Middle East & North Africa

24 Nov 2021; MEMO: Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz arrived in Morocco last night to begin a two-day visit during which he is expected to "formalise" cooperation deals between the two countries.

Before boarding his flight at Ben Gurion Airport, Gantz said: "This is an important and historic visit."

Gantz is planned to meet with Moroccan Defence Minister Abdellatif Loudiyi and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

JERUSALEM, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Iran is five years away from developing a nuclear weapon, and international talks due to restart next week will do nothing to slow it down, Israel said on Tuesday, adding it reserved the right to act to protect itself.

Indirect negotiationsto revive the 2015 accord, under which Iran agreed to curbs on its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of international sanctions, are due to resume in Vienna next Monday after a five-month pause.

ISTANBUL, Nov 23 (Reuters) - A Turkish court resumed a trial over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Tuesday, as a journalism watchdog described the case as "nearing deadlock" and said the hearing needed to include Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's role.

Khashoggi, a critic of Prince Mohammed, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018. Turkish officials believe his body was dismembered and removed. His remains have not been found.

ISTANBUL, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkey launched Tuesday massive operations against 112 soldiers and former military school students over their suspected links to a failed coup attempt in July 2016, Anadolu agency reported.

The orders came after prosecutors of Turkey's western Izmir city completed their investigations, and the operations covered 22 provinces.

So far, 76 suspects have been detained and the operations are continuing, the report said.

23 Nov 2021; MEMO: Palestinian detainee, Kayed Al-Fasfous, wins a decisive victory and ends his hunger strike which lasted for 131 days after an agreement was reached to end his administrative detention and release him after 23 days.

Israeli authorities have issued an order to release him on 14 December.

Kayed Al-Fasfous, father of one daughter, has been on a hunger strike for 131 days in protest against his administrative detention without trial.

23 Nov 2021; MEMO: Iraq's High Electoral Commission yesterday announced that it will start manually recounting votes in 870 electoral stations based on judicial orders, Anadolu news agency reported.

The agency quoted Imad Jamil, a member of the commission's media team, as saying that the manual recount came upon the order of the Elections Judicial Commission, which accepted 21 appeals filed against the results in 870 stations, noting that the process could change the preliminary results of the elections.

23 Nov 2021; MEMO: The Israeli government "will not allow Hamas to get foothold in Jerusalem," Arabs48 reported Defence Minister Banny Gantz saying yesterday.

Gantz's remarks came following a shootout that took place in Jerusalem on Sunday where a Palestinian teacher and Israeli soldiers were killed and four Israelis were wounded.

23 Nov 2021; MEMO: The heads of missions and representatives from the European Union (EU) yesterday reaffirmed their opposition to Israel's settlement expansion project in the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem.

23 Nov 2021; MEMO: As many as 12 Sudanese ministers resigned yesterday in protest of the deal concluded between the reinstated Prime Minister, Abdallah Hamdok, and the head of Sudan's ruling military council, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.

On Sunday, Hamdok concluded a political agreement with Al-Burhan to end a nearly one-month-long crisis that threatened to undermine the country's political transition.

23 Nov 2021; MEMO: Egypt and Israel backed the military coup carried out on 25 October by army chief Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan, Foreign Minister Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi revealed yesterday.

In a discussion with the Atlantic Council, Al-Mahdi said Egypt refrained from expressing publicly its support for the coup while refusing to condemn it when "it was pressed by the US to do so."