Middle East & North Africa

08 July 2020; MEMO: A Palestinian detainee held in Israel jails has died of “medical negligence”, a local NGO said on Monday.

Saadi Al-Gharably, 75, died at Assaf Harofeh medical center after his health deteriorated, the Handala Center for Detainees and Ex-detainees said in a statement.

Al-Gharabli, from the Gaza strip, was arrested by Israeli forces in 1994 and held in solitary confinement until 2006, during that time he was sentenced to life in prison.

08 July 2020; MEMO: Nine Arab countries on Tuesday called for an effective international stance against an Israeli plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, reports Anadolu Agency.

The foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, and Kuwait held a virtual meeting on Tuesday.

08 July 2020; MEMO: One Lebanese woman asked for sugar, milk, and soap in exchange for a child’s dress. Another wanted canned goods in return for gym equipment.

A 65-year-old seamstress now exchanges her sewing services for food, because her clients can no longer afford to pay her.

Bartering on Facebook has become the last resort for some people in Lebanon, where a financial meltdown has sent prices skyrocketing this year.

ANKARA, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkish lawmakers on Tuesday re-elected Mustafa Sentop as the country's parliament speaker.

Out of the 600 parliament members, 328 voted for Sentop in the third round of voting, according to semi-official Anadolu Agency.

Haluk Koc, candidate from the main opposition Republican People's Party, got 134 votes, while Erol Katircioglu, from opposition Peoples' Democratic Party, gained 51 votes.

Sentop, 51 years old, has served as the parliament speaker since 2019. 

CAIRO, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his British counterpart Dominic Raab held a phone conversation on Tuesday to discuss regional issues including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Libyan crisis and the Nile dam dispute.

On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Shoukry underlined the importance of achieving just and comprehensive peace based on the UN-proposed two-state solution, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a statement.

07 July 2020; MEMO: A number of Kuwaiti banks have warned of millions of dollars in losses due to delays of repayments of loans amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus which is threatening the country’s economy, RT reported yesterday.

Kuwaiti National Bank, the largest bank in the country, said: “The total losses due to delayed instalments by customers, housing and credit card repayments are expected to hit 130 million dinars [$422.5 million].”

07 July 2020; MEMO: Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Sunday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his French counterpart Emanuel Macron suffer from “strategic blindness”.

In a televised speech posted on Twitter, Davutoglu said that Turkey has the right to help its neighbours, in reference to Libya.

07 July 2020; MEMO: Defence Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday that Israel wants to get its soldiers back from Gaza, Al-Watan Voice has reported. Gantz added that “tranquillity” should also be re-established.

Commenting on the alleged launch of homemade rockets from Gaza on Sunday night, Gantz said that these are Israel’s “two missions” in the occupied Palestinian territory. “If this does not happen, we will respond strongly,” Gantz explained. “We will not allow the violation of our sovereignty.”

AMMAN, July 7 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan said, holding the 9th ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF), shows commitment of the Arab states and China to cooperate and achieving mutual interests.

Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, made the remarks at the opening of the meeting Monday, where he stressed that holding the event online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shows the connections of all countries and the importance of multilateral international action to face challenges.

07 July 2020; MEMO: Israel’s annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian West Bank “is not on the agenda for today or tomorrow,” Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told KAN Bet on Monday.

Ashkenazi said that he did not know whether the annexation was cancelled forever, but pointed out: “I can say that the Foreign Ministry is preparing diplomatic assessments and the Defence Ministry is preparing security assessments. It has deep ramifications.”