Middle East & North Africa

20 Oct 2020; MEMO: The head of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, Yossi Cohen, has said that Israel and Saudi Arabia maintain peace relations, however they remain outside the official diplomatic framework, Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported.

The paper quoted Cohen as saying that the normalisation of relations with Arab countries gives Israel a “strategic depth” to confront the axis of evil led by Iran as well as the dangers it poses, especially the nuclear programme, terrorism and regional expansion.

TEHRAN, Oct 20 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian Defence Minister, Amir Hatami, said, Iran is ready to sign “military and security” agreements with the Gulf states.

Pointing to the importance of the Gulf security, Hatami said, any threat in the region, following normalisation of ties between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, will trigger Iran’s “direct and clear response.”

Iran has repeatedly urged regional cooperation, for the security of the Gulf region, noting, foreign military presence as the cause of insecurity in the region.

20 Oct 2020; MEMO: The Fatah region in occupied Jerusalem warned, on Sunday, of Emirati funds pumped through Israeli channels and used to build settlements.

This came in a statement by the Fatah Secretary in Jerusalem, Shadi Mutwar, published on the movement’s official website on Sunday.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - In an historic first visit by a Gulf Arab nation, a United Arab Emirates delegation arrived in Israel on Tuesday to cement the normalisation deal signed last month.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other American officials accompanied the delegation on Etihad Airways plane from Abu Dhabi to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

They were given a red carpet welcome by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Finance Minister Israel Katz.

20 Oct 2020; MEMO: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be marketing normalisation deals with Arab states as “great achievements”, but polls continue to show a sharp decline in his popularity among Israelis, Arab48.com reported on Monday. Even after signing a deal with Bahrain, tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv calling for the Israeli leader to resign.

CAIRO (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday said Sudan will be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism if it follows through on its pledge to pay $335 million to American terror victims and their families, but some hurt in the attacks weren’t happy with the deal.

TEHRAN, Oct 19 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry, earlier on Sunday, released a statement on the termination of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) arms restrictions and travel ban, saying, the “definitive and unconditional” termination requires no new resolution.

MANAMA, Oct 19 (NNN-BNA) – A high-level U.S.-Israeli delegation arrived in Manama, capital of Bahrain, yesterday, to sign a deal to advance full diplomatic relations between Israel and Bahrain.

The joint delegation includes Israel’s National Security Council head, Meir Ben-Shabbat and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin.

They were welcomed at Bahrain International Airport by Bahraini Foreign Minister, Abdullatif Al Zayani.

JERUSALEM, Oct 19 (NNN-MA’AN) – Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), agreed to operate 28 commercial flights per week, between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi or Dubai, Israel’s transportation ministry said in a statement, yesterday.

The agreement also allows an unlimited number of charter flights, to the smaller Ramon Airport, outside Israel’s southern resort city of Eilat.

Additionally, some 10 cargo flights could be operated per week, under the deal.

The flights in the new route are expected to begin in a few weeks, according to the ministry.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Lebanon should revamp its subsidy system to reach those most in need and make better use of its rapidly dwindling foreign currency reserves, the IMF said on Monday.

Crushed by a mountain of debt, Lebanon is facing its worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war. As prices soar, many Lebanese have been plunged into poverty and are increasingly reliant on subsidies, but the state is fast runnning out of cash.