Middle East & North Africa

13 Dec 2021; MEMO: Egypt does not want to rebuild facilities and homes destroyed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said. They noted that Egypt is, however, carrying out several other vital projects in the besieged enclave.

In a press conference held on Sunday, Deputy Housing Minister in Gaza, Naji Sarhan, said that Egypt has started constructing three residential complexes that had been approved before the Israeli offensive on Gaza in May 2021.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday made a historic trip to the United Arab Emirates, the first visit by an Israeli premier, as part of a blitz of regional diplomacy against the backdrop of struggling nuclear talks with Iran.

Israel has watched with concern as Iran has pushed a hard line against negotiators meeting in Vienna, at once demanding sanctions relief while accelerating its nuclear program.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran appears to be preparing for a space launch as negotiations continue in Vienna over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers, according to an expert and satellite images.

11 Dec 2021; MEMO: The number of journalists currently behind bars in Egypt stands at 25, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPI) revealed in a report documenting violations against journalists worldwide.

According to the report, this number is the highest compared with other countries in the Arab world, with Saudi Arabia ranking second.

Pressure has increased domestically and internationally on Tunisian President Kais Saied to set a clear time limit for his "extraordinary measures". President Saied recently expressed his intention to change the country's constitution, considering it a major cause of Tunisia's political crisis.

12 Dec 2021; MEMO: Head of Israeli Shin Bet intelligence agency Ronen Bar revealed last week that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is suffering a political and economic crisis, warning that this could lead to its collapse, Sama News Agency reported.

During the security cabinet meeting, Bar urged: "Israel has to work on strengthening the PA," pointing out that this would reinforce stability and weaken Hamas in the occupied West Bank.

11 Dec 2021; MEMO: Marking Human Rights Day, Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) sent 200 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Syria on Friday, Anadolu Agency reported.

The aid is part of a campaign launched by IHH in November, named "Winter at the door! Don't leave them alone."

The mayor of Istanbul's Umraniye district, Ismet Yildirim, stated: "Turkey is at the top of the countries that provide humanitarian aid."

11 Dec 2021; MEMO: Iran's Vice President for parliamentary affairs, Mohammad Hosseini, has announced that Iran is ready to help reconstruct Syria, following a decade of the ongoing conflict in which Tehran was involved

In a meeting with the Syrian ambassador to Iran Shafiq Dayoub today, Hosseini stated that the Iranian government under the new president Ebrahim Raisi "gives a great priority to broaden ties with neighbouring countries and the region, especially Syria," which he referred to as an ally and strategic partner.

12 Dec 2021; MEMO: Operating the three wastewater treatment plants located in the east of the Refugee camp of Al Burij, middle of the Gaza Strip, is part of a project aimed to solve the issue of critical water situation in the besieged enclave.

The wastewater treatment plants went into test operation at the end of 2020, and regular operation at the start in April 2021.

12 Dec 2021; MEMO: Algeria secured a place in the semi-finals of the FIFA Arab Cup yesterday by beating Morocco in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, winning 5-3.

The quarter-final fixture at Qatar's Al-Thumama stadium saw the two North African teams level in the second half, after Algeria's Yacine Brahimi scored first in the 62nd minute, with Morocco's Mohammed Nahiri equalising just two minutes later.