Middle East & North Africa

08 Nov 2020; MEMO: Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has called on US President-elect Joe Biden to pull back outgoing President Donald Trump’s so-called “deal of the century”, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, Haniyeh asked the Biden administration to abolish the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the embassy move to the holy city.

Trump’s “deal of the century” refers to Jerusalem as “Israel’s undivided capital” and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over large parts of the West Bank.

07 Nov 2020; MEMO: Jordanian Queen Noor Al-Hussein has slammed the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem as “disgusting” behaviour, Shehab News Agency reported on Friday.

Her remarks came as she tweeted a comment on a BBC report about Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes during the last decade.

TRIPOLI, Nov 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) of the UN-backed Libyan government, said that, the country’s daily oil production has exceeded one million barrels.

The NOC announces that, it managed to raise production rates to 1,036,035 barrels a day.

However, the NOC said, it may not be able to sustain the current production levels, and these levels may be reduced or totally ceased “under the reluctance of some entities and their hindering of NOC’s efforts to increase production and restore the prosperity of the national economy.”

CAIRO, Nov 8 (NNN-MENA) – The Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s demolition of a Palestinian village, in the occupied West Bank, describing the move as “violation of international legitimacy.”

Such Israeli practices pose “obstacles to the two-state solution and the chances of reaching a comprehensive and just peace and achieving stability in the region,” said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Hafez in a statement.

ANKARA, Nov 8 (NNN-ANADOLU) — With Joe Biden the projected winner of the 2020 White House race, his running mate, Kamala Harris, is set to mark several firsts in Americas’ political history despite being the first woman vice president-elect.

Harris, 56, also makes history as the first Black person and the first person of Asian descent who will serve as number two in the US.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday, hailing a strong alliance that could be burdened by differences over policy on Iran and the Palestinians.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - “God Bless You Donald and Melania” read the poster hanging over an Israeli highway during the U.S. election campaign. In nearby Palestinian areas, anti-Trump graffiti adorned walls.

Perhaps nowhere outside his own country did President Donald Trump polarise opinion more than in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, where to many he was either hero or villain.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s president said on Sunday the next U.S. administration should use the opportunity to compensate for President Donald Trump’s mistakes, Iranian state reported after Joe Biden captured the U.S. presidency.

“Trump’s damaging policy has been opposed ... by the American people. The next U.S. administration should use the opportunity to make up for past mistakes,” President Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying.

“Iran favours constructive interaction with the world,” Rouhani said.

TEHRAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran started drilling operations on Saturday on Phase 11 of the South Pars gas field in southern Iran after years of delay, semi official SHANA news agency reported.

The aim is "to achieve a daily production capacity of 1 billion cubic feet of sour gas from the phase," said Mohsen Rezaei, caretaker of the project, adding 12 wells will be developed in two stages.

During the first stage, five appraisal/development wells will be drilled and completed, with an output of 500 million cubic feet per day.

ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Saturday stressed that "criminal elements cannot escape rule of law" amid ongoing military operations in the East African country's northernmost region.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday ordered military operations against the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in the northern state of Tigray in response to an attack on a government army base earlier in the day.