Middle East & North Africa

31 Dec 2019; MEMO: The majority of Israelis oppose granting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immunity over the corruption charges against him, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported yesterday.

According to the poll conducted by Israel’s Channel 12 News, 51% of the 500 respondents questioned said they oppose granting immunity to Netanyahu, 33% supported it and 16% said they do not know.

BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces on Sunday attacked five locations in Iraq and Syria controlled by Iraq's paramilitary Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH), or Hezbollah Brigades, in response to recent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, triggering strong responses from Iraq and Syria, with Iran denying any role in the recent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.

TEHRAN, Dec 31 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran, on Monday, denied involvement in recent deadly attack on the U.S. forces in Iraq, Press TV reported.

The Iranian government spokesman, Ali Rabiee, said that, “we strongly deny any role in attacks on the U.S. forces” in Iraq.

“This unsubstantiated U.S. claim cannot justify the bombing and killing of people in violation of international regulations,” Rabiee was quoted as saying.

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — When the European Union started funneling millions of euros into Libya to slow the tide of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, the money came with EU promises to improve detention centers notorious for abuse and fight human trafficking.

That hasn’t happened. Instead, the misery of migrants in Libya has spawned a thriving and highly lucrative web of businesses funded in part by the EU and enabled by the United Nations, an Associated Press investigation has found.

30 Dec 2019; MEMO: The Palestinian Authority (PA) has announced on Sunday that the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes constitutes a war crime based on the International Criminal Court (ICC), Safa Press agency reported on Sunday.

30 Dec 2019; MEMO: A number of Russian soldiers were badly beaten and airlifted to hospital after a fist-fight with American troops in Syria last week, it has been revealed. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the incident occurred on 25 December in the city of Tal Tamr in Al-Hasakah province in north-east Syria.

30 Dec 2019; MEMO: The son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes that British diplomats will soon be “kicked out” of Israel following a tweet by consulate staff in Jerusalem in which the Palestinian territories were referred to as “occupied”.

30 Dec 2019; MEMO: The Israeli Civil Administration is set this week to approve the construction of 2,000 new settlement units in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, Haaretz revealed on Sunday.

30 Dec 2019; MEMO: Palestinian Prisoners’ Commission (PPC) has documented witnesses of Palestinian minor prisoners inside Israeli jails stating that they had been tortured and humiliated when they were arrested and during their investigations, Safa Press Agency reported.

30 Dec 2019; MEMO: Egyptian rights Gamal Eid yesterday said that he was being “assaulted and tortured by plain-clothes individuals on the street, in front of passers-by.”

“Vehicle without plates, plain-clothes police officers with pistols assaulting and drowning me into paint next to my house,” Eid said on Facebook attaching a photo showing his face burst with paint colours.