Middle East Experience

There were 1,230 new cases diagnosed on Sunday, the Health Ministry reported Monday - 3.3% of those who were screened tested positive.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Coronavirus cabinet: 'Cost of third lockdown NIS 5.6 billion a month'

The 2020 list has "100 groundbreaking inventions — including a smarter beehive, a greener tube of toothpaste, and technology that could catalyze a COVID-19 vaccine."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israeli innovations featured in Time's 100 Best Inventions of 2020

Yair Lapid: Center-Left must unite to beat Netanyahu.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: MK Yair Golan leaves Barak for Meretz

The judge was expected to continue serving until 2025.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: High Court Justice Menachem Mazuz to retire in April

UN trade and development agency says Gaza economy "near collapse."
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Gaza blockade responsible for B in economic damage, UN agency says

No one has yet taken responsibility for the bombing that killed the IRGC commander.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iranian commander killed in airstrike on Iraq-Syria border

Istanbul has been a hot destination for Egyptians for many years and the trend is only increasing despite the tensions between the two countries.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Despite tension, Turkey attracts more Egyptians than ever

The US State Department backed Israel’s right to self-defense on Tuesday following Iranian threats to attack Israel’s port city of Haifa.On Sunday, Iranian newspaper Kayhan - run by a representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – suggested Iran attack Haifa to destroy facilities and cause “heavy human casualties” in retaliation for the killing of prominent Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.“We condemn any threats against Israel and reiterate our support for Israel’s right to self-defense,” a State Department spokesperson told Al Arabiya English.The killing of FakhrizadehFakhrizadeh was killed in a military-style ambush on Friday near Tehran, and died due to injuries sustained during a shoot-out between his bodyguards and “armed terrorists,” according to Iran’s defense ministry.Fakhrizadeh, who has been called the “father of Iran’s nuclear bomb,” founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program in the early 2000s.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief Hossein Salami has alleged Israel “designed and directed” Fakhrizadeh’s killing and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif claimed Friday there were “serious indications of Israeli role.”Iranian media reported on Monday that the weapon used in the killing was made in Israel.Iran has previously accused both Israel and the US of orchestrating the murders of Iranian nuclear scientists Majid Shahriari and Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, both killed in car bombs in Tehran in 2010 and 2012, respectively.Iran’s threats against IsraelThe killing of Fakhrizadeh marks the second assassination of a top Iranian figure this year. In January, the US ordered a drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.A former IRGC chief said at the time that Iran’s “revenge against America” would include the targeting of Haifa and Israeli military centers.While Haifa may be the third largest city in Israel, in the eyes of the Iranian regime it is the primary target due to its economic significance and proximity to Lebanon, which is home to Iranian proxy Hezbollah, experts say.Tehran believes Haifa is the “most critical business center of Israel,” according to Saeed Ghasseminejad, a senior Iran adviser at the Washington think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).Read more: Iran’s Quds Force chief tells Lebanon’s Hezbollah to stand down on Israel: ReportHaifa, located in the north of Israel, is closer to Lebanon and therefore viewed as more vulnerable by Iran and Hezbollah than major central or southern Israeli cities, according to former Israeli Defense Forces Colonel Miri Eisin.It is Haifa’s proximity to Lebanon that makes it more practical for Iran or Hezbollah to carry out a missile attack against it, according to Ghasseminejad.“We know as the distance from targets increases, Iran-manufactured missiles become less reliable,” Ghasseminejad said in an interview with Al Arabiya English.Read more:All you need to know about Iran's nuclear programIran’s IRGC commander targeted by a drone near Iraqi-Syrian borderIran judiciary chief urges crackdown on ‘infiltrators’ after killing of scientist
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Exclusive: US backs Israel’s right to self-defense after Iran threat, State Dept says

Leaders of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday congratulated the Emirati people as the country is set to mark its 49th National Day, which is celebrated annually on December 2.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, called on the people of the UAE to “look to the future with optimism and contribute with ideas and visions that will help the country achieve further progress across all sectors,” state news agency WAM reported.In a statement to the UAE Armed Forces magazine Nation Shield, Sheikh Khalifa said the people of the UAE should be ready to welcome the next 50 years with future visions “that will prepare our country for more development across all sectors, so that by year 2071, the UAE will become the first in the world in global indicators for well-being, happiness and quality of life,” according to WAM.For his part, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE’s 49th National Day is a milestone of progress.“As we enter the 50th year of our young country and our unique union experience, we are stronger, self-confident and more capable and determined to achieve our goals during the next 50 years,” WAM cited the Crown Prince as saying.“We are well-placed to realize our ambition of making the UAE the best country in the world by its 100th anniversary, relying on the strong foundations laid down by our founding leaders and the major successes that we have achieved over the past decades,” he added.Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, said the country’s national day is the day “when our Founding Fathers embodied the quintessential Emirati values of dignity and steadfastness and represented the sense of belonging and national identity.”Earlier, officials in the UAE warned that private parties are banned during the upcoming 49th National Day, Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations.Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri, the official spokesman for the National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, said: “With UAE National Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve celebrations fast approaching, we stress the importance of adhering to precautionary and preventative health and safety measures during all activities to tackle COVID-19.”Read more:UAE leaders honor martyrs on Commemoration DayCoronavirus: UAE bans private parties on National Day, Christmas, New YearUAE National Day: Abu Dhabi grants citizens $2 bln in homes, land, loan forgiveness
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE to celebrate its 49th National Day on December 2

Hamas' Gaza leader, Yehya al-Sinwar, has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesman for the Palestinian militant group said on Tuesday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Sinwar, 58, is “following the advice of health authorities and taking precautionary measures,” spokesman Hazem Qassem said, without disclosing whether the Hamas chief was in quarantine.“He is in good health and he is pursuing his duties as usual,” Qassem said.Sinwar, a former head of Hamas's security apparatus, became the movement's Gaza leader in 2017, six years after he was freed in a prisoner swap with Israel after more than 20 years in jail.Gaza has logged nearly 21,000 coronavirus cases and 111 deaths, mostly since August, amid concern of a wider outbreak in the densely populated enclave of 2 million people.Read more:Lewis Hamilton tests positive for COVID-19, to miss F1's Sakhir Grand Prix in BahrainEU medicines regulator says first vaccine could be approved by Dec. 29UAE reports 1,289 new COVID-19 cases out of 129,900 tests
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Hamas Gaza leader al-Sinwar tests positive for COVID-19, spokesman says