Middle East & North Africa

Israel's PM cancels holiday, summons chief of staff

15 August 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled his vacation in the Golan Heights yesterday and met with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu summoned Halevi to the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv for issues described as urgent, and postponed his vacation until today. They discussed the army’s readiness for any emergency and how it was affected by the wave of discontent over the judicial overhaul.

Qatar Post buys stake in Turkiye Souq

15 August 2023; MEMO: Qatar Postal has secured a 40 per cent stake in prominent Turkish e-commerce platform, Turkish Souq, Hurriyet daily reports.

According to the report, serving as an international e-commerce hub, Turkish Souq offers consumers high-quality products from leading brands, combining an international shopping experience with competitive pricing.

Saudi Arabia: first rabbi in Riyadh reveals his role within society

15 August 2023; MEMO: Rabbi Yaakov Israel Herzog lives in the capital of Saudi Arabia and has granted himself the title of the “First Rabbi of Riyadh” after opening the first Chabad Movement house in Saudi Arabia to serve the thousands of Jewish expatriates living there. “One man isn’t waiting for peace to become official,” reported Israeli channel I24.

Egypt: expectation of ‘terrifying’ debt within 5 years

15 August 2023; MEMO: Data from an international statistics website shows a “terrifying” expectation of the size of Egypt’s national debt over the next five years. Statista has predicted that the debt will be $510.32 billion in 2028, compared with $132.86bn in 2018, an increase of more than 284 per cent over the ten-year period.

Reality in West Bank is “total apartheid”, says Ex-Israel general

15 August 2023; MEMO: Former Israeli army general and ex-senior Mossad agent, Amiram Levin, yesterday said that the Israeli occupation army is a “partner in war crimes”, adding that the situation in the occupied West Bank is “total apartheid”, Kan radio reported.

Leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Palestine urge for ending Israeli occupation, peace talks revival

CAIRO, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine stressed on Monday the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands in order to revive peace and the Palestinian cause, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Presidency.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a tripartite conference in Egypt's coastal city of New Alamein, where the three leaders touched on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause.

An Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank kills 2 Palestinians, health officials say

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, in a raid in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said. The Israeli military said troops came under fire and shot back.

Moroccan navy rescues 130 Senegalese migrants

RABAT, Aug 14 (NNN-XINHUA) — Moroccan navy has rescued 130 Senegalese migrants off the Atlantic coast near Dakhla city, the official MAP news agency reported.

A Moroccan navy patrol intercepted the boat while it was sailing from the port of Fass Boye in Senegal northbound toward Spain’s Canary Islands in the Atlantic, it added.

Also on Sunday, the Canary Islands announced that its rescue units intercepted a pneumatic boat and rescued 53 people on board off the coast of Fuerteventura.

Iranian FM to visit Saudi Arabia soon: spokesman

TEHRAN, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will pay a visit to Riyadh in the near future at the invitation of his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Monday.

He made the remarks at a weekly press conference in the capital Tehran while commenting on the latest developments in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

It is a reciprocal visit to Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud's visit to Tehran in June, Kanaani added.

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