Middle East Experience

US funding research in West Bank passes cabinet vote • New ambassador to Ethiopia approved
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Cabinet approves visa-free travel from UAE

The Chief Rabbinate has initiated investigations into maternal relatives of citizens without them ever having approached it or the rabbinical courts.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: High Court demands Rabbinate explain Jewish-status investigations

The Greek prime minister's visit to the United Arab Emirates comes amid tensions both states have with Turkey.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Greece, UAE sign political, defense agreements

The nongovernmental organization Emek Shaveh, however, is appealing against plans to build a path and an elevator at the entrance to the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the Palestinian city of Hebron.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel advances plan for elevator at Tomb of the Patriarchs

Local and foreign offices praised the late governor and called his death a great loss for the KRG.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Erbil governor dies of coronavirus; his 'legacy of service will endure,' PM Barzani says

The senators want the president to reverse the Clinton-era customs policy before he leaves office in January.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Republican senators ask Trump to label West Bank products 'Made in Israel'

The armed conflict in Ethiopia could affect the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam file and slow down construction of the dam, which Egypt sees as a big threat to its water security.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Ethiopian armed conflict may affect Nile Dam dispute

Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries in the world to launch a coronavirus contact tracing application, the president of Saudi Arabia’s Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) said on Thursday.“Saudi Arabia is setting an example for the world in realizing the potential of digital technology… We were amongst the first around the world to launch COVID-19 contact tracing applications,” Dr. Abdullah al-Ghamdi said at the International Media Centre in Riyadh ahead of the upcoming G20 Summit this weekend.The Kingdom’s coronavirus social distancing app “Tabaud” – which was launched in June – notifies people if they came into contact with an individual infected with COVID-19.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The app works by using Bluetooth to detect other nearby users who have been confirmed by the Ministry of Health to be infected with the coronavirus. If an infected user is detected, a notification is sent to all users of the app who were in close proximity to them within the previous 14 days.During his speech at a live-streamed media briefing on data and artificial intelligence entitled “Shaping New Frontiers”, al-Ghamdi also highlighted the need to address the technology gap in developing countries.“While there is a lot of potential from emerging technology such as AI, there is also a growing digital gap which if not addressed collectively will further widen,” he added.Read more: Education is main catalyst for sustainable development: G20 chairSaudi Arabia put women’s empowerment at the ‘core of its agenda,’ says G20 chairSaudi Arabia pushing the sustainability needle forward at G20 Riyadh Summit
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s COVID-19 apps ‘setting example for the world’: AI Authority president

The Abraham Accords deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel is a “qualitative step” towards achieving peace in the region, the UAE’s Minister of State Reem al-Hashimi said on Thursday.The US-brokered deal – signed at the White House in Washington in September– is a different approach to dealing with the Arab-Israeli crisis since it prioritizes a culture of dialogue and tolerance, Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted al-Hashimi as saying.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Palestinian cause is still of great importance for all Arabs, she said.Her comments came during a virtual conference titled “The Abrahamic Peace Agreement – Strengthening Cooperation Bonds” that aims to identify the role of the deal in building ties and its strategic impact on the development of Emirati-Israeli relations, WAM reported.The conference was also aimed at exploring the impact the Abraham Accord will have on the regional level and between Muslims and Jews.Al-Hashimi stressed the importance of taking advantage of the opportunities the agreements offers the UAE and Israel in various sectors, including: the economy, scientific research, and tourism.Read more:Regulators of Israel, Abu Dhabi markets to cooperate on FinTechAbu Dhabi’s Etihad to start daily flights to Israel’s Tel Aviv in 2021UAE-Israel relations: Dubai’s Fresh Market opens first-ever Israeli produce display
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Abraham Accord ‘qualitative step’ to achieving regional peace: UAE Minister of State

President Michel Aoun on Thursday specified Lebanon’s starting point for demarcating its sea border with Israel under US-mediated talks, in the first public confirmation of a stance sources say actually increases the size of the disputed area.Israel and Lebanon launched the negotiations last month with delegations from the long-time foes convening at a UN base to try to agree on the unresolved border that has held up hydrocarbon exploration in the potentially gas-rich area.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.A Presidency statement said Aoun instructed the Lebanese team that the demarcation line should start from the land point of Ras Naqoura as defined under a 1923 agreement and extend seaward in a trajectory that a security source said extends the disputed area to some 2,300 square km from around 860 square km.There was no immediate Israeli comment.Last month sources said the two sides presented contrasting maps for proposed borders.They said the Lebanese proposal extended farther south than the border Lebanon had years before presented to the United Nations and that of the Israeli team pushing the boundary farther north than Israel’s original position.The talks, the culmination of three years of diplomacy by Washington, are due to resume in December.Israel already pumps gas from huge offshore fields but Lebanon, which has yet to find commercial gas reserves in its own waters, is desperate for cash from foreign donors as it faces the worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war.Read more: Lebanon demands extra 1,430 sq. km. in US-brokered talks with Israel
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Lebanon specifies its starting point for maritime border talks with Israel