Human Rights

19 July 2021; MEMO: The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, reiterated on Sunday that access to and the use of Al-Aqsa Mosque "is an exclusive right" for Muslims.

"Any aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque or on the Muslims who pray in it is considered aggression against the freedom of worship guaranteed by international conventions and humanitarian ethics," said the Patriarch. A copy of his statement was sent to MEMO.

19 July 2021; MEMO: The United Nations yesterday called on the Israeli authorities to halt the demolition of Palestinian homes.

"Our humanitarian colleagues in the occupied Palestinian Territory tell us that on Wednesday, in the community of Ras Al-Tin in Ramallah governorate, 84 Palestinians lost their homes when Israeli forces confiscated at least 49 structures," the deputy spokesman for the UN's secretary-general, Farhan Haq, told reporters in New York.

19 July 2021; MEMO: The Egyptian Public Prosecution issued orders to imprison Abdel Nasser Salama, the former editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram newspaper, for 15 days pending an investigation into claims he financed terrorism.

Salama was charged with financing terrorism and joining a terrorist group established in violation of the provisions of the law; in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Monday transferred a detainee out of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility for the first time, sending a Moroccan man back home years after he was recommended for discharge.

The Moroccan prisoner, Abdullatif Nasser, who’s in his mid-50s, was cleared for repatriation by a review board in July 2016 but remained at Guantanamo for the duration of the Trump presidency.

19 July 2021; MEMO: Egypt yesterday condemned "renewed Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli forces."

"Egypt categorically rejects these violations," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement, warning against "breaching the sanctity of the holy site, which is revered as the third holiest site in Islam by Muslims worldwide."

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is not changing the norms at a contested site in Jerusalem to allow Jewish prayer there, his office said Monday, walking back comments that sparked angry reactions a day earlier.

New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) The Congress on Monday demanded an independent probe into the issue involving alleged phone tapping of prominent personalities including journalists in India using Israeli Pegasus spyware.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the prime minister on the matter using the hashtag "Pegasus".

"We know what he's been reading- everything on your phone", he said on Twitter.

Boston, Jul 19 (AP-PTI) An investigation by a global media consortium based on leaked targeting data provides further evidence that military-grade malware from Israel-based NSO Group, the world's most infamous hacker-for-hire outfit, is being used to spy on journalists, human rights activists and political dissidents.

18 July 2021; MEMO: Turkey on Sunday slammed a ruling by a top European Union court allowing the banning of headscarves under certain conditions as a "clear violation of religious freedoms", adding the move would exacerbate prejudices against Muslim women in Europe, reports Reuters.

18 July 2021; MEMO: Protected by heavily armed Israeli occupation police, 1,371 Israeli Jewish settlers accompanied by Knesset members stormed Al Aqsa Mosque and clashed with Palestinian Muslim worshipers inside the third Islamic holy site.

Media sources and eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli settlers stormed Al Aqsa Mosque early on Sunday morning to celebrate their fast day which commemorates their alleged day of temple destruction thousands of years ago.