All Stories Archive

Russia's foreign minister has stressed the importance of Saudi and Iranian participation in the Geneva II Conference on the Syrian issue. Sergei Lavrov insisted that all countries with influence on the state and non-state actors in Syria should take part in Geneva. Speaking to a Russian newspaper on Monday...

The trial of six former military officers charged with killing six Kurdish villagers in 1993 has begun in Hernak in south-eastern Turkey. The former military officers, who include generals, are being tried on charges of torturing the Kurdish villagers, killing them and then hiding their corpses. In their defence,...

The Middle East Monitor, in coordination with Spinwatch, have released a report into the work of the British Israel Communications and Research Centre. The report, Giving Peace a Chance will be launched at the House of Commons on Thursday 7th November. The report studies the work of the Israel...

British newspaper the Financial Times has declared that the prosecution of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi is illustrative of how Egypt is taking the wrong track. The newspaper noted that the prosecution is an extension of the corruption in the country, and a deviation of justice. By not including...

Sources in the Turkish army have revealed that Turkish authorities seized three truckloads of chemical materials at its border with Syria. In a statement, Turkish chief of staff said that the materials were seized on Saturday in al-Rihaniyya in the south of the country. The materials could be used...

Hatem Azzam, a member of an anti-coup public diplomacy delegation touring Europe, recently addressed a conference in Vienna to discuss the negative consequences of the 3 July coup in Egypt. Azzam conveyed that the anti-coup delegation is independent and does not represent any political party, and that its "primary...

A German expert in international communications has expressed her surprise that the Egyptian media have rejected the freedoms opened up by ousted president Mohamed Morsi and opted instead for the old, military-led authoritarianism. Professor Carola Richter, from Berlin's Free University, said that the media had used the freedoms introduced...

On Tuesday, delegations from across the UN member states convened in Geneva for Israel's Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Only 48 hours before the hearing was due to commence, it was still uncertain whether or not Israel would even attend, having boycotted the Human Rights Council in March of last...

Arab and Western officials have ruled out that the Geneva II Conference on Syria would take place on schedule because of clear differences between Washington and Moscow. Washington and Moscow have not agreed on how the Syrian opposition should be represented at the conference. Meanwhile, Arabs have their own...

A delegation including eleven academics from Oxford University is coming to the end of a visit to the Gaza Strip where they have attended a medical conference at the Islamic University of Gaza. The president of the IUG, Jamal Al-Khoudari, MP, welcomed the visit, during which the academics also...

The French President's cancellation of a speech to the Israeli Knesset has created a diplomatic crisis. In return, reported Yedioth Ahronoth, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein has decided to boycott events during Francois Hollande's 3-day visit to Israel next month. Sources at the Élysée Palace said that the change in...

A German court in Berlin is to try a German citizen of Lebanese origin on charges of espionage. The 60-year old man is accused of spying on behalf of the Syrian intelligence services. According to state investigators, the accused was ordered to spy on meetings of the Syrian opposition...

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the countries that support the Syrian opposition of undermining the Geneva II peace conference on the Syrian conflict. Russia Today Arabic reported that Lavrov also blames the fractured opposition in Syria for the failure to reach a political solution to the Syrian...

It is that time of year now; the 2nd MEMO Palestine Book Awards evening will take place in mid-November, where the authors, publishers, academics and literary minds will gather together to celebrate works on Palestine. An international book awards, the evening will include an address by the UN Special...

The French newspaper Le Monde has revealed that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was spying on former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. According to the documents leaked by US national security officer Edward Snowden, the French electronic guard unit discovered a hacking attempt on the Elysee Palace's networks on 10...

Germany's Foreign Minister has urged Benjamin Netanyahu to attend a UN Human Rights Council hearing next Tuesday. Guido Westerwelle warned the Israeli prime minister that if Israel boycotts the UNHRC session it would cause "significant political damage to itself and its allies". Haaretz newspaper said that the letter is...

The Italian authorities announced on Friday that its coast guard and the Maltese have rescued about 700 "illegal" migrants, including Palestinian and Syrians who were onboard five boats in the Mediterranean. According to the statement, the Italian coast guards saved four of the boats, which apparently departed from the...

In a rare incident, two Turkish F16 fighter jets have intercepted a Russian military spy plane above the international waters between the two countries in the Black Sea, the Turkish army announced on Wednesday. In a statement, the Turkish army explained that: "The Turkish fighter jets scrambled on Tuesday...

A senior official from the European Union has visited Israel to inform the government that it will find a solution to ensure Israel's participation in the scientific Horizon 2020 project, Haaretz newspaper has claimed. This is in spite of EU restrictions on dealing with Israeli companies and research centres...

The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Borge Brende, is insisting that his country will not change its policy of banning arms sales to Israel, despite calls to lift the ban from members of the right-wing Progress Party, which now shares power in the government. During a meeting held on Wednesday with...

The British embassy in Amman announced that the United Kingdom will provide $25 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to support Palestinian refugees in Syria as well as those who have been forced to flee to the neighbouring countries because of the ongoing conflict. Britain's Minister...

Switzerland's Deputy Director of the Federal Office of Justice, Susanne Kuster, has said that the Swiss authorities are following the developments in Egypt closely with regards to overturning an earlier decision to block the return of funds smuggled out of the country at the end of the Mubarak era....

A European diplomatic convoy arrived in Cairo on Monday morning to get the latest updates on Egypt's transitional roadmap, which was initially proposed five months ago in the wake of the coup that removed the country's first democratically elected president. The convoy is expected to meet with government officials,...

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has affirmed his country's respect for and friendship with the people of Egypt despite the current diplomatic crisis. Commenting on the quarrel between Ankara and Cairo, the minister said that time will move on and "a new administration that respects the nation's will is...

Assistant Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) Mouldi Jendoubi has announced that national dialogue will resume before next Thursday. Jendoubi explained that the differences which caused the suspension of the dialogue are being sorted out; however, he reiterated that there is still no consensus regarding who...

Spokesperson of the Turkish Foreign Ministry Levent Gümrükçü indicated that his country has reached a complete agreement with Iran to develop bilateral relations, according to the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. Gümrükçü revealed that representatives from both countries have had "positive discussions over Syria," saying that a "full agreement" was...

A United Nations official said on Thursday that Turkey has agreed to fund fuel purchases that will be used to provide power for emergency services in the Gaza Strip, including hospitals and idle sewage treatment plants. Robert Turner, the Director of Operations in Gaza for the UN Relief and...

Israel has asked the British government to "lean on universities to prevent their participation in academic boycotts of the country", according to a report in The Times. In a meeting this week with the UK's Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts, Israeli Science Minister Yaakov Peri slammed the...

This year's Palestine lobby of parliament ended with an evening rally which saw an "unprecedented number of MPs" attending. According to Baroness Jenny Tonge, MPs finally want to be seen by their constituents attending the now annual event. The lobby of parliament is arranged in November every year by...

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency of Turkey (AFAD) has said that it will organise the delivery of aid to Syria and Gaza with the aim of helping Syrians and Palestinians face the cruel winter conditions. AFAD announced on its website that it plans to hold meetings for humanitarian...

On Friday French President François Hollande said that the Geneva II Conference on Syria will not be successful if Al-Assad remains in power. In an EU summit discussing the Syrian issue, Hollande said that the aim of Geneva II would not just be for meetings. "If Geneva II reiterated...

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov criticised Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad for causing tension in Syria after he announced that he might run for president in 2014. Al-Assad has indicated several times that he plans to run in the 2014 presidential elections. "I do not see any reason not...

The European Union has denied claims that they intend to suspend financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority if the American brokered peace talks with Israel fail. The High Representative for EU foreign policy spokesperson, Maya Kossianic, told Italian news agency AKI, "The European Union did not make any such...

The Dutch government's adviser in the Gaza Strip, Omar Shaban, has revealed that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will head a high-level delegation to the Palestinian territories next week. During the visit, Rutte will meet with President Mahmoud Abbas and inaugurate a new security check system, funded by his...

British foreign minister William Hague said on Friday that a peaceful solution in Syria has to be without Bashar al-Assad. During a visit to Kuwait, Hague said: "We have always been clear that any peaceful solution in Syria must be without president Al-Assad." Hague, who met his Kuwaiti counterpart,...

Israeli newspaper Maariv revealed on Monday that US Secretary of State John Kerry has decided to ask Israel to postpone the release of the third batch of Palestinian prisoners due to be released at the end of this month. Maariv reported that Kerry wants to delay the release of...

Turkish authorities have decided to allocate homes for homeless Syrian refugees before the start of the winter season. The Director General of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, Dr Fuat Oktay, told Anadolu News Agency that his department has allocated 40,000 new housing units to offer winter protection for...

Romania stopped sending labourers to work in Israel two years ago, it has been reported by Haaretz. According to the Israeli newspaper, this was because the Israeli government refused to sign an agreement with its Romanian counterpart that such labourers would not be employed on illegal settlements in the...

Qatar's embassy in London announced on Tuesday that Qatari citizens will be able to travel to the UK without a visa by 2014. The announcement first appeared on the official Twitter account of the embassy. It called for visiting the following website to access all the necessary information: https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/...

Israel's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Dutch Ambassador in Tel Aviv over the Dutch water supplier Vitens' decision to end its partnership with the Israeli water company Merokot because of its operations in the occupied Palestinian territories. Vitens, a state-owned company, announced on Tuesday that it had decided to...

Turkey has closed the Cilvegözü border crossing with Syria, which is also known as Bab Al-Hawa, after the Islamic Front, a union of six major rebel groups in opposition to the Syrian National Council, seized control of the crossing on the Syrian side. According to Hurriyet Daily News in...

Members of the democratically elected Government of Egypt have submitted a formal Complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Complaint is accompanied by a Rome Statute Article 12 (3) Declaration giving the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over the situation in Egypt. The submission of the complaint and declaration...

The Palestinian community in Britain has announced the start of an unprecedented initiative to aid Palestinian refugees in the Yarmouk refugee camp in the Syrian capital Damascus. About 20,000 Palestinians are currently trapped in the Yarmouk camp and suffering under an extreme siege. The UN Relief and Works Agency...

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that he would agree to the retrials of hundreds of army officers who were jailed for plotting a coup against his 11-year rule. Before setting off for an Asian tour, Erdogan told journalists in Istanbul that, "Our position on a...

The legal team appointed by the Egyptian Freedom and Justice Party will be holding a press conference on Monday January 6th 2014 at 11am the Cavendish Hotel, Mayfair, 81 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6JF. This comes after the legal team lodged complaints at the International Criminal Court. Following the...

The Palestinian foreign ministry announced that the Palestinian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Gamal Al-Gamal, has died following a blast that took place on Wednesday morning, the first day of 2014. The explosion took place as he was opening an old safe that had earlier been moved from the...

Following the Egyptian authorities' arrest on Sunday of four Cairo-based Al-Jazeera English journalists, the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in UK (AOHR UK), a non-governmental organisation that promotes human rights in general and the rights of Arab citizens in particular, is urging the UN secretary general to intervene in...

French President Francois Hollande's visit to Riyadh this week has made headlines in the French media. The French newspaper Le Monde has been particularly interested in the objectives of the visit, and its implications for relations between the two states. The newspaper even described Hollande as Riyadh's "best Western...

In cooperation with the government in Paris, Israel plans to facilitate the migration of thousands of French Jews to settle in Israel, the newspaper Maariv revealed on Friday. The plan is being funded by the Israeli and French governments and is expected to be approved by Tel Aviv soon....

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkey's economy is achieving new records on a daily basis even though the world is going through a very difficult economic situation, including the European Union, the United States and Japan. The prime minister's remarks were delivered at the opening...