Middle East Monitor - The Latest from the Middle East
Tuesday, March 03 2015
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March Guest Writer
News from the Middle East
Houthi rebels storm Brotherhood office again
Armed Houthi rebels have stormed the office of Al-Islah Party in Sanaa for the second time. A local source told Anadolu that the incident targeting the party, which is affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood, took place on Monday evening.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad discusses relations between Egypt and Hamas in Cairo
For the third day in a row, a delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement is holding talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo on a number of issues, most notably the elimination of tension between Egypt and Hamas. The closure of the Rafah border crossing is also on the a...
Hamas says Egypt is unfit to mediate for Palestinian reconciliation
A spokesman for the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has said that Egypt is now "unfit" to act as mediator in the talks about Palestinian reconciliation. Sami Abu Zuhri cited the recent court ruling in Egypt which lists Hamas as a "terrorist organisation" as the reason why it ...
Senior Hamas founder dies at age 80
Sheikh Hamad Al-Hasanat, one of the founding members of Hamas, died yesterday at the age of 80.
UK welcomes Kurdish leader’s calls on PKK to lay down arms
The British Foreign Ministry welcomed in a statement jailed Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan 's calls on the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) elements to take the "historic" decision to lay down their arms , the Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia to boost support for Syrian opposition
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud have agreed on the need to increase support for the opposition in Syria.
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News from Africa
Egyptian public debt up $26bn in a year
Egypt's public debt is reported to have increased by 200 billion Egyptian pounds ($26.2 billion) to reach 1.9 trillion Egyptian pounds ($0.25 trillion) by the end of September 2014 compared to 1.7 trillion Egyptian pounds ($0.22 trillion) at the end of the same period in 2013.
New Sisi leaks exposes UAE support for military coup
VIDEO
Egypt's Mekameleen TV channel released a new leaked audio recording exposing how the UAE supported and funded the military regime in Egypt and helped them and other civilian movements to stop the Arab Spring there.
Libya's Tobruk-backed army slams UK diplomat
The command of the Tobruk-backed army on Saturday denounced remarks made earlier by a British diplomat before the United Nations Security Council on Libya.
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News from Europe and Russia
Austrian FM vows to support Saudi blogger
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Curtis said he will make extra efforts to support blogger Raif Badawi who has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment and 1,000 lashes in Saudi Arabia, the Anadolu Agency reported.
Two guilty of assaulting pro-Palestinian activist
VIDEO
Two members of an extremist Jewish organisation have been found guilty of assaulting pro-Palestinian activists in London.
Italy begins naval drills off Libyan coasts
Italy is to begin annual naval drills near the coast of Libya on Monday amidst fears of terrorist attacks by extremist militants in the region, various new agencies reported.
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News from Asia, the Americas, & International Organisations
Palestinian envoy to UN slams Kerry criticism of UNHRC
Palestine's Ambassador to the United Nations has condemned John Kerry's criticism of the UN Council for Human Rights. Speaking to Anadolu, Ibrahim Khreisheh said that the US Secretary of State's comments were flawed and frustrating.
A quarter of Americans don’t know who Netanyahu is
A new opinion poll suggests that a quarter of all American citizens have no idea who Benjamin Netanyahu is, have never heard of his name and don't know what he wants. The poll by the View Institute also revealed that of those who have heard of the Israeli prime minister, 38 per c...
Anti-war protesters arrested outside AIPAC conference
Five pro-Palestinian protesters from the anti-war women's group CODEPINK were arrested on Sunday outside the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington DC. The protesters were part of a 150-strong rally against the influence of the AIPAC ...
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Latest In-Depth Articles
Who is really in charge of the Zionist Project?
The next few hours should establish who is really in charge of the Zionist project – Israel or its biggest benefactor the United States of America. It is a debate which has concentrated the minds of many as they try and work out where the seat of influence really lies. Is it with...
The story of a young man in the Israeli lobby
It is interesting that the AIPAC conference programme includes one session dedicated to a young Palestinian man. At first glance, it would seem as if the Israeli lobby in America was supporting peace and harmony, but there is no need to be optimistic. This young man was a "former...
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MEMO Commentary & Analysis
A perfect gift for Egypt's failing regime
The callous murder of 21 Copts in Libya over the weekend was a welcome gift to the military-led regime in Egypt. Like the senseless killings in Paris, it offered an opportunity for the government in Cairo to present itself as a deserving and credible partner in the great "war on ...
DEBATE by Ben White
NGOs slam 'disarmament for development' as Gaza lies in ruins
Leading NGOs have heavily criticised attempts to link the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip with its demilitarisation, ahead of a debate about the issue in Westminster today.
INQUIRY by Asa Winstanley
Spy Cables show America's hypocrisy on Hamas
The publication by Al Jazeera and The Guardian this week of a cache of cables leaked from the files of the South African intelligence services has been enlightening.
