Middle East Monitor - The Latest from the Middle East
April Guest Writer
News from Africa
Sudanese opposition coalition freezes Popular Congress Party membership
A coalition of Sudanese opposition parties has frozen the membership of the Popular Congress Party, led by Hassan Al-Turabi, for accepting an invitation for unconditional comprehensive dialogue with Prar Al-Bashir. The coalition insists on conditional talks with the president. ...
Egypt destroys 5 new tunnels under Gaza border
The Egyptian army has announced the destruction of five new tunnels under the border with the Gaza Strip.
Algeria's Bouteflika casts his vote in a wheelchair
Algerian television has broadcast footage showing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika casting his vote in the presidential election from a wheelchair. He has been sick since suffering from a stroke in March 2013. The president is a candidate for what could be his fourth term in office...
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News from the Middle East
The pain of the prisoners - Palestinians mark 'Prisoners' Day'
EXCLUSIVE IMAGES
Before the latest phase of the Oslo negotiations began in July 2013, President of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, was promised the release of 104 prisoners by Israel, all of whom have been incarcerated since before the ironically named 'Pe...
UN official pledges to lift the 'illegal' siege on Gaza
The new Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Pierre Krahenbuhl pledged yesterday to defend Gaza and work hard to end the blockade.
Kuwait: Gulf rift 'will be resolved soon'
The dispute between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar "will be resolved soon" as things are "moving in a positive direction towards containing the issue", Kuwait's Foreign Ministry Undersecretary said.
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News from Europe and Russia
Activists in London demand justice for Palestinian prisoners
IMAGES
International activists staged protests in London and other major cities around the world on what is known as Palestinian Prisoners' Day, which this year fell on Thursday, to express solidarity with Palestinians imprisoned by the Israeli occupation.
New EU restrictions on Egyptian agricultural exports
The EU Commission in Brussels has issued a new decision to double check the Egyptian agricultural exports to countries within the EU.
Morocco sentences British paedophile to 20 years in prison
A Moroccan Criminal Court sentenced on Tuesday a British man to 20 years in prison on charges of attempting to kidnap and rape three minors, a judicial source reported.
Labour Party leader Ed Miliband: The basis of the success of negotiations is the recognition of a Palestinian state
The basis for the success of the negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis depends on Israeli recognition of a viable independent Palestinian state, living side by side with the State of Israel, the leader of the British Labour Party and opposition Ed Miliband said.
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News from Asia, the Americas, & International Organisations
New campaign seeks to suspend Israel's FIFA membership
American and Arab sports activists in the United States have launched the Red Card Israeli Racism campaign calling for Israel to be expelled from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on the grounds of Israel's repeated violations of Palestinian athletes' rig...
US should save Egypt from a looming solvency crisis, think tank
A report by the Council on Foreign Relations suggested that Egypt is close to experiencing an economic deadlock and that the US must intervene to rescue Egypt from impending insolvency.
Carter says Israel possesses more than 300 nuclear warheads
Israel possesses more than 300 nuclear warheads, former US President Jimmy Carter told MSNBC last week.
US angry with Israel's 'neutrality' over Ukrainian crisis
US officials expressed anger over Israel's policy of "non-interference" with the Russian annexation of the Crimea; Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported.
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Latest In-Depth Articles
Do Arab states really engage with human rights?
With growing demands for "bread, freedom and social justice" across the Arab Spring countries, many have started to question the status of human rights in the region and, more specifically, whether Arab states actually have any engagement with them in any meaningful way. Brutal clamp-downs and massacres by state security services have been accompanied by international support for regime changes, from the likes of French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé and British Prime Minister David Cameron among others.
Despite Bouteflika win, new generations cry enough
On Thursday the Algerian people went to the polls to cast their vote in the country's presidential elections. As expected, preliminary results indicate that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is heading towards a fourth term in office. However, despite the few surprises, some indications suggest that Algerians may slowly begin to shake the strong ruling politico-military elite.
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MEMO Commentary & Analysis
The EU and Middle East democracy
Is there any difference between the forthcoming presidential elections in Egypt and Syria? The Europe Union apparently believes that there is. While the EU has dismissed the Syrian process as a "parody of democracy", the European High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, conveyed an entirely different outlook on the election in Egy...
DEBATE by Ben White
From ethnic cleansing to return: a peace process worthy of the name
This week marks the 66th anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Miska, a Palestinian village whose roughly 1,000-strong population was expelled in April 1948 by Haganah forces. Located around 10 miles from Qalqilya, Miska boasted 100-200 houses, an elementary school for boys, and a mosque.
INQUIRY by Asa Winstanley
Israel's doomed 'lawfare' strategy
A report in the Jewish Chronicle last week stated that a "secret conference" had been held in London whose aim was to combat the "delegitimization of Israel". The three-day event was reportedly held amid heavy security and was attended by representatives of Israel's spy agencies and by Israeli Strategic...
