Archives for March, 2023

AFP via Getty Images

China settles first LNG trade in yuan with UAE deal

China has held several discussions with countries in the Middle East and North Africa about conducting trade using its local currency.

The International Court of Justice rules on disputes between United Nations member states

Top court rejects Iran bid for bank funds frozen in US

Agence France-Presse

Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant (R) and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shake hands after delivering a statement to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) headquarters near the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, on March 9, 2023.

Analysis

Sacked Israeli defense chief may apologize as Netanyahu meets replacements

Israelis are outraged by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for speaking up against his judicial reform efforts.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Islam Shakhbanov arrives at his sushi restaurant in Syria's rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib

Weapons to wasabi: Russian jihadist runs Syria sushi outlet

Agence France-Presse

An Israeli F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft performs manuevers during the "Noble Dina 23" multilateral aeronautical exercise over the Mediterranean sea on March 27, 2023. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Two Syrian soldiers injured in suspected Israeli strikes

Israel is suspected of carrying out numerous attacks against Syrian and Iranian military targets in Syria this year.

Finnish MPs attend a plenary session of the Finnish parliament on a vote on the country's entry to NATO in Helsinki, Finland on March 1, 2023. - Finland's parliament on March 1 voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining NATO, ahead of ratifications from Hungary and Turkey, increasing the likelihood it will enter the alliance before Nordic neighbour Sweden. Lawmakers approved a law affirming that Finland accepts the terms of the NATO treaty by 184 votes against seven. (Photo by Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva /

Turkey ratifies Finland’s NATO membership

Finland’s accession to the alliance will now be finalized by the US State Department and Helsinki.

Turkey ince

Can Turkey's Kemal Kilicdaroglu win over key rival to defeat Erdogan?

While playing hardball, Turkish presidential candidate Muharrem Ince hasn’t ruled out a potential electoral alliance against Erdogan.

The United State Congress enacted the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force which empowered then-president George W. Bush to send US forces to Iraq in 2003

Senate passes repeal of Iraq war authorizations

Agence France-Presse

Milley

Top US general advocates targeting Iran’s IRGC Quds Force after Syria drone attack

Biden’s airstrikes in Syria highlight paradox of deterring Iran-backed groups without triggering further escalation.

Shiite Muslims protest near the local headquarters of the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority on July 20, 2003, in Najaf, Iraq.

Analysis

20 years after US invasion of Iraq, what lessons remain?

With the Pentagon now refocusing elsewhere, and with Iran getting closer to nuclear weapons by the day, the widening post-Iraq American boots-on-the-ground Middle East vacuum is cautiously being challenged by China.

Gilles Kepel

By Gilles Kepel

Qatar Airways plane

EU transport chief given new role after taking free Qatar flights

Henrik Hololei, director general of the European Commission’s transport department, was moved to a new non-managerial role after details emerged that he accepted free flights and accomodation from the Gulf state.

Israel soccer

Culture

Explainer: The Israel-Indonesia soccer dispute

FIFA removed Indonesia as the host for an upcoming tournament after the country expressed opposition to hosting the Israeli team, and may sanction its soccer body. Anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian sentiment is strong in Indonesia, despite the country’s distance from the Middle East.

Lebanese women hold placards during a protest organized by civil society groups and activists.

Lebanon fumes as another woman murdered by husband

The man killed his wife in front of their three children, renewing calls to enforce laws on domestic violence.

ALI AL-SAADI/AFP via Getty Images

International oil firms stop operations as Iraqi-Kurdish oil dispute continues

A Kurdish official told Al-Monitor that the Kurdistan Regional Government disagrees with an Iraqi government proposal to resolve the issue, as the stoppage of oil exports to Turkey threatens the autonomous region's economy.

The national flags of Saudi Arabia (R) and China are displayed from a road lamp at Tiananmen square in Beijing on February 21, 2019. - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is on a visit to China from February 21 to 22. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP) (Photo by WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudis joining Shanghai Cooperation Organization as China bromance blossoms

Russia, China and a number of former Soviet states in Central Asia created the SCO in 2001 to counter US hegemony in the region.

Palestinian football fans in Gaza watch Morocco's team play during the 2022 World Cup on December 14, 2022, with their faces painted in the Moroccan and Palestinian flags

Morocco treads fine line between courting Israel, Palestinians

Agence France-Presse