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☆ Jordan disperses pro-Palestinian protesters heading to border with West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Men pray as security forces stand guard during a protest to express solidarity with Palestinians, in Amman, Jordan October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Muath Freij Acquire Licensing RightsAMMAN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Jordanian riot police on Friday forcibly dispersed hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters trying to reach a border zone with the Israeli-occupied West Bank as thousands held anti-Israel demonstrations across the country, witnesses said. The interior ministry had issued a ban against holding anti-Israel marches in the sensitive border area, where it said the Jordan river valley was closed to protesters but that licensed protests elsewhere would be allowed. Several thousand protesters near downtown Amman chanted slogans in support of Hamas and demanded the government close the Israeli embassy and scrap the 1994 peace treaty with Israel. The Israeli embassy, where protesters gather daily, has long been a flashpoint of anti-Israel protests at times of turmoil in the Palestinian territories.

Persons: Muath, Jordan, Witnesses, Israel, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Jordanian, West Bank, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Amman, Jordan, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Irbid

☆ Listen now: The global fog of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Listen on the Reuters app. Israel tells more than 1 million people to leave northern Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion. Plus, the Speaker race splutters in DC and critical votes await in Poland, Australia and New Zealand this weekend. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising.

Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, United Nations, Thomson, Reading, WHO, Blinken, Jordanian Locations: Gaza, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Reading Israel, Gaza City, Amman Poland

☆ Israel Gaza war: Growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israel forms war cabinet and prepares hospitals as troops mass
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Nada Bashir Kareem El Damanhoury Ali Younes Mohammed Tawfeeq Rhea Mogul | Nada Bashir | Kareem El Damanhoury | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Gaza’s only power station stopped working on Wednesday after running out of fuel, the head of the Gaza power authority Galal Ismail told CNN. So death was a blessing,” he told CNN, his voice broken, tears streaming down his tired, ashen face. Izzat al-Risheq, a senior Hamas official, told CNN on Wednesday that it’s too early to exchange Israeli hostages. “We are extremely worried that what is happening now is totally unprecedented,” Najla Shawa, an Oxfam worker in Gaza, told CNN. “I was sleeping, and then suddenly everything started falling on us,” one little girl waiting in a hospital with blood all over her face, told CNN.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN —, Israel, ’, Israel’s, Yahya Hassouna, Galal Ismail, Karama, “, we’re, Jonathan Conricus, Khan, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, ” Gantz, Abir, Mahmoud Abbas, Antony Blinken, Abbas, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Mohammed Bin Salman, Ebrahim Raisi, Tom Hand, Emily, wasn’t, ”, Izzat, it’s, Risheq, Baz Ratner, Fabrizio Carboni, ” Carboni, Najla Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Palestinian, Getty, Palestinian Health Ministry, United Nations Office, of Humanitarian Affairs, CNN, Israel Defence Force, Reuters, National Unity Party, Alternate, Defence, Chagall State, Palestinian Authority, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, West Bank, Oslo Accords, Israel, Saudi Arabia’s Crown, Saudi Press Agency, Hamas, International IDF, Kibbutz, International Committee, Cross, ICRC, UN, Oxfam Locations: Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza City, AFP, Al, Khan Younis, Chagall, Abir Sultan, Amman, Oslo, Doha, Qatar, Egypt, Kibbutz Be'eri, “

☆ Palestinian President Abbas to meet Blinken on Friday, Palestinian official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/file Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 12 (Reuters) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, a Palestinian official said early on Thursday. Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, also said on messaging platform X that Abbas will meet with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman on Thursday. Reporting by Hatem Maher; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mahmoud Abbas, Brendan McDermid, Antony Blinken, Hussein Al, Sheikh, Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah, Hatem Maher, Kim Coghill Organizations: General Assembly, REUTERS, U.S, Palestine Liberation Organization, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Amman

☆ Jordan's king says no stability in region without Palestinian state
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks at the opening of a new parliamentary session in Amman, Jordan October 11, 2023. Royal Hashemite Court/Handout via Reuters Acquire Licensing RightsAMMAN, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah said on Wednesday no peace was possible in the Middle East without the emergence of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. A two-state solution was the only option, the monarch told deputies in a speech at the opening of a new parliamentary session. "Our region will never be secure nor stable without achieving just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution," the monarch said. Jordan's peace treaty with Israel is widely unpopular among many citizens who see normalisation as a sellout of the rights of their Palestinian brethren.

Persons: King Abdullah II, King Abdullah, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Blinken, King Abdullah said, Amman, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Alison Williams, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Royal Hashemite, Reuters Acquire, Rights, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Amman, Jordan, Israel, Palestinian, Western, Jerusalem, Gaza, East Jerusalem

☆ Japan loans Jordan $100 million for electricity reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Jordan's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan sign agreements in Amman, Jordan September 3, 2023. REUTERS/Muath Freij Acquire Licensing RightsAMMAN, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Japan extended a $100 million loan to help Jordan's electricity sector reforms as part of Tokyo's support for the kingdom's IMF-guided reforms, officials said on Sunday. "Japan will continue our support for Jordan in its economic and financial reforms and further modernization," Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said in joint remarks with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman al Safadi at the start of a visit to Jordan. Japan is one of Jordan's main donors, contributing over $4 billion in loans, aid and technical support in recent decades. Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi Editing by Ros RussellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yoshimasa Hayashi, Muath, Ayman al Safadi, Jordan's King Abdullah, Hayashi, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Ros Russell Organizations: Planning, Cooperation, REUTERS, Rights, IMF, Jordan, Thomson Locations: Amman , Jordan, Japan, Jordan, Tokyo, Egypt, Saudi Arabia

☆ What happens to the Wagner Group after Yevgeny Prigozhin plane crash?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Courtesy PMC Wagner via Telegram via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 24 (Reuters) - A day before mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin's plane crash, a Russian official visited Libya to reassure allies that fighters from the Wagner Group would remain in the country -- but under Moscow's control. In Africa, Wagner may stay more or less intact under new management or be subsumed by another Russian mercenary group. 'REPLACE A DEAD LEADER'After the June mutiny, Prigozhin intensified his efforts to bolster Wagner's presence in Africa. In countries where Wagner operates through an official agreement with Moscow, analysts do not expect much to change - for now. But as Wagner was there through a state-level agreement with Russia, "nothing will affect the presence of these instructors" he said.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Yunus, Bek Yevkurov, Khalifa Haftar, Jalel, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, John Lechner, Haftar's, Harchaoui, Faustin, Fidele Gouandjika, Gouandjika, Ousmane Pare, Evro, Filip Lebedev, Ed McAllister, Tiemoko Diallo, Suleiman al, Angus McDowall, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Wagner, Telegram, REUTERS, Libyan, Royal United Services Institute, Central African, Wagner PMC, Human Rights Watch, Russian, Russia's Defence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Africa, Libya, Benghazi, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Europe, East, Ukraine, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali, Belarus, U.S, Tripoli, Burkina Faso, Evro Polis, Reuters Libya, Tblisi, Dakar, Judicael Yongo, Bangui, Thiam Ndiaga, Ouagadougou, Bamako, Khalidi, Amman

☆ Israel rules out Jerusalem base for Saudi envoy to Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Flags of Saudi Arabia and Israel stand together in a kitchen staging area at the State Department in Washington, October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/PoolJERUSALEM, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Israel ruled out on Sunday a diplomatic base in Jerusalem for the new Saudi envoy to the Palestinians, whose appointment comes as Washington tries to forge formal Israeli relations with Riyadh. Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Nayef Al-Sudairi on Saturday expanded his credentials to include non-resident envoy to the Palestinians. "We will not allow the opening of any kind of diplomatic mission" in Jerusalem, Cohen added. Israel's hard-right government has played down any prospect of it giving significant ground to the Palestinians as part of a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia.

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Pool, Jordan Nayef Al, Sudairi, Donald Trump, Eli Cohen, Cohen, Bassam Al, Agha, Al, Trump, Nidal al, Dan Williams, Bernadette Baum Organizations: State Department, REUTERS, Saudi, Washington, Palestinian Authority, Tel, U.S, Palestine, Israel, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Israel, Washington, Jerusalem, Riyadh, Saudi, Amman, East Jerusalem, United States, U.S, Tel Aviv, Palestinian

☆ Britain agrees deals on clean energy, critical minerals with Zambia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Alaa Al SukhniLONDON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday said it had agreed deals with Zambia on clean energy and critical minerals as foreign minister James Cleverly ends a four-day visit to Africa to deepen ties. "The UK-Zambia Green Growth Compact and our landmark agreement on critical minerals will support investment between UK and Zambian business, creating jobs in both countries," Cleverly said. Zambia is a major copper producer, and also has deposits of critical minerals such as cobalt, manganese and nickel. Last year Britain emphasised the importance of diversifying its supply chains in a critical mineral strategy. Britain has agreed to deepen collaboration on critical minerals with other countries such as the United States, Japan, Australia, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.

Persons: James, Ayman Safadi, Sukhni, Alistair Smout, William James Our Organizations: British, Jordan's, REUTERS, Sukhni LONDON, Thomson Locations: Amman, Jordan, Britain, Zambia, Africa, Niger, Zambian, United States, Japan, Australia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia

☆ Opinion | From Tel Aviv to Riyadh
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — “Your final destination is Tel Aviv?”I’ve been a reporter in the Middle East since 1979, and those are six words I’d never heard in the place where I was standing about the place where I was going. I was checking in to fly from Doha, Qatar, to Tel Aviv, via Dubai. My first instinct was to ask her: Could you please keep your voice down? Now the airport codes DIA, DXB and TLV were fused together on my luggage for all to see. A few days later, I hopscotched to three more cities that suddenly seemed closer than ever: early breakfast in Tel Aviv; lunch in Amman, Jordan; and late dinner in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.

Persons: Saudi Arabia —, I’ve, I’d, ”, Dixie Organizations: Doha International Airport Locations: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Tel Aviv, Doha, Qatar, Dubai, Cairo, Riyadh, Beirut, Israel, Lebanon, Amman, Jordan, Saudi Arabian

☆ Royal wedding showpiece highlights Jordan's role as West's stable ally
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Prince Mohammed last visited Jordan a year ago following years of tensions, also prompting hopes then that warmer ties would unlock more fulsome economic support. KING-IN-WAITING[1/10] Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif are seen together at their royal wedding ceremony, in Amman, Jordan, June 1, 2023 in this screen grab taken from a video. At the Arab League summit in Jeddah last month, he walked alongside his father to greet Crown Prince Mohammad. Washington's desire for a stable ally in an otherwise volatile region meant it too has often turned a blind eye to Jordan's slow democratic reforms and mixed human rights record. It's the prince's wedding, not ours," said Abdullah al-Fayez, a retired servicemen living on slim savings on the outskirts of Amman.

Persons: Prince Hussein, Rajwa Al Saif, Britain's William, Kate AMMAN, King Abdullah, Jordan, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Lady Jill Biden, Britain's Prince, Princess of Wales, William, Kate, Prince Mohammed, Hamza, Hussein, Joe Biden, Prince Mohammad, Prophet Mohammed, Alia Ibrahim, Abdullah al, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, John Stonestreet Organizations: West, Saudi, U.S, Royal Hashemite, REUTERS, Georgetown, Sandhurst, League, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Saudi, West, U.S, Amman, Jordan, Jeddah, Mecca, Iraq, Syria

☆ Jordan royals marry into Saudi family with ties to MBS
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The bride is related to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), through her mother, who hails from the prominent Al-Sudairi family. Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Alseif sit during the wedding ceremony in Amman, Jordan on Thursday. Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II of Jordan and Miss Rajwa Alseif. Ties between Saudi Arabia and Jordan have recently thawed after years of tension. During a trip to Jordan last year, MBS was quoted by Saudi media as saying that he was keen to “push relations [with Jordan] to a new phase.”

Persons: CNN —, Prince, Princess, Jill Biden, Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II, Alseif, Jordan, Crown Prince, Rajwa, Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Hussein, Rajwa Alseif, AP Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, King Abdulaziz, Hussa bint Ahmed Al, Katb Al, Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II of Jordan, Miss Rajwa Alseif Organizations: CNN, Syracuse University, Crown, Royal Hashemite Court, AP Saudi Arabia’s, Miss, Royal Hashemite, AP, MBS Locations: Saudi, Wales, Zahran, Jordanian, Amman, New York, Jordan's, Amman , Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, Russia, Jordan

☆ We come, we take pictures, we leave: Gaza’s grim routine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ben Wedeman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Gaza City, Gaza CNN —“Journalists come, take pictures and go home!” shouted Bilal Nabhan, his voice hoarse, his eyes bloodshot. Nabhan was a day worker, every day venturing out to earn enough money to feed his wife and four children. Three times in the last three years there have been flare ups between militants in Gaza and Israel. As a young producer and later correspondent based first in Amman then in Cairo, I was a regular traveler to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. Now I come once a year for the annual flare up between Gaza militants in Israel.

☆ Analysis: Arabs bring Syria's Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While denying any role in the trade, for which Syrian officials and Assad relatives have faced Western sanctions, Damascus has sought leverage from the issue. Hezbollah, which deployed fighters to Syria to aid Assad's war efforts, has denied any role in the drugs trade. Aided by Iran and Russia, Assad steadily beat back his rebel enemies, some of whom had support from U.S.-allied Arab states that have now restored ties. The Syrian source confirmed Riyadh had proposed a sum that would be paid as humanitarian aid, but could not say how much. "I would put ending the captagon trade right at the top alongside the other issues", she said.

☆ Arabs bring Syria's Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Hezbollah, which deployed fighters to Syria to aid Assad's war efforts, has denied any role in the drugs trade. Aided by Iran and Russia, Assad steadily beat back his rebel enemies, some of whom had support from U.S.-allied Arab states that have now restored ties. The United States, United Kingdom and European Union have all placed new sanctions on Damascus in recent weeks over captagon. The United States has said it will not normalize ties with Assad and its sanctions remain in full effect. "I would put ending the captagon trade right at the top alongside the other issues", she said.

☆ Cate Blanchett calls for more support for refugee host countries
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) - Actor Cate Blanchett, a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency, has called for more support for countries hosting people forcibly displaced from their homes to prevent "a forgotten crisis." Blanchett, appointed a UNHCR goodwill ambassador in 2016, said it "was easy to forget" there were protracted conflicts around the world leading people to seek refuge elsewhere. "When you think that 74% of refugees are sheltered by lower to middle income countries, it's not the wealthiest countries in the world that are bearing that responsibility. [1/3] UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett visits a TIGER workshop in the community centre in District 2 of Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan, April 25, 2023. Blanchett reunited with families in Amman and travelled to Zaatari refugee camp, created soon after the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011 and where some 80,000 people now live.

☆ Arab ministers discuss how to normalise ties with Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, May 1 (Reuters) - A group of Arab foreign ministers held a landmark meeting with their Syrian counterpart in Jordan on Monday to discuss how to normalise ties with Syria as part of a political settlement of the country's more than decade-old conflict, officials said. Jordan has called on Syria to engage with Arab states jointly on a step-by-step roadmap to end the conflict, tackling the issues of refugees, detainees, drug smuggling and Iran-backed militias in Syria - all of which affect its neighbours. Amman has been fighting armed groups smuggling narcotics from Syria, including the highly-addictive amphetamine captagon. Arab states and those most impacted by the conflict are trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to the Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh, to discuss the pace of normalising ties with Assad and on what terms Syria could be allowed back. Washington, which said it would not change its policy towards the Syrian government which it terms a "rogue" state, has urged Arab states to get something in return for engaging with Assad.

Jeremy Selwyn/WPA Pool/Getty Images Camilla stands next to Queen Elizabeth II during a Diamond Jubilee pageant on the River Thames in June 2012. Chris Jackson/Getty Images From left, Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend the state opening of Parliament in May 2013. From left are Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis, Duchess Catherine, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William. Frank Augstein/WPA Pool/Getty Images In pictures: Britain's Queen Camilla Prev NextShe reportedly met Prince Charles at a polo match in Windsor in 1970 and they became friends. From left are Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Louis, Duchess Catherine, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William.

☆ A 'tinderbox' with no easy off-ramps: What the Sudan conflict means for the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023. "We urge the Sudanese army to respect the ceasefire and its conditions to alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians. - | Afp | Getty ImagesNotorious Russian mercenary force Wagner Group has been linked to various commercial and military operations in Sudan. Italian citizens are boarded on an Italian Air Force C130 aircraft during their evacuation from Khartoum, Sudan, in this undated photo obtained by Reuters on April 24, 2023. "The RSF is likely to target oil infrastructure linking South Sudan with Khartoum and the export terminal at Port Sudan," Verisk Maplecroft's Hunter suggested.

☆ Syrian says air defenses confront Israeli attack over Homs area
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN, April 2(Reuters) - Israel targeted outposts in Syria's Homs province in a raid early on Sunday, the Syrian defence ministry said, while Western intelligence sources said the strikes hit a series of air bases in the central region of the country where Iranian personnel are based. The strikes pointed to intensifying Israeli efforts to counter Tehran's foothold in the country, analysts said. Two Western intelligence sources said the rocket strikes targeted the T4 air base located west of the ancient city of Palmyra, and al Dabaa airport near al Qusayr city near the Lebanese border where Iranian backed Hezbollah are entrenched. Iranian military personnel alongside fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah are stationed at both airports and there is a strong presence of pro-Iranian militias in that area of Homs province, the sources said. A Syrian military source said on state media that the strikes caused some material damage with five military personnel injured.

☆ Syria says Israel hits Homs outposts, sources say air bases bombed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iranian military personnel alongside fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah are stationed at both airports and there is a strong presence of pro-Iranian militias in that area of Homs province, the sources said. Syria denies Western and Israeli allegations that Iran, whose top military officials frequently visit Syria, has an extensive military presence in the country. A Syrian military source said on state media that the strikes caused some material damage with five military personnel injured. Israel has intensified strikes in the last year on Syrian airports and air bases to disrupt what it says is Iran's use of aerial supply lines to deliver arms to militias. read moreIran declined to comment on the Western and Israeli accusations.

Some Arabs said they hoped the crisis would lead to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political demise. Others expressed hope of more far-reaching consequences for Israel, which fought numerous wars with Arab adversaries after its establishment in 1948 and occupies land the Palestinians seek for a state. The sentiment was echoed by Mohammad Abdullatif in Syria, from which Israel captured the Golan Heights in a 1967 war. Gaza political analyst Talal Okal said the crisis had brought a sense of relief among Palestinians. "But there is also a fear, they may carry out military adventures or wars to escape the internal crisis."

☆ Syria's Assad arrives in United Arab Emirates in official visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad meets with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates March 19, 2023. Hamad Al Kaabi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERSDUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday for an official visit, accompanied by his wife Asma al Assad, at a time when more Arab states have signalled openness to easing the isolation of Damascus. "We held constructive talks aimed at developing relations between our two countries," Sheikh Mohammed later said in a Twitter post. The Syrian presidency said Asma al Assad, on her first known official visit abroad with Assad since 2011, would meet with Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak who is the Emirati president's mother and regarded in the UAE as the "Mother of the Nation". Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, to a lesser extent the UAE, once backed rebels against Assad.

☆ U.S. defense secretary aims to reassure Mideast allies, deliver tough message
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has about 30,000 troops in the region and is seen as pivotal in helping counter Iranian influence. Austin is poised to send a clear message on the need for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to respect human rights, underscoring Washington's concern on the issue. "I fully expect him to bring up human rights, respect for fundamental freedoms," the U.S. defense official said. The United States has withheld small amounts of military aid to Cairo, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions. The United States has committed more than $32 billion in weapons to Ukraine including sophisticated air defense systems and tanks.

☆ Jordan's king tells US defense secretary West Bank violence threatens stability
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Jordan's king Abdullah II meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Amman, Jordan March 5, 2023. Jordanian Royal Palace/Handout via Reuters REUTERSAMMAN, March 5 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday a surge in West Bank violence threatened regional stability and asked for assistance to fight a growing drug war along its borders with Syria blamed on Iranian-backed militias, Jordanian officials said. He wrote on Twitter before his departure that he would meet key leaders and "reaffirm the U.S. commitment to regional stability and advancing the shared interests of our allies and partners." The U.S. Defense Department said ahead of the visit that discussions would focus on the growing threat Iran poses to regional stability, and on advancing multilateral security cooperation with integrated air and missile defenses. Amman wants more U.S. military aid to bolster security on the border, where Washington has since the more than decade-long conflict began given around $1 billion to establish border posts, Jordanian officials say.

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