Middle East & North Africa

Israel's new Chargé d'Affaires to Morocco David Govrin confirmed that his government expects direct flights between Israel and Morocco to start within two months.

"An agreement has been reached between the two countries, and we are currently consulting about the procedures," Govrin said in an interview with the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan), confirming that the number of Israeli tourists to Morocco will double.

"All Israeli airlines companies have requested to operate flights to Morocco, in addition to Royal Air Maroc."

04 Feb 2021; MEMO: The Secretary of Fatah's Central Committee said on Tuesday that the Palestinian elections will be held in Jerusalem, probably against the Zionist entity's will. Jibril Rajoub told Palestine TV that the occupation government rejects any sovereign acts by the Palestinians in the city but has not yet revealed its position about 340,000 Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem taking part in the elections.

04 Feb 2021; MEMO: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu yesterday spoke to his British counterpart Dominic Raab, Anadolu news agency reported.

The agency quoted Turkish diplomatic sources as saying that the two ministers discussed bilateral relations as well as the Cyprus file.

The sources did not give further details about the phone call.

04 Feb 2021; MEMO: The unemployment rate in Morocco rose to 11.9 per cent of the working population last year, compared with 9.2 per cent in 2019.

In a report issued yesterday, Morocco's High Commission for Planning (HCP), the country's official national statistics office, attributed the surge in unemployment to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and the drought affecting agriculture.

04 Feb 2021; MEMO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said yesterday that his country refuses to change a single article in the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 with the major powers and dismissed calls to broaden its terms or involve new partners.

04 Feb 2021; MEMO: A UK military delegation has just finished a three-day official visit to Egypt to reinforce bilateral cooperation, enhance joint training and enforce the armament partnership.

UK Chief of Defence Staff's Senior Adviser to the MENA region Lieutenant General Sir John Lorimer and Air Marshal Martin Sampson met with top Egyptian defence officials from the Navy, Air Force and armament authority.

04 Feb 2021; MEMO: The Israeli occupation army has demolished a gathering of Palestinian residential structures in the occupied Jordan Valley, rights group B'Tselem has revealed.

04 Feb 2021; MEMO: International rights groups and several US lawmakers have called on the Biden administration to cancel Donald Trump's easing of sanctions against Israeli mining magnate Dan Gertler, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

In a joint letter, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and 28 other groups urged US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel the relief of sanctions imposed on the Israeli businessman.

04 Feb 2021; MEMO: It's been six months since an explosion in Beirut tore apart the entire city and the Lebanese authorities have failed to deliver any justice for those affected.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A prominent Lebanese Shi’ite publisher who criticized Iran-backed Hezbollah was found shot dead in a car in southern Lebanon on Thursday, two security sources and his family said.

A judge following the case said the body of Lokman Slim had four bullets in the head and one in the back, in the first such killing of a known activist in years.

One of the security sources also said Slim, who ran a research centre and made films, was shot in the head. The second said Slim’s phone was found earlier on the side of a road.