Middle East Monitor

Israel, Turkey Hold Secret Talks in United Arab Emirates

It is not known exactly what will be discussed by the two parties, but if the secret talks prove successful they are expected to return their respective ambassadors in early October.

Middle East Monitor
By Middle East Monitor
uae

Israeli and Turkish envoys yesterday flew to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to hold secret backchannel talks on restoring diplomatic relations. According to a Hebrew language report by Ynet, “an Israeli executive jet and a Turkish government executive plane took off at 09:00 [GMT] to the United Arab Emirates and stopped for a short

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UN Chief Says US Power is Declining and the World is in Pieces

Guterres suggested the world is moving away from a US-led order to a multi-polar system that has yet to fully settle.

Middle East Monitor
By Middle East Monitor
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, and Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif prepare to take their seats for a meeting, Monday, July 17, 2017, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

UN chief Antonio Guterres said in comments published Thursday that US power is in decline as Washington loses its ability to impact world events, Anadolu reports. “I think that the soft power of the United States … is being reduced at the present moment,” Guterres said during an interview with the Atlantic magazine. Guterres warned the

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UN Commission: Syrian Opposition Forces Should Leave Idlib

Russia and the Syrian regime have accused Idlib as being a “nest of terrorists” and a “festering abscess” that must be resolved.

Middle East Monitor
By Middle East Monitor
Syria

A UN commission has called for Syrian opposition groups to leave urban areas in the northern province of Idlib in order to prevent an attack from the Syrian government and its allies. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria Chief Paulo Pinheiro made the suggestion yesterday, echoing UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura’s comments last week. “Most of

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Majority of Israeli Jews Believe They Are ‘Chosen People’

“Israelis and Americans view Europe as godless and decadent, but for the Brahmins in Brussels, Israel and the United States are drifting into fundamentalist Crazyland.”

Middle East Monitor
By Middle East Monitor
demolishing Israeli homes

The majority of Israeli Jews — 56 per cent — believe that they are the “chosen people” according to a poll conducted by Haaretz. That figure is considerably higher amongst the political right in Israel, at 79 per cent. The findings of the survey — carried out to mark the Jewish New Year — included a number of revealing facts about Israeli society

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Trump Appointee Re-Opens Case Over Alleged Anti-Semitism on US Campus

In reopening the probe, Marcus is said to have employed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism which equates criticism of Israel and Zionism with anti-Semitism.

Middle East Monitor
By Middle East Monitor
Image of a banner reading 'Stop Arming Israel' by the student-led BDS campaign at the University of Manchester on 3 March 2017 (BDS Campaign University of Manchester/Facebook)

A vociferous anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigner appointed by President Donald Trump to head a top civil rights organisation has re-opened a seven-year-old case over alleged anti-Semitism in an American university. The newly appointed official is seeking to use a controversial definition of anti-Semitism to revisit a case dismissed

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US Shutters Palestine Liberation Organization’s Washington Office

The State Department said “the PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.”

Middle East Monitor
By Middle East Monitor

The US on Monday announced the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Washington diplomatic mission as the Donald Trump administration prepares to roll out its Middle East peace plan, Anadolu reports. The State Department announced the decision, saying “the PLO office in Washington will close at this point.” The office had served

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US Energy Chief to Meet Russian, Saudi Counterparts Ahead of Iran Sanctions

Perry will be the most senior US official to visit Russia since Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in July to try to improve ties that have dipped to a post-Cold War low.

Middle East Monitor
By Middle East Monitor
Rick Perry at the 2016 Republican National Convention. in Cleveland, Ohio. (Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx/AP)

US Energy Secretary Rick Perry will meet counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Russia starting on Monday, sources familiar with the matter said, as the Trump administration encourages oil-producing countries to keep output up two months before it is due to renew sanctions on Iran’s crude exports. Perry will meet Khalid al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s energy

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