Archives for July, 2020

Israeli-Iranian couple welcomed nowhere, fights for their love

Israeli Lital and Iranian Vinas are in love, but no country will take in both of them.

US enthusiasm seems to be fading on Netanyahu’s annexation plan

According to a recent report, the Trump administration is now conditioning its support of the annexation plan on a broad agreement on the issue between Blue and White and Likud.

Iraqi volunteers with the Aqiq Institution for Charity work on building a 525-bed field hospital at the Baghdad International Fair exhibition center in the capital Baghdad, on June 21, 2020, a facility the association is setting up as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

PMU pitches in as COVID cases surge in Iraq

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, including those of populist cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, have plugged gaps in Iraq’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as cases surge and well-known fighters fall ill.

Palestinian tribes in Hebron asked to help stem the spike in COVID-19 cases

The sharp rise in the spread of the coronavirus in the Hebron district is blamed largely on weddings and public events, and the tribes have been asked to help stem the spread.

Jordan gearing up to reopen kingdom to tourism

The government is hoping to reopen the country for medical tourism amidst growing fears of a second wave and skepticism about the health protocols that will be adopted.

People gather near an island that was exposed due to low water level in the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel on August 30, 2018. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel creates plan to develop, protect Sea of Galilee

The Galilee Sea development plan aims to regulate the local tourism industry and protect the region’s sensitive ecosystems.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man, wearing a protective face mask, stands at a checkpoint erected to block entrance to the neighbourhoods of Romema and Kiryat Belz after authorities imposed a lockdown to combat the spread of the Coronavirus, in Jerusalem on July 12, 2020. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Ultra-Orthodox threaten unity government over coronavirus measures

Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members are threatening to leave the Netanyahu government over anti-coronavirus measures they feel disproportionately target their sector.

Erdogan: Turkey on path to ‘unstoppable power’ in region

Turkish president throws his lot in again with Russia and Iran in Syria, expands plans for influence in North Africa and moves to convert the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.

An Algerian man buys a sandwich at a shop in the capital Algiers on June 7, 2020, after authorities eased some restrictions put in place in a bid to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI / AFP) (Photo by RYAD KRAMDI/AFP via Getty Images)

Algeria reimposes domestic travel restrictions amid surge in COVID-19 cases

Following the Algerian government easing several restrictions in June, the country has registered several hundred cases a day in July.

First confirmed COVID-19 case detected in northwest Syria

The first case of the coronavirus in Idlib follows a veto at the UN Security Council today of a resolution that would have allowed aid to reach the embattled area via Turkey.

Intel: US CENTCOM commander meets with head of Syria’s Kurdish forces

The head of Syria’s Kurdish-led militias said he met today with the top commander of US forces in the Middle East, Gen. Frank McKenzie, in northeast Syria.

Palestinian shot and killed by Israeli military after alleged attack

Israeli and Palestinian officials disagree on the circumstances behind the death of a 29-year-old Palestinian in a West Bank village Thursday.

People gather to celebrate outside the Hagia Sophia museum on July 10, 2020 in Istanbul after a top Turkish court revoked the sixth-century Hagia Sophia's status as a museum, clearing the way for it to be turned back into a mosque. - The Council of State, the country's highest administrative court which on July 2 debated a case brought by a Turkish NGO, cancelled a 1934 cabinet decision and ruled the UNESCO World Heritage site would be reopened to Muslim worshipping. The sixth-century Istanbul building -- a

Erdogan's order making Hagia Sophia mosque brings cheers, mourning

While many pious Turks and some Muslims throughout the world celebrated the decision to revert the world heritage site to its pre-Ataturk status, others warned of the move's potential to create further domestic polarization.

Foreign investors flee Turkey, Ankara’s isolation grows

An exodus of foreign investors has aggravated Turkey’s economic woes and could prove disastrous for the AKP’s political future.

University students carrying young trees and members of the Middle East Technical Universuty (METU) graduate association protest against a road construction project to be carried out from the METU forests, on September 10, 2017 in Ankara. / AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Why can't Erdogan win over Generation Z?

The latest events reveal the diminishing popularity of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan among Generation Z, but will this matter for the next election?

A member of the Iraqi forces stands guard on the Iraqi side of the Mandili crossing on the border with Iran on July 11, 2020. - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi launched a new campaign against corruption at the country's borders, saying millions of dollars were being lost by not properly taxing imported goods. (Photo by Thaier Al-SUDANI / POOL / AFP) (Photo by THAIER AL-SUDANI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Iraqi government control corruption at border outlets?

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's government has set its sights on controlling corruption that could ease the impact of the financial crisis in the country, while prioritizing the border outlets.