Middle East & North Africa

CAIRO (AP) — The Muslim holy month of Ramadan — when the faithful fast from dawn to dusk — began at sunrise Saturday in much of the Middle East, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent energy and food prices soaring.

The conflict cast a pall over Ramadan, when large gatherings over meals and family celebrations are a tradition. Many in the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia planned to start observing Sunday, and some Shiites in Lebanon, Iran and Iraq were also marking the start of Ramadan a day later.

Jerusalem, Apr 2 (AP) Israeli forces killed three Palestinian militants in a firefight in the occupied West Bank early Saturday, police said, raising fears of further escalation of violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israeli media said four members of a police counter-terrorism unit of the Israeli police were wounded, one of them seriously. The troops came under fire as they attempted to arrest suspected militants in the northern West Bank.

02 April 2022; MEMO: The Sovereignty Council of Sudan on Friday issued directives to use military force to resolve the lawlessness in South Darfur State.

This was reported in a statement issued by the Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, coinciding with the escalation of violence in the Sudanese state.

02 April 2022; MEMO: The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has called on all countries not to be drawn into misleading Israeli propaganda regarding the truce and has reiterated the need to hold the Israeli occupation government responsible for escalating violence.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry indicated that the Israeli intentions and plans aim to escalate the conflict to serve the occupation's interests and its expansionist colonial projects in the land of the State of Palestine.

01 April 2022; MEMO: The Saudi-backed Yemeni government said on Friday it supported a ceasefire proposed by the United Nations that would also ease sea and air restrictions imposed on areas controlled by the Houthi movement to help alleviate a dire humanitarian crisis, Reuters reports.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, that synergy in the field of energy was mutually beneficial for their countries and that he hoped the momentum built in recent talks would continue, his office said on Friday and Reuters reports.

02 April 2022; MEMO: Turkey and Israel have in recent weeks been working to mend their long-strained ties, and energy has emerged as a potential area of cooperation.

01 April 2022; MEMO: The former Tunisian President, Moncef Marzouki, called on the Parliament to ignore the decision of its dissolution by President Kais Saied, "because the person who announced its dissolution represents himself only, since he does not have any legitimacy since his coup against the Constitution."

Marzouki considered that the Parliament has to "continue its work and seek to attain the quorum to remove a person who has proven that he is fit for everything except to be the Head of a State like Tunisia."

01 April 2022; MEMO: Turkey's Justice Minister said on Friday his Ministry would approve a request to transfer a trial over the killing of journalist,Jamal Khashoggi, to Saudi Arabia, as Ankara seeks to mend ties with Riyadh, Reuters reports.

Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, and rights groups condemned the move, saying Saudi Arabia could not be expected to hold a fair trial.

02 April 2022; MEMO: Adalah, The Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, has called on the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel (CoI-OPTI) to "investigate the Nakba and the ongoing existence of a colonial regime with apartheid characteristics."

RIYADH, Apr 1 (NNN-SPA) – The Saudi Arabia-led coalition, involved in the civil war in Yemen, said yesterday that, it remained committed to a ceasefire that it announced two days ago.

The coalition affirmed that its air forces did not carry out any combat operations inside Yemen, and it would take all steps to achieve a successful cessation of military operations and comprehensive peacemaking, according to the tweet.