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☆ US religious freedom delegation cuts short Saudi Arabia visit after rabbi is asked to remove his kippah
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An American delegation on religious freedom cut short its visit to Saudi Arabia after one of its members was asked to remove his Jewish head covering, or kippah. The delegation from the US Commission on International Freedom (USCIRF) was on an official visit to the UNESCO heritage site of Diriyah, the original home of the Saudi royal family, when Saudi officials asked its chairman Rabbi Abraham Cooper to remove his kippah, the commission said in a statement Monday. It added that the Saudi government had invited the group to tour the site and that the visit had been approved by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CNN has reached out to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Saudi embassy in Washington. “Saudi officials’ request for Chair Cooper to remove his kippah was stunning and painful.

Persons: Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Cooper “, Cooper, ”, Frederick A, Davie, “, ” Davie, ” Cooper Organizations: CNN, An American, US, UNESCO, Saudi, Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Human Rights Commission Locations: Saudi Arabia, Diriyah, Saudi, Washington, Kingdom

CNN —Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is in the Saudi capital Riyadh for a major summit on the Israel-Hamas war, where Arab leaders pressed for an end to the conflict. It marks the first trip by an Iranian leader to Saudi Arabia in 11 years after the two countries restored diplomatic relations in March. He shook hands with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the heir to the Saudi throne and the country’s de facto ruler. A significant number of Arab leaders are attending the emergency gathering Saturday, titled the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit. The summit is being hosted by Saudi Arabia in response to the “unprecedented circumstances in Gaza,” according to a statement released by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Raisi, ”, we’ve, “, Mahmoud Abbas, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel’s, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: CNN, Saudi Arabia’s Crown, Palestinian, –, Hamas, Arab, Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arab League Locations: Saudi, Riyadh, Israel, Saudi Arabia, …, Al, Aqsa, ”, Gaza, United States, Washington, Palestine, Iran

CNN —Canada has told its citizens in Sudan that evacuations are “not possible at this time” due to the closure of airspace amid fierce fighting between rival forces. Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it had evacuated Canadian nationals from Sudan to Saudi Arabia. However, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not provide the number of Canadians it had helped to evacuate. There are 1,596 Canadians signed up to the Registration of Canadians Abroad Service in Sudan but this number provides only an estimate of Canadians in Sudan as registration is voluntary. Canadian citizens can register through the Registration of Canadians Abroad service on the Travel.gc.ca site.

Videos show the moment two American veterans touched down on U.S. soil and were reunited with their families after being held hostage for three months by Russian forces. The two men were among ten foreign fighters captured by Russian forces in June after they traveled to Ukraine to aid in the war. They were held by Russian proxies in the contested Donbas region that remains at the center of the war. Dianna Shaw and Bunny Drueke, the aunt and mom of Drueke, said they were "thrilled" that he was finally free. The 10 foreign fighters included Drueke and Huynh, five British fighters, and one Moroccan, Swede and Croatian, according to the Saudi Ministry of Media.

Ten foreign fighters, including two Americans who joined the war effort in Ukraine before they were captured and held by Russian forces, were released Wednesday as part of an exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi government had successfully negotiated the release of the foreign fighters and transferred them to Saudi Arabia, where they were "facilitating procedures for their safe return home." The 10 foreign fighters are five British fighters, two Americans, and one Moroccan, Swede and Croatian, according to the Saudi Ministry of Media. U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss said in a tweet that she was elated to hear that the British nationals had been released. They are believed to be the first Americans to be captured during the war between Ukraine and Russia.

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