Middle East & North Africa

23 Dec 2019; MEMO: Only 14 per cent of immigrants who arrived in Israel over the past eight years have received Israeli citizenship, a report issued by Israeli NGO Hiddush revealed today.

Reporting Israeli media sources, Quds Press said 86 per cent of those who had moved to Israel were not Jews according to Jewish law, which states that only the child of a Jewish woman or a person who completes a recognised conversion process is considered Jewish.

23 Dec 2019; MEMO: Turkey will increase its military support to the internationally recognised government of Libya if necessary and will evaluate ground, air and marine options, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, after the two signed a military cooperation accord last month, Reuters reports.

23 Dec 2019; MEMO: Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) on Sunday slammed Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias’ surprise visit to Benghazi, Anadolu reports.

The visit violates the decisions of international institutions which consider the GNA the country’s only legitimate government, said Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Taher Siala in a statement released on the ministry’s social media account.

23 Dec 2019; MEMO: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today that at least three non-Syrian fighters were killed in an Israeli strike on southern Damascus.

The observatory explained that the three fighters are believed to have been Iranians, adding that they were killed when an Israeli missile hit the area between Sayyida Zeinab and Aqraba, south of the capital Damascus last evening.

23 Dec 2019; MEMO: Christians in the Gaza Strip will be allowed to visit holy cities such as Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas, Israel authorities said on Sunday, reversing a decision not to issue them permits, Reuters reports.

Israel tightly restricts movements out of the Gaza Strip, territory controlled by Hamas, an Islamist group that it considers a terrorist organization.

23 Dec 2019; MEMO: The Israeli Ministry of Education has started to implement the terms of the Jewish Nation-State Law, which was adopted by the Knesset (parliament) in 2018 and has been described as “racist” by critics, Quds Press reported on Monday. The ministry ordered civil studies teachers to impress on students that Hebrew is the only official language in Israel.

23 Dec 2019; MEMO: An Egyptian woman died in Qanater Prison in Egypt today after her health deteriorated, making her the first female fatality in an Egyptian jail.

Diwaniyah (Iraq), Dec 22 (AFP/PTI) Thousands of protesters blocked roads and public buildings in southern Iraq Sunday, as the latest deadline for choosing a new prime minister loomed.

Anti-government rallies have rocked Baghdad and the Shiite-majority south since October 1, with demonstrators calling for a complete overhaul of a regime they deem corrupt and inefficient.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec 23 (NNN-WAM) – Dubai is expected to host some five million tourists, during the peak period of the Christmas season and the New Year.

Dubai is ranked among the top ten favourite international destinations in 2020, on the annual list of Lonely Planet, a leading international travel and tourism guide.

The city will host Expo 2020, an international event ready to attract people from all over the world.

Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East.

KUWAIT, Dec 23 (NNN-XINHUA) – The Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), held the 103rd meeting in Kuwait, to discuss 2020 draft budget, along with topics related to the current petroleum situation.

During his speech, OAPEC Secretary General, Abbas Al-Naqi, said, during the last 10 years the organisation made many achievements and expansion, in terms of studies and enhanced relationship regional and internationally.