Middle East & North Africa

JERUSALEM (AP) — Scores of Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage in the northern West Bank, setting dozens of cars and homes on fire after two settlers were killed by a Palestinian gunman. Palestinian medics said one man was killed and four others were badly wounded in what appeared to be the worst outburst of settler violence in decades.

The deadly shooting Sunday, followed by the late-night rampage, immediately raised doubts about Jordan’s declaration that Israeli and Palestinian officials had pledged to calm a year-long wave of violence.

26 Feb 2023; MEMO: Father Hilarion Heagy, a prominent US-based Eastern Catholic priest has converted to Islam, describing his decision as a "reversion to Islam" and that it was "like coming home."

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Egypt’s foreign minister Monday met with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus and promised to deliver more aid to the quake-hit country.

Sameh Shoukry is Egypt’s most senior official to visit Syria since 2011, a day after Cairo’s parliament speaker, Hanafy el-Gebaly, and a delegation of top Arab lawmakers visited Assad in a push to end Syria’s political isolation.

26 Feb 2023; MEMO: There has been an increase in the number of Israelis seeking to obtain foreign passports in order to relocate overseas because Israel is no longer a viable option according to Israel's Channel 12 on Friday.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Nearly 20 years after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by U.S.-led forces, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid wants the world to know his country now is at peace, democratic and intent on rebuilding economic life while maintaining a government that serves the whole country and the region.

27 Feb 2023; MEMO: Iran's national currency plummeted to an all-time low against the US dollar on Sunday, triggering chaos in the country's forex market and economic circles, Anadolu reports.

The stuttering rial traded below 600,000 to the greenback in the free market for the first time ever as foreign currencies, including the US dollar and British pound, rallied against it.

26 Feb 2023; MEMO: Two Israelis were killed in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, according to the military, Anadolu reports.

A military statement said an Israeli vehicle came under fire in the town of Huwara in the northern West Bank.

Israeli forces sealed off the area and launched a manhunt for the attacker, the army said.

27 Feb 2023; MEMO: An emergency security meeting was held in the Jordanian city of Aqaba on Sunday to discuss de-escalating tensions between the Palestinians and Israel, Anadolu reports.

The Israeli delegation to the meeting was led by Tzachi Hanegbi, the head of the National Security Council and Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service, while the Palestinian delegation was headed by Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, the coordinator of government operations in the Palestinian territories.

26 Feb 2023; MEMO: Social networking sites have been abuzz with fears that the Mediterranean Sea is receding the Middle East by up to 20 metres since the large earthquakes that hit the region earlier this month.

Egypt's Sinai, Libya, Algeria and Palestine, including the city of Acre and some beaches in the Gaza Strip, have seen new rocks exposed on their beaches with tidal waters moving five to 20 metres, leading to fears that a tsunami will strike.

26 Feb 2023; MEMO: A Spanish woman imprisoned in Iran since November on espionage charges after she was arrested during anti-government protests in November has been released, the Spanish Foreign Minister said on Sunday, Reuters reports.

An activist who works for a human rights NGO, 24-year-old Ana Baneira Suarez was detained in Iran during nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of a young woman in September.