Middle East & North Africa

14 June 2023; MEMO: The US House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday that mandates the Biden Administration to appoint an envoy for the Abraham Accords to help advance Israel's normalisation with Arab States, particularly with Saudi Arabia.

The bill, which was first introduced in February, would create a Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords with the rank of ambassador who would be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

14 June 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's President has dashed Sweden's hopes for NATO membership, saying that it should not expect any positive results until it prevents anti-Turkiye protests from taking place on Swedish soil.

14 June 2023; MEMO: The administration of US President, Joe Biden, has quietly recommenced negotiations with Iran to secure the release of American prisoners and curb Tehran's nuclear program, according to a report Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US approved the release of €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) held by Iraq for Iranian electricity and gas imports, citing those close to the discussions.

14 June 2023; MEMO: Parliament delivered a surprise blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition on Wednesday by electing an opposition member to sit on a committee that appoints judges, a panel at the heart of a political battle over Israel's justice system, Reuters reports.

14 June 2023; MEMO: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimates that about 90 per cent of Syrians live below the poverty line, Anadolu Agency reports.

"Nearly 90 per cent of Syrians live below the poverty line, with more than 15 million needing humanitarian assistance, a trend that has been sustained over the past years," the ICRC said in a statement.

"The risk of collapse of Syria's critical infrastructure is a pressing concern," it added.

15 June 2023; MEMO: The Israeli occupation army has reprimanded one of its soldiers over the killing of Palestinian toddler Mohammad Tamimi in Al-Nabi Saleh village in Ramallah earlier this month, news agencies reported on Wednesday.

15 June 2023; MEMO: More than 2.2 million people have been displaced in Sudan since the outbreak of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, Anadolu reported on Wednesday.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, the records show that 1,670,991 people have been displaced internally and 528,147 have fled to neighbouring countries.

RIYADH, Jun 14 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry, announced yesterday that, it would co-chair a high-level international conference on humanitarian response to the conflict in Sudan.

The conference will be held on Jun 19, jointly with Qatar, Egypt, Germany, the European Union, and the United Nations agencies.

The ministry reiterated Saudi Arabia’s unwavering support for the Sudanese people, said the report.

BAGHDAD, Jun 14 (NNN-NINA) – Iraqi security forces have confiscated 155,000 narcotic pills, in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said, yesterday.

The ministry’s General Directorate of Narcotics Affairs, said in a statement that, the Iraqi security forces seized the Captagon pills, when they raided a farm of a drug dealer in Anbar province, who managed to flee the scene.

The statement did not give further details about the fugitive drug dealer, and when exactly the raid took place.

CAIRO, Jun 14 (NNN-MENA) – Arab League Secretary-General, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, warned yesterday, against the implementation of Israeli plans to build thousands of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

He stressed, such plans undermine the two-state solution by grabbing the lands of the future Palestinian state, according to a statement published on the website of the Arab League.