Middle East Experience

Likud minister says Gantz leading Israel to new election after Blue and White votes with opposition to approve Meretz-led legislation.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Coalition in crisis as bill to ban LGBTQ+ conversion therapy approved

Corbyn and allies pressed to keep their names out of apology.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: UK Labour apologizes, pays damages in antisemitism lawsuit

To mitigate the impacts of the unrelenting US “maximum pressure” policy, Iran seems to be seeking solutions in clinching long-term partnership deals with allies.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iran talks long-term partnership deal with Russia

Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan reached a “major common understanding which paves the way for a breakthrough agreement” on a massive Nile dam, said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Tuesday..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan reach ‘major common understanding’

Ankara slammed countries supporting rogue Libyan general Khalifa Haftar, vowing to stand by the UN-backed government in Tripoli 'against any tyranny'..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Turkey vows to stand by Libya's unity government against 'putschists'

An impressive structure built of concentric walls was uncovered during the preparation works for building a new residential area in the neighborhood of Arnona.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Key site from biblical kings’ time unveiled near US Embassy in Jerusalem

Countries in the region are beginning to issue restrictions pertaining to COVID-19 and the holiday.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: UAE says prayers to be at home for upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday

Highlights: Slotkin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, discusses US policy in the Middle East in new podcast; Three reasons Erdogan says he backs Azerbaijan ‘till the end’ in conflict with Armenia; Israeli Knesset moves to outlaw gay conversion therapy.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: The Takeaway: It’s time to get ‘clear-eyed’ about Russian threat to US forces, says US Rep. Elissa Slotkin

Emirates airlines will offer free coronavirus medical and quarantine coverage for its travelers in the United Arab Emirates and around the world, the company's Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum announced on Thursday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The airline said in a statement that passengers can claim medical expenses of up to 150,000 euros ($173,799) and quarantine costs of 100 euros ($115) per day for 14 days if a traveler tests positive for the virus.Coverage is effective immediately and is valid for 31 days for travelers flying on the airline until October 30, 2020, according to a statement.“Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination,” the statement read.Emirates chairman said “this will boost travel confidence and once again positions Emirates and Dubai as aviation industry leaders.”Travelers do not need to register or fill in any forms ahead of their travel plans, according to the airline.Tourists traveling to the UAE are required to show proof of insurance with COVID-19 coverage in order to be granted entry into the country. Alternatively, passengers may declare that they will bear the costs for treatment and isolation if necessary before travel.As of July 23, all travelers arriving in or transiting through the United Arab Emirates must present a negative PCR test result starting on August 1.Read also: All you need to know ahead of traveling to the UAEIn March, the UAE suspended all passenger flights to and from the country in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Dubai welcomed the return of tourists on July 7 as the emirate continues to ease lockdown measures.Emirates gradually began resuming flights over the past few weeks and is expected to operate flights to 60 destinations by August.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Read more:COVID-19 PCR test needed to travel to UAE, here’s all you need to knowDubai prepares to resume medical tourism sector amid COVID-19Dubai’s Emirates resumes flights to 6 more cities, bringing total to 58
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Emirates airlines offers free COVID-19 medical, quarantine coverage

The gruesome murder of a Jordanian woman at the hands of her father sparked a sit-in on Wednesday in the capital Amman, as well as regional outcry for change across the Middle East.Videos circulating online earlier this week showed the woman lying in the middle of the streets outside her home in the Ain al-Basha neighborhood crying out for help.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Ahlam, the victim who was in her forties, reportedly ran out of her home and into the road, where she continued to bleed from a wound in her neck before collapsing, bystanders said.The victim’s father then hit her head several times with a block of concrete, before she succumbed to her injuries, according to a statement from the local Public Security Directorate.He then sat by her body and drank a cup of tea until police arrived at the scene.Despite their attempts to stop the brutal attack, bystanders said that Ahlam’s brothers had prevented neighbors from interfering.A new wave of activism Demonstrators held a sit-in on the streets near Amman’s parliament building on Wednesday to criticize the government’s failure to protect Ahlam from abuse prior to her killing.The woman was placed in the government’s custody prior to the incident and had stayed at a shelter for two days, award-winning Jordanian journalist and human rights activist Rana Husseini told Al Arabiya English.Ahlam was later released back into the custody of her family.A young women at the protest yelled “My voice is loud, and my voice is free. And abuse will not get a pass,” in Arabic, leading a chant.“Freedom, dignity, social justice,” dozens repeated loudly.The sit-in was organized by a group of young women and men on Facebook, all under the age of 30, according to Husseini. “I think this is another important achievement and a change in activism, because it’s done by people who are not organized, they are not under any umbrella,” Husseini, author of “Murder in the Name of Honor: The True Story of One Woman’s Heroic Fight against an Unbelievable Crime,” said.“These young women and men told me ‘We want a better future for Jordan, and we want to see changes to better protect women and children.’ I think that is the way to do it. Just move to the streets and demonstrate peacefully to demand change,” Husseini – who has been at the forefront of many protests in Jordan for decades, calling for reform of laws to prevent gender-based violence —said.Social media users around the Middle East also joined the protests virtually using the Arabic hashtag ‘Ahlam’s screams’ to condemn her murder and urge lawmakers to provide more protection for victims of abuse.Gender-based violence and COVID-19 The attack is the latest reported occurrence of gender-based violence in Jordan, where there has been a 69 percent increase in domestic abuse since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the children and women’s organization Plan International.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Ahlam’s story echoes that of 36-year-old Eman al-Khatib who garnered regional attention in April after posting a video of herself online pleading for help after a nationwide coronavirus lockdown trapped her with her abusive family.Ahlam’s murder is reportedly the tenth recorded case of gender-based violence to occur in Jordan this year.In the Middle East alone, an estimated 37 percent of women have experienced some form of violence – physical, sexual, emotional, mental, economic – in their lifetime, according to data by the United Nations, with indicators pointing out that the number may be higher.According to UN Women, emerging data shows that violence against women and girls – particularly domestic violence – has increased globally as the pandemic forces hundreds to be stuck at home.“As stay-at-home orders expand to contain the spread of the virus, women with violent partners increasingly find themselves isolated from the people and resources that can help them,” UN Women said in their report titled “COVID-19 and ending violence against women and girls.”Read more:Coronavirus: Domestic violence grows under Lebanon’s lockdownIsraa Ghareeb: A Palestinian woman who lost her life in the name of ‘honor’Coronavirus: Domestic abuse in Europe surges as lockdowns continue, says WHO
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Murder of Jordanian woman by father sparks sit-in after video evidence goes viral