Middle East Experience

Is it a peace deal or a normalization deal?
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Peace or normalization? Either way, the Middle East is changing - analysis

We all need to internalize that life cannot go back to pre-corona normal. That means that parents need to regulate what their children do and who they see outside of the classroom.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: It's smart to take COVID precautions as children head back to school

A mob stormed and set fire to an Iraqi television station Monday over its airing of a 'festive' programme on a religious day of mourning..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Angry mob torches Iraqi TV station for broadcasting music show on day of Ashura

The coming six weeks are crucial for the future of Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Beirut during an official visit to the country reeling from last month's deadly port blast and rising sectarian tensions.Macron said he was ready to host an international conference on how to help Lebanon in mid-October.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Lebanese politicians, some former warlords who have overseen decades of industrial-scale state corruption, face a daunting task with an economy in crisis, a swathe of Beirut in tatters after the August 4 port blast and sectarian tensions rising.Read more: Macron visits Lebanon to mark centenary amid ongoing political, economic crisisFrench President Emmanuel Macron also said the “truth of the numbers” in the Lebanese banking system needed to be known so that judicial action could be taken, saying the country was suffering a banking and central banking crisis. “There is today a Lebanese central banking crisis, a Lebanese banking system in crisis. A lot of funds were likely taken out,” Macron said in comments while on the visit. “Today everything is blocked and Lebanon can no longer finance itself, so there needs to be an audit ... there is likely money that has been diverted. So we need to know the truth of the numbers and then that judicial actions are taken,” he said.Macron visits LebanonMacron's visit is his second since the colossal August 4 blast in Beirut port killed more than 180 people, wounded at least 6,500, and ravaged swathes of the capital.The explosion compounded Lebanon's worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, with a UN agency warning on Sunday that more than half of the population risk a food crisis by the end of the year.On August 9, the international community pledged 252.7 million euros (around $300 million) in emergency aid at a video conference jointly organised by France and the United Nations.The international community promised to stand by Lebanon but demanded that its aid be distributed directly to the needy instead of through the government."We have to focus in the next six weeks on the emergency," Macron said on Tuesday of the port blast which caused up to $4.6 billion worth of damage and a blow to economic activity of up to $3.5 billion, according to a World Bank assessment.He said work going forward would be "under very firm coordination with the United Nations, so we can again ask for support from all the different states."Protesters call out corrupt political eliteProtesters who have taken to the streets since October last year regard Lebanon's entire political class as inept and corrupt.They blame it for the explosion, which was caused by a stockpile of ammonium nitrate fertiliser that had languished in the port for years.Antoine Zoghbi, president of the Lebanese Red Cross, told Macron on Tuesday that international assistance to Lebanon needed to be improved."We see planes arriving but we do not know where the aid is going," Zoghbi said. "Eighty per cent of the medication arriving in Lebanon is not suited" to needs on the ground.Read more:Macron visits Lebanon to mark centenary amid ongoing political, economic crisisFrance's Macron starts Lebanon trip by meeting iconic singer FairuzMacron says he will ensure new PM will implement reform in Lebanon
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: French President Macron says the next six weeks are crucial for the future of Lebanon

The historic visit of an Israeli and US delegation to the United Arab Emirates following the agreement between the two countries to normalize ties ended on Tuesday."The historic visit by the US-Israeli delegation to the UAE has concluded, ushering in a new era of cooperation. Our sincere gratitude to the Trump administration for all efforts to promote ties of friendship and foster economic and cultural prosperity for our peoples," tweeted Hend Al Otaiba, the director of strategic communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The visit was the first of an Israeli delegation to the UAE, which had no diplomatic relations with Israel until a landmark deal this month.The two countries have now agreed to set up a joint committee on financial services cooperation with the aim of promoting investment between the two countries, according to an Israeli statement on Tuesday.The move comes after the UAE issued a decree abolishing a previous law that mandated an economic boycott of Israel.The removal of the boycott law means that UAE businesses and individuals are now allowed to sign commercial and financial agreements with their Israeli counterparts. Israelis and Israeli businesses are also now allowed to do business in the UAE.With Reuters.Read more:Israel and UAE agree to cooperate on financial services: Israeli statementUAE-Israel deal will not come at expense of Palestinian cause: Abu Dhabi Crown PrinceUAE abolishes Israel boycott law, allows commercial deals with Israelis
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US-Israeli delegation concludes historic visit to UAE

Director General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry Alon Ushpiz said that in talks with UAE officials the two countries are discussing the establishment of embassies.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel, UAE discuss establishment of embassies

Peace with Israel makes the UAE “more connected to the region,” an Emirati official told Al Arabiya English on Tuesday amid criticism from its neighbor Iran that the normalization of relations is treasonous.“This peace is a hopeful, exciting change, that makes us feel more connected to the region and less constrained,” said Hend Al Otaiba, director of strategic communications at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.“We have a feeling here in the UAE of moving forward, making change on our own terms rather than waiting for change to come to us,” she added.The remarks came as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that the UAE will be “disgraced forever” for making peace with Israel.“They allowed the Zionist regime to enter the region…I hope they wake up and compensate for what they did,” said Khamenei in a speech, according to Iranian state news.The condemnation follows the first direct flight from Israel to the UAE in history on Monday and the meeting of American, Israeli, and Emirati representatives in the capital city Abu Dhabi.Iranian leadership, which routinely calls for the destruction of the “Zionist regime” in Israel, has repeatedly voiced its disapproval of the agreement between Israel and the UAE.Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani called the deal “a huge mistake, a treacherous act,” following the announcement of peace.“They [the UAE] better be mindful,” Rouhani said in a speech.In response, the UAE government summoned Iran’s charge d’affaires in Abu Dhabi on August 16 and called Rouhani’s statements “inflammatory and carrying serious repercussions for the security and stability of the Arabian Gulf region,” according to state news agency WAM.Other Gulf neighbors, Bahrain and Oman, have welcomed the UAE-Israel agreement, and both said the accord will contribute to regional security.Al Otaiba said a “new dimension” has opened for the UAE since the agreement, known as the Abraham Accord, was first announced on August 13.“I believe the adjustment to relations will be quite natural. Both the UAE and Israel are ready for it, and both countries are dynamic, forward looking global societies eager to make positive change in so many areas,” said Al Otaiba.“The biggest changes are not the day to day interactions, but what we will achieve together for the future,” she added.Read more:Direct flights from UAE to Israel possible by end of 2020: Israeli spokespersonAfter talks with Arab officials, US position ‘has not changed’ on Jerusalem: OfficialAnother Israel-Arab deal expected in coming weeks: Israeli ambassador to US
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Peace with Israel makes UAE ‘more connected’ to region: Emirati official

The Syrian government last reported that Israel struck the country in late July and this led to clashes between Israel and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel suspected of striking southern Syria

Saudi Arabia has postponed its fourth Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference to January 2021 from October this year, the organizers said on Tuesday, due to global travel issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.The conference, which attracts chief executives of global companies and top government officials, will now be held on January 26-28, 2021, in Riyadh, with the title “The Neo-Renaissance.”FII was previously scheduled to take place on October 28-29.Saudi Arabia, with a population of around 30 million, has reported a total of 316,670 coronavirus cases and 3,929 deaths since March 2, when the first COVID-19 infection case was announced.It has introduced some of the most drastic measures in the Gulf region to curb the spread of COVID-19, including halting international flights and limiting the numbers attending the haj pilgrimage to fewer than 1,000 people already resident in the Kingdom.Saudi Arabia still plans to host the G20 Summit in November.Read more:Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange Tadawul to launch single stock futures next yearAbu Dhabi Investment Office, Invest in Israel announce bilateral investment planLebanon's central bank governor says new decisions made will stabilize exchange rate
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia postpones FII conference to January 2021

Clashes have erupted in Lebanon’s downtown Beirut between protesters and security forces, following the designation of a new prime minister.French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Lebanese politicians they risk sanctions if they fail to set the nation on a new course within three months, stepping up pressure for reforms in a country collapsing under the weight of an economic crisis.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Lebanese leaders named diplomat Mustapha Adib as the new prime minister on Monday. The PM-designate was seen meeting with volunteers spearheading relief efforts in the blast-hit district of Beirut, telling them he wanted the state to work with them in rebuilding Beirut.No other senior government official has visited neighborhoods near the port since the explosion.Read more:France’s Macron starts Lebanon trip by meeting iconic singer FairuzLeading advocate for Lebanon’s arts dies from Beirut explosion injuriesFrench President Macron says the next six weeks are crucial for the future of Lebanon(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Lebanon: Clashes erupt in downtown Beirut between demonstrators, security forces