Middle East & North Africa

ANKARA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye's Foreign Ministry summoned Norway's ambassador to Ankara on Thursday and urged the Norwegian authorities to prevent a planned Quran protest.

"After learning that there will be an attack against the holy Quran tomorrow (Feb. 3), Norway's ambassador to Ankara has been summoned to our ministry," the semi-official Anadolu Agency quoted anonymous Foreign Ministry sources as saying.

Ankara "strongly condemns Norway's approach not to prevent the provocative act, which is clearly a hate crime," the ministry's officials told the envoy.

BAGHDAD (AP) — For months, the United States has restricted Iraq’s access to its own dollars, trying to stamp out what Iraqi officials describe as rampant money laundering that benefits Iran and Syria. Iraq is now feeling the crunch, with a drop in the value of its currency and public anger blowing back against the prime minister.

The exchange rate for the Iraqi dinar has jumped to around 1,750 to the dollar at street exchanges in some parts of the country, compared to the official rate of 1,460 dinars to the dollar.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s attorney general has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he must not be involved in an overhaul to the country’s judicial system proposed by his government, saying in a letter made public Thursday that he risks a conflict of interest in his ongoing corruption trial.

Netanyahu’s new far-right government has made changing the legal system a centerpiece of its legislative agenda and despite mounting public criticism, has charged ahead with steps to weaken the Supreme Court and grant politicians less judicial oversight in their policymaking.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria on Thursday dismissed the global chemical weapons watchdog’s statement, which said that investigators had found “reasonable grounds to believe” the Syrian air force dropped two cylinders of chlorine gas in 2018 on then-rebel-held town of Douma.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey on Thursday slammed a group of Western countries that temporarily closed down their consulates in Istanbul over security concerns, accusing them of waging “psychological warfare” and attempting to wreck Turkey’s tourism industry.

02 Feb 2023; MEMO: Israel's intelligence services have warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that nobody can guarantee calm with the Gaza Strip due to the continuous incitement by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the measures he proposes.

The warning followed the Israeli Prison Service's aggression against Palestinian inmates, including women prisoners, who sent a voice message complaining about the aggression and restrictions.

02 Feb 2023; MEMO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has put pressure on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept and implement America's security plan for the PA to regain control over Jenin and Nablus, Axios news website reported on Wednesday. US and Israeli officials have said that they see the reduction in the PA's security control across the occupied West Bank as a key reason for the ongoing escalation in the territory.

Russia yesterday warned Israel against delivering weapons to Ukraine after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "considering" military aid to Kyiv.

"With regard to the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, we do not classify countries according to geography. However, we say that all countries that deliver weapons must understand that we will consider these weapons as legitimate targets for the Russian armed forces," said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.

02 Feb 2023; MEMO: Turkiye, on Saturday, issued a travel warning to its citizens in Europe, citing "possible Islamophobic, xenophobic and racist attacks".

According to the report, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called on citizens in Europe to avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place.

Turkiye said recent anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish acts show the "dangerous level of religious intolerance and hatred" on the continent.

02 Feb 2023; MEMO: The Israeli occupation authorities "must dismantle the system of apartheid which is causing so much suffering and bloodshed" in the occupied Palestinian territories, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.