Middle East & North Africa

21 Oct 2021; MEMO: The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement hailed on Wednesday Malaysia's rejection of normalisation of ties with Israel.

Hamas thanked Malaysia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saifuddin Abdullah, for "refuting Israel claims" that his country will join "the train of normalisation with the Zionist entity."

The movement also expressed its appreciation for Malaysian "support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Zionist occupation."

21 Oct 2021; MEMO: The Israeli occupation authorities have expelled the head of the Islamic Cemeteries Care Committee, Haj Mustafa Abu Zahra, from Jerusalem, Safa news agency has reported. The expulsion order is in place for 10 days and was made a day after he was arrested and taken for interrogation.

Eyewitnesses said that occupation police and intelligence officers arrested Abu Zahra in Al-Masara neighbourhood opposite Damascus Gate in occupied Jerusalem. He owns a food store in the area.

21 Oct 2021; MEMO: The Turkish presidency yesterday submitted a memorandum requesting parliament extend the authority granted to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to carry out military operations in Syria and Iraq for another two years, starting from 30 October, Anadolu Agency reported.

The agency said the memorandum explained that the risks and threats to national security caused by the developments and the ongoing conflict in areas adjacent to Turkey's southern borders, are constantly escalating.

21 Oct 2021; MEMO: Iranian Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, hosted his Turkish counterpart, Suleyman Soylu, in the capital Tehran on Wednesday, Anadolu News Agency reporting.

In a statement following the bilateral meeting, Soylu wished Vahidi all the best in his new office.

"To date, we have had very successful cooperation on various issues," he said, adding many problems were solved.

21 Oct 2021; MEMO: Jordanian authorities refused to issue permissions for events marking the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him)'s birthday, Anadolu reported the country's Islamic Action Front saying.

"With pain, we received the reply of the official authorities today [Wednesday], preventing the celebration of the Prophet's birthday," Thabet Assaf, Islamic Action Front spokesman, said.

21 Oct 2021; MEMO: The Tunisian Parliament called on President Kais Saied to reconsider his "unconstitutional" decisions, and lift the freeze imposed on legislative institutions.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the parliament's presidency called on lawmakers to defend their right to work by legitimate legal means and condemned trying officials before military and civilian courts, describing the trials as "unjust" and "politically motivated".

21 Oct 2021; MEMO: Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission said yesterday it had received nearly 1,400 appeals contesting the election results.

Commission chairman, Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, said all 1,400 appeals would be reviewed and voting stations where irregularities are found will be reopened for a manual recount of the votes with representatives of the competing candidates in attendance.

21 Oct 2021; MEMO: The United States has been trying to drag more Arab and Muslim states to normalise ties with the occupation state of Israel, Palestinian Authority (PA) Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said yesterday.

Speaking to Voice of Palestine radio, Al-Maliki said: "US Department of State has been working with Arab and Muslim states to normalise ties with Israel as a price for the Israeli government's opposition to the reopening of the US consulate in occupied Jerusalem."

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s new environmental protection minister has set some ambitious goals: She believes she can use her office to play an important role in the global battle against climate change while also promoting peace in the volatile Middle East.

Tamar Zandberg laid out her agenda in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of the upcoming U.N. climate conference in Glasgow. She says Israel, despite its small size and own inability to reach the global goal of zero net emissions by 2050, has the potential to be a key player.

TUNIS, Oct 20 (NNN-TAP) – Tunisian Foreign Minister, Othman Jerandi, yesterday met with visiting German Minister of State, at the Federal Foreign Office, Niels Annen, to discuss strategic partnership between the two countries, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The Tunisian-German strategic partnership “is witnessing continuous development, that reflects the importance the two countries attach to bilateral relations,” said a ministry statement.