 followers and has received nationwide support from local businesses, Kuwaiti Members of Parliament, and even the US embassy.Shamo, who is working alongside a team to translate and verify the stories being sent to Lan Asket, said that about 50 percent of the people who came forward had experienced harassment in Kuwait when they were under the age of 18.Twenty percent of those who came forward were sexually harassed between the ages of one and 12, Shamo told Al Arabiya English.The women were often too scared to come forward, and those that did were either dismissed or were never contacted by the police after filing a complaint, she said.The Kuwaiti doctor is currently working with a team of lawyers, developers, and activists to help build an application that allows victims of sexual harassment to safely report incidents to the police and ensure that their cases are being handled.Voices for change The movement aims to change the way common incidents of sexual harassment are seen within Kuwaiti society as well as amend the country’s laws to protect victims who come forward, Kuwaiti activist and designer Najeeba Hayat told Al Arabiya English.Real change will only come if people openly discuss how often women are harassed in the country and if harassers are punished for their actions, she added.“We need a three-dimensional approach to getting rid of harassment. Harassment, at the end of the day, is not just an action born out of nothing. Harassment is a social problem.”Hayat, who has a background in political science, has also been working with other activists, lawyers, and educators to lobby for political change as the movement continues to gain momentum in Kuwait.The movement sparked a conversation in the country, which Kuwaiti historian and activist Lujain al-Farhan said was waiting to happen.“To some, seeing a person who is willing to listen and [giving] them a safe space is more than enough, to others… it’s a sign of hope! That many are talking, seeking change, working towards a safer environment gives and assures that we are all in this together,” al-Farhan told Al Arabiya English.Al-Farhan has been using her platform to offer Kuwaitis insight into movements around the world and throughout history that have called for change and for an end to sexual harassment.“By showing how change and laws have been decreed in the past… If [change was possible in] those earlier times, why not us? We have the capacities and capabilities to do [the same now],” she said.The women’s calls were heard by MP Abdulaziz al-Saqobi, who last week submitted a proposal to the Kuwaiti parliament for a law that criminalizes sexual harassment.According to the proposal, violators will be punished with a prison sentence that does not exceed a year and a fine of up to 3,000 KD ($36,428), or either one of those two punishments.Kuwait currently has no laws prohibiting sexual harassment.Read more:Black and white Instagram selfie challenge sheds light on femicide in Turkey ‘ISIS-like behavior’: Iran-backed Houthis implement extreme measures against womenMurder of Jordanian woman by father sparks sit-in after video evidence goes viral
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: ‘I will not be silenced’: Kuwaiti women launch #MeToo movement to stop harassment

Official authorities in the Gaza Strip do not recognize parkour as an official sport, but it has become the only breathing space for many young people in the enclave.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: With one leg, this Gazan parkour star crosses besieged enclave

Terror has prevailed over the West Bank streets and towns as the settlers’ attacks against Palestinians have been on the rise since early 2021.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in their own homes