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Items by MEMO
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Sudan’s healthcare sector is on the verge of collapse
Ongoing fighting between the Sudan Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have brought the country’s healthcare sector to the verge of collapse. The situation is compounded by an unprecedented humanitarian crisis characterised by famine and general insecurity after more than two and a half years of civil war. In…
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Haaretz tells Israelis, ‘It’s time to choose life over death’
The self-declared “liberal and progressive” Israeli newspaper Haaretz is committed to “in-depth reporting and insightful analysis” of Israel’s domestic issues and international affairs. And despite it being founded by “Zionist immigrants” in Jerusalem in 1919, it is true to say that you can read criticism of the Zionist state and…
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Timeline: Iran and Saudi Arabia key developments towards resumption of ties
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed, on Friday, to re-establish relations after a seven-year diplomatic rupture, according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China, Reuters reports. Here are key dates in Saudi-Iranian relations since the suspension of ties in 2016: 10 March 2023: Iran and Saudi Arabia announce that they…
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Egyptian Doctors’ migration: Why do they resign?
The Egyptian Medical Syndicate revealed the resignation of 11,536 doctors from working in the government sector from the beginning of 2019 until last March 2020, which is considered a continuation of doctors’ reluctance to work in the government sector and their increasing quest to migrate outside Egypt due to the poor conditions…
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What about the invisible victims of the Hancock affair?
Whitehall is still reverberating from the Hancock affair. It was not the first, and it certainly will not be the last time that a politician gets caught out publicly. History is replete with examples of extra-marital affairs at the heart of the British political establishment, from the highest office in…
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Britain’s opposition to sanctions on Israel exposes its support for the occupation and its crimes
The British government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has issued a statement in response to a petition calling for sanctions to be imposed on Israel. The statement ignores the fact that Israel is an occupying power and the people of Palestine are living under that occupation. It is worth looking…
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NGOs in Gaza are front line eyewitnesses to Israel’s bombing of civilians
As Israel continues to bomb civilians in the Gaza Strip, a relatively unacknowledged workforce keeps its collective head down in the struggle to maintain social services for vulnerable Palestinians. The staff of numerous NGOs in Gaza are in many ways the community’s unsung heroes. Saif, for example, is one of…
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Britain must act now to cut arms sales to Saudi Arabia following Khashoggi report
Britain must act now to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in the war in Yemen, amid new evidence published by the US CIA report on Jamal Khashoggi. Fresh calls have been made by human rights groups and activists, in light of the Khashoggi report, detailing that Crown…
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Will the US hold Saudi Arabia to account for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi?
The Biden administration in Washington is set to declassify an intelligence report which could be a vital step in the search for accountability over the murder of respected journalist Jamal Khashoggi. If the US president makes progress with evidence from the report, it could mean that the US will be…
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Yemen cannot afford to have another year of Saudi and UAE impunity
The extent of the damage caused by Saudi Arabia’s ongoing war in Yemen has been catastrophic, with innocent civilians bearing the brunt of this brutality. Last year alone there were 1,020 incidents entailing harm to civilians, over 900 of whom were killed. Malnutrition and the number of children dying under…
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Saudi Arabia must free its Uyghur detainees
The authorities in Saudi Arabia have arrested two Uyghur Muslims who face persecution and torture if they are deported to China. Such a move by the Saudis would be unacceptable and lacking in compassion. Hemdullah Abduweli, 52, is a scholar and was arrested in Makkah whilst on the Umrah pilgrimage,…
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Saudi Arabia continues to conceal its human rights abuses
Two years since the brutal death of respected journalist Jamal Khashoggi, why has Saudi Arabia still not been held to account? Khashoggi, a veteran journalist from Saudi Arabia, was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, where he was due to obtain documents for his upcoming wedding to…
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Campaigning to preserve Palestinian identity
Ali Howaidi is a member of the Preparatory Committee of the International Campaign for Preserving Palestinian Identity which is launching next month. MEMO spoke to him over the telephone to ask him about Intimaa’s plans. Intimaa is preparing to launch its 2020 campaign. What are its goals? Intimaa is a…
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Why Qatar’s Emir may not attend the Riyadh summit
In principle, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia this week should end with a return to normal relations between its six-member states. That’s why the invitation extended by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, seemed a welcome step in the right direction. This, however, is not…
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MBS admitted responsibility for Khashoggi’s murder, but who will hold him accountable?
Saudi Crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman has admitted responsibility over respected journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder in a PBS documentary that is due to be aired next week. Frustratingly, despite a barage of evidence that points to the crown prince’s involvement in the murder, he has managed to evade being held…
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‘You don’t need a lawyer even to tell you this sentence is unconstitutional’
On 1 November 2016, some 25-30 masked men in uniform raided the home of Hemeda Ali Hemeda and arrested his son Kareem. For 42 days, Kareem’s family did not know what had happened to him or where he was taken. “It was 2:00 am and those men took him in…
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Pro-Palestine students ‘banned’ from UK campus during Queen’s visit
Kicking off Israeli Apartheid Week, pro-Palestine students at one of the most prestigious universities in London claim they were barred from campus during the Queen’s visit. At least ten King’s College London students came forward saying they were blocked from attending classes, exams and work on 19 March due to…
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Former senior UK MPs discuss Saudi crises in MEMO conference
Senior British politicians, including former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, took part in a conference tackling the current situation in Saudi Arabia hosted by the Middle East Monitor yesterday. Straw, who was foreign secretary for five years under Tony Blair’s government, gave a speech on the current crises in the Kingdom and fielded questions on some of his…
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Timeline: Crisis in Saudi
28 December 2020: Saudi invited Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to join the GCC Summit in January in what analysts believe is sign that the Gulf crisis may be coming to an end 26 April 2020: Saudi Arabia announces it will abolish the death penalty for those who committed crimes while still…
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Timeline: Israel’s attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque
09 March 2025: Israeli occupation forces storm the Qibli Prayer Hall at Al-Aqsa Mosque and seize the loudspeakers, local sources say 21 Oct 2024: 1,780 settlers defiled Al-Aqsa Mosque in different groups under police escort to mark the fifth day of the Jewish festival of Sukkot. 22 Sept 2024: The Israeli occupation regime…
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Timeline: Arab rift with Qatar
16 May 2023: Bahrain and Qatar announced that direct flights will operate between the two countries from 25 May 12 April 2023: Qatar and Bahrain agree to restore their diplomatic relations, reopen embassies 24 August 2021: Egypt receives credentials of first Qatari envoy since 2017 21 March 2021: Qatar and Mauritania meet for…
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Timeline: Israel’s anti-Palestinian laws since 1948
2006-Present 30 Dec 2024: Israeli authorities announce a new measure to designate any land in Jerusalem which they deem to be ‘without verified ownership’ as ‘absentee property’, under the so-called Absentee Property Law. This move not only seizes ownership from Palestinian residents, but also bars them from obtaining building permits on…
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Timeline: International attempts to boycott BDS
2016- present 21 April 2025: BDS announces the success of its campaign to push for a boycott of Disney movie Snow White in the Arab region because one of the lead roles is played by Israeli actress Gal Gadot who has previously served in the occupation army and shown support…
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Russia seeks naval base in Egypt
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has revealed that his country is seeking to establish a naval base in Egypt. He stressed how important this is to Russia but denied that it would be incompatible with the existing American presence in the country. Lavrov’s remarks came in a lengthy interview with…