Middle East Experience

The tunnel does not pose any danger to nearby Israeli towns, the IDF reassured.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: IDF exposes offensive tunnel reaching Israel from Gaza Strip

A debate about the impact of US Policy on the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Lahav Harkov vs. Peter Beinart - watch live

The Israeli company EAPC has announce a deal which will allow the transport of oil from the UAE to Europe through Israeli ports, bypassing Egypt’s Suez Canal..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Israeli pipeline company announces deal to transport UAE oil to Europe

Saudi Arabia allowed on Sunday the resumption of Umrah pilgrimage amid strict coronavirus precautions.Pilgrims circumambulated the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, while keeping a distance from one another and wearing face masks.Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.In late February, Saudi Arabia announced the temporary suspension of entry for individuals seeking to perform Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca or visiting the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, as part of the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.On March 4, the Kingdom also suspended Umrah pilgrimage for its citizens and residents. By mid-March, the Kingdom had suspended performing group Friday and daily prayers in all of its mosques as a precaution against the coronavirus as well.Umrah is a pilgrimage to Mecca. However, unlike Hajj, it is not mandatory, can be completed within a few hours, and can be performed year-round. Some Umrah pilgrims choose to visit the Prophet’s mosque in Medina.Saudi Arabia announced in September that it will begin gradually allowing Umrah pilgrimage starting from October 4 in stages.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Read more:Saudi Arabia allows Umrah in different stages amid COVID-19 pandemicCoronavirus: Saudi Arabia, UAE carriers resume flights between Dubai, Saudi citiesCoronavirus: Saudi Arabia allows international travel for set categories from Sept 15
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Watch: First group of pilgrims perform Umrah in Mecca amid coronavirus precautions

The Egyptian government is opening hundreds of new mosques across the nation, brushing off Muslim Brotherhood accusations that the state is demolishing places of worship.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt inaugurates hundreds of mosques amid smear campaign

The Darkenu civil movement stages digital demonstrations that attract hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Digital anti-Netanyahu demonstrations attract thousands of Israelis

The United Arab Emirates recorded 1,041 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 98,801, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHP) announced on Sunday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.This comes just a day after the country detected its highest daily tally since the start of the outbreak.There were no new deaths recorded on Sunday. The virus-related death toll in the UAE stands at 426, according to the MOHP.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries rose to 88,123 after 1,001 people recovered from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours.The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) is expected to hold a special media briefing at 7 p.m. local UAE time on the latest COVID-19 developments in the country.Read more:Coronavirus: Dubai fines five sports establishments for non-compliance during weekendCoronavirus: Dubai Police fine pilot $2,730 over yacht party
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE records over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases as infections rapidly rise

Turkey has “delicate” relations with Armenia because Armenia is pursuing an aggressive and expansionist path in the region, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Saturday, while choosing to ignore Turkey’s own violent history with Armenians.“If our relations with Armenia are delicate, it is because Armenia has chosen an aggressive path in the region and fails to adopt a policy capable of becoming a constructive and responsible partner for peace in the region - not even with Azerbaijan,” said Cavusoglu in an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa.Read more: Saudis must boycott ‘everything Turkish,’ says commerce head after Erdogan remarksCavusoglu did not mention the systematic genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks in 1915 during World War I, which Turkish authorities continue to deny to this day, as contributing to the fragile relationship.Conflict in Nagorno-KarabakhTurkey has been involved in the recent flare-up of a decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian province Nagorno-Karabakh.Turkey has backed Azerbaijan’s claims in the region, and has committed to sending troops in support of Azeri claims, according to world leaders.Nagorno-Karabakh – which is populated mostly by ethnic Armenians - declared it would unite with Armenia in 1988, and the two countries have contested the territory ever since.Over 240 lives have already been claimed by the most recent spate of conflict, which began on September 27.While Cavusoglu accuses Armenia of illegally occupying the territory, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian told Al Arabiya on Wednesday that the area is part of “historic Armenia” and that Armenians have lived there for thousands of years.“It is only for less than 70 years [that] Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader, gave that land to Azerbaijan,” Sarkissian said.Stalin placed the province under the control of the Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan in 1921.In July 1988, the local government declared the area’s transfer to Armenian jurisdiction, which the Azerbaijani government annulled and declared illegal.War in the province broke out following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and though a ceasefire was reached in 1994, fighting renewed in April 2016 and now again in 2020.Accusations of ‘expansionism’In the interview, Cavusoglu went on to accuse Armenia of having an “expansionist policy in clear violation of international law.”“Armenia continues to be the principal obstacle to peace and to lasting stability in the region,” he said.However critics of the Turkish government have accused Ankara of attempting to revive Ottoman expansionism through involvement in conflicts in Syria, Libya, the eastern Mediterranean, and now Azerbaijan.France’s President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that there was clear evidence of Syrian extremist fighters being sent through Turkey to fight against Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh, and condemned Turkey’s “reckless and dangerous statements” backing Azerbaijan.Sarkissian also accused Turkey of sending mercenaries and generals to Azerbaijan.Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday that at least 64 pro-Turkey Syrian fighters have been killed in clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over Nagorno-Karabakh.Ankara denies sending Syrian fighters to assist Azerbaijan, a similar claim that Turkish authorities have made of its involvement in Libya.Turkey sent an estimated 3,800 Syrian mercenaries to Libya in the first three months of this year, however, according to the US Pentagon.The soldiers have been sent in support of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) – with whom Turkey recently signed military and economic agreements - against the Libyan National Army (LNA).Ankara and the GNA also signed an agreement last year on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea, which complicated disputes over energy exploration with Greece and Cyprus, among other countries, and prompted international condemnation.Read more:For insulting Erdogan, over 3,800 sentenced to prison in Turkey in 2019: ReportEvidence Syrian fighters traveled through Turkey to fight Armenia: France’s MacronTurkish claims of PKK fighters in Armenia absolute nonsense: Armen Sarkissian
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Turkey calls Armenia ‘aggressive’ while reportedly sending troops to help Azerbaijan

Al-Azhar has condemned the recent anti-government protests in Egypt, raising questions on whether it was under pressure to issue a statement in support of the state.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Why Al-Azhar sides with Sisi against protests

Saudi Arabia detected 390 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections in the Kingdom to 336,387, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday. For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Medina and Meccan recorded 48 new cases each, while Riyadh recorded 29 cases and Jeddah recorded 11. The other infections were reported in cities and governorates across the Kingdom. Twenty-five people died due to complications caused by COVID-19. This brings the total number of virus-related deaths in the country to 4,875, according to the ministry. Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries in Saudi Arabia rose to 321,485 after 511 people recovered from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours.Read more:Watch: First group of pilgrims perform Umrah in Mecca amid coronavirus precautionsCoronavirus: UAE records over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases as infections rapidly rise
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia detects 390 new infections, 511 recoveries in 24 hours