Middle East Experience

The prime minister said the matter is currently in the Trump administration’s hands.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Netanyahu: Annexation still on the agenda

Egypt has invited Elon Musk to visit its pyramids and surrounding tombs after the billionaire tweeted that the ancient structures were built by aliens..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Spaced out: No, Elon Musk, aliens did not build Egypt's pyramids, world tells controversial billionaire

Fugitive military official Guermit Bounouira, who was handed over to Algerian security officials in Turkey last Thursday, is accused of divulging military secrets and was expected to face a military judge Monday in Blida prison south-west of Algiers, a top Algerian security source told news agencies..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Extradited Algerian military official risks death penalty for divulging secrets

Turkey’s intervention in the Libyan war is driving its adversaries to retaliate beyond Libya in conflict zones along Turkey’s own borders.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Libya score-settling moves closer to Turkey’s borders

State Comptroller report is extremely rare and detailed disclosure of usually classified internal Mossad proceedings and debates regarding long-term future of the organization.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: The Mossad explodes with growth while IDF shrinks - report

Why does Benjamin Netanyahu think so ill of the media here?
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: No, Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli media is not like North Korea's

Hurricane Isaias has made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. The Category 1 storm, packing 85 mph (136 km/h) winds, set off flooding and sparked five home fires in Ocean Isle Beach, the town’s mayor told a local TV station.Firefighters from the town’s fire department were battling the blaze with assistance from Horry County firefighters in South Carolina, Tony Casey, a spokesperson for Horry County Fire Rescue, told the Associated Press.About 80 miles (128 kilometers) north of Ocean Isle Beach, about 30 people were displaced due to a fire at a condominium complex in Surf City, news outlets reported. It is not clear if the fires were connected to the storm. No injuries have been reported.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appThe hurricane weakened to a tropical storm on Tuesday morning over eastern North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.Duke Energy reported hundreds of thousands of power outages as heavy rains and winds battered areas including Wrightsville, Kure, and Carolina beaches in Wilmington, North Carolina.Coastal shops and restaurants closed early, power began to flicker at oceanfront hotels and even the most adventurous of beachgoers abandoned the sand Monday night as newly restrengthened Hurricane Isaias sped toward the Carolinas.The US National Hurricane Center warned oceanside home dwellers to brace for storm surge up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) and up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain in spots, as Isaias moved up the coast. The Carolinas weren't the only states at risk.“All those rains could produce flash flooding across portions of the eastern Carolinas and mid-Atlantic, and even in the northeast US,” said Daniel Brown, senior hurricane specialist at the US National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm warning extended all the way up to Maine, where flash flooding was possible in some areas on Wednesday.The center also warned of possible tornadoes in North Carolina early Tuesday, and from eastern Virginia to southern New England later Tuesday.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US weather: Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in North Carolina

For three years the Turkish government labeled NASA scientist and US citizen Serkan Golge a “terrorist.” This week the US State Department welcomed him home.Golge, 40, who endured three years of solitary confinement in Turkey after being wrongly convicted on terrorism charges, told Al Arabiya English on Tuesday that he was part of a “witch hunt” in the country following the 2016 coup attempt.“Because I was a US citizen, and I went to a particular college, that was enough to be convicted,” said Golge in an interview with Al Arabiya English.“This is how the justice system works in Turkey. You could be a perfect law-abiding citizen but still according to the Turkish courts you could be charged with terrorism,” added Golge.A dual Turkish-American citizen, Golge returned to his home in Texas last month with his wife and two young sons. The US State Department told Al Arabiya English on Monday it welcomes Golge “home to the United States.”“We commend his strength and perseverance,” a US State Department spokesperson told Al Arabiya English.Nightmare in TurkeyGolge’s nightmare began while vacationing with his family in Turkey during the summer of 2016.He was in the wrong place at the wrong time: an American citizen in Turkey in the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Golge was arrested days after the attempt, following an anonymous tip that he was a CIA operative and connected to the Gulen movement, which Erdogan accuses of being behind the effort to overthrow his government.The religious Gulen movement is led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara has unsuccessfully tried to extradite from the US for years. And while Erdogan and Gulen were once allies, the Turkish president now considers the cleric a terrorist.Golge, who denies any Gulenist involvement or membership, said he was sure the authorities would soon realize he was innocent.“I told my family to stay calm, that this is a simple mistake, that the police and the prosecutor will fix this soon...how I was wrong,” said Golge.$1 bill used as evidence of ‘terrorism’Golge was brought before a judge who presented the evidence against him: American currency, specifically a one-dollar bill that police found in his parent’s home in Turkey.“I asked a very simple question for three years of my detention to the judges: How do you jump from a single US dollar bill to terrorism? How is this terrorism?” Golge told Al Arabiya English.The Turkish authorities claimed that Gulen gave his followers the US money as a sign of membership.Authorities then added Golge’s college degree from a Gulen-affiliated university, as well as his bank account that was part of a Gulen network of companies, as more “proof” of his membership in the movement.“A single dollar bill, a bank account, a school you attended...how is this terrorism?” said Golge in an interview with Al Arabiya English.“I ask the public to judge my case; and thousands of similar cases allegedly arrested for terrorism in Turkey based on absurd evidence,” he added.Ankara has arrested tens of thousands of people over suspected links to Gulen and more than 100,000 people have either been fired or suspended from jobs in the public sector.Despite his claimed innocence, Golge was sentenced to seven and a half years in Turkish prison, which was later reduced by an appeals court to five years.Behind barsFor years, Golge spent 23 hours per day in solitary confinement, with just one hour allotted for sunlight.Interrogations continued about the supposed coup plotting, with police demanding Golge give up names of Gulen members.“I kept telling them I had no names to give, I wasn’t a spy or a terrorist, I am just a scientist,” Golge told Fox News last month.The nightmare came to an end on May 29, 2019, hours after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Erdogan.Golge said he isn’t aware of any deals made between the government for his release but said he thinks the White House may have reminded the Turkish government that he was supposed to have been released by the end of March 2019.Home freeNow back in Houston, Texas, Golge has resumed his work as a NASA employee.He said the Turkish government has “never apologized” for the injustice, but that he plans to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.“I am absolutely certain that, as in many cases, it will reveal significant violations of freedom,” said Golge, adding that the word “terrorism” in Turkey has become a “catch-all phrase.”“Any opponent, or anyone in Turkey, can be charged with terrorism - even if you never ever supported violence or terrorism in your whole life,” said Golge.Read more:Erdogan critics: Turkey tried to silence them, now these journalists demand justiceUS calls on China to stop coercing Uighurs to return after Turkey extradition reportErdogan’s Hagia Sophia conversion shows ‘conqueror mentality’: Christian Archbishop
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US welcomes home NASA scientist after 3-year imprisonment in Turkey for ‘terrorism’

The UAE reported on Tuesday zero coronavirus deaths for the fourth day in a row, along with 189 new infections and 227 recoveries.The Gulf country also reported that it has conducted 29,398 COVID-19 tests in the past 24 hours.For all the latest coronavirus updates, visit our dedicated page.The total number of recoveries since the beginning of the pandemic in the country has reached 55,090, while the total number of deaths remains at 351.The country has recorded 61,352 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Subtracting the recoveries and deaths leaves the UAE with 5,911 active cases.Also read: Coronavirus: UAE holds first in person cabinet meeting, approves economic initiativesCoronavirus & Travel: COVID-19 puts tourism in these countries at-riskCoronavirus: UAE COVID-19 tests exceed 5 million, recovery rate hits 90 pct
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE reports zero coronavirus deaths for fourth day, 198 COVID-19 infections

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has committed to early elections, but Iraq's political blocs may resist.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iraqi prime minister presses ahead with promise of early elections