Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU), who maintains extensive ties with countries in the Persian Gulf, said he has recently seen a vast improvement in relations between Israel and the Gulf states.
TEL AVIV – Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz traveled to Oman overnight Sunday to present a plan to his Omani counterpart that includes a rail link between Israel and the Gulf.
DEAD SEA, Jordan — Flash floods unleashed by heavy rains swept away middle school students and teachers visiting hot springs near the Dead Sea on Thursday, killing 18 and injuring 35 as the torrent carried some for several kilometers, a civil defense official said.
The diplomatic crisis over Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul does not appear to have damaged the Sunni Arab alliance led by Saudi Arabia.
The United States is pulling some of its anti-aircraft and missile batteries out of the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing US military officials.
A group of “highly active” hackers based in Iran have been found to be trying to steal vital information from governments in the Middle East.
TEL AVIV – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Israel Katz will “immediately launch” a trade route initiative called “Tracks for Regional Peace” that will see the establishment of a railway network linking Israel to Saudi Arabia.
A top official from the Arab Gulf country of Bahrain is defending what he says is Israel’s “right” to defend itself after Israel launched overnight strikes on Iranian targets in Syria.
PARIS — The crown prince of Saudi Arabia is making his first official visit to France, which is hoping to profit from his shake-up of the conservative kingdom.
Dubai – Bahraini authorities on Sunday announced they would be taking “severe measures” to track down dissidents who use social media, as the Gulf monarchy tightens its grip on political opposition.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahrain said Wednesday that it had arrested four men suspected of bombing a Saudi Aramco oil pipeline, accusing Iran of training and arming two of the suspects.
In a statement released on Friday, the Zionist Organization of America praised the government of Bahrain for “breaking ranks with the position espoused by Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority to isolate the United States over President Trump’s announcement this month recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.”
Contents: Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh killed in Houthi ambush; US officials plan for military strike on North Korea and war; Brexit negotiations collapse over Ireland border issue
Contents: All Saudis ordered to leave Lebanon, as Hariri’s fate is unknown; Saudi Arabia blockades Yemen, threatening millions to die in famine
Contents: Hezbollah’s Nasrallah calls for calm in the streets of Lebanon; Yemen’s Houthi missile attack on Riyadh called a ‘dangerous escalation’; Saudi’s young Crown Prince Salman forces rapid change among multiple crises
Contents: Saad Hariri shocks Lebanon by resigning as PM while in Saudi Arabia; Lebanon enters the Sunni/Shia front line between Iran and Saudi Arabia
Contents: UAE official says Arab blockade was engineered to prevent Qatar hosting 2022 World Cup; Numerous controversies surround FIFA’s award of World Cup 2022 to Qatar; A new ‘risk report’ raises doubts about Qatar hosting World Cup 2022
Saudi Arabia has arrested 22 people, including a Qatari national, for “inciting public feelings” on social media, authorities said Wednesday, following a crackdown on dissent.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates has begun collecting new “sin” taxes on tobacco products, energy drinks and soft drinks.
NEW YORK — Dina Habib Powell, the Trump administration’s Deputy National Security Advisor, was a featured speaker at the gala dinner of a George Soros-financed group that honored a notoriously anti-Israel Palestinian legislator.
TEL AVIV – The normalization of diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Israel may be announced in the near future, Bahraini and Western officials were quoted as saying over the weekend.
TEL AVIV – In a first, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa slammed the Arab boycott of Israel and said he encourages his subjects to visit the Jewish state.
Contents: Donald Trump promises to solve the Gulf crisis ‘fairly easily’; Qatar and Saudi Arabia have vitriolic exchangeContents: Donald Trump promises to solve the Gulf crisis ‘fairly easily’; Qatar and Saudi Arabia have vitriolic exchange at Tuesday’s Arab League meeting
at Tuesday’s Arab League meeting
President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed efforts by the leader of Kuwait, a staunch American ally, to mediate a festering diplomatic crisis involving Qatar and its Arab neighbors that could have implications for the U.S. military presence in the region.
UAE reacts furiously to Qatar’s restoring diplomatic relations with Iran; As Hajj approaches, Iran and Qatar remain in dispute with Saudi Arabia
Qatar on Monday denied it had banned Saudi Arabian flights from landing in the emirate to transport Muslim pilgrims to Mecca, after an accusation by authorities in Riyadh.
TEL AVIV — The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), where White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster has been listed as a member for 11 years, quietly took in about $32.5 million in funding from Bahrain, a country whose
Contents: China further escalates the rhetoric threatening India over Doklam Plateau; China attempts to justify its claim to the Doklam Plateau
Turkey has begun a modest and long-planned, but perhaps politically significant, joint military exercise with Qatar, the Gulf state shunned by several of its Sunni Muslim neighbors in a bitter diplomatic dispute.
Qatar refuses to bow to Saudi-led demands to “outsource” its foreign policy to resolve the Gulf crisis, its government spokesman told AFP in an interview.
Contents: Kuwait expels Iran’s diplomats after ‘Abdali terror cell’ ruling; Iran says that it’s open to ‘dialog’ with Saudi Arabia over Qatar crisis; Saudi-led coalition replaces its 13 demands with 6 principles
The United Arab Emirates orchestrated the hacking of a Qatari government news site in May, planting a false story that was used as a pretext for the current crisis between Qatar and several Arab countries, according to a Sunday report by The Washington Post.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spent Tuesday in Qatar after holding meetings in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to resolve the Gulf diplomatic crisis. As of yet, there has been little sign of progress from Tillerson’s extended mission to the Middle East, although the Saudi royal family thanked him for his efforts.
Contents: Saudi Arabia extends sanctions deadline for two days; Saudi Arabia and UAE threaten Qatar with additional sanctions; North Korea launches another ballistic missile
The nonprofit Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is calling on international companies and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to repudiate any business dealings with the Qatari government, arguing that the Gulf country willingly shelters Islamic terrorists and funds jihadist organizations.
TEL AVIV — Hamas politburo member Khali Elhayeh has requested that Arab countries not confuse terrorism with “resistance” in a sermon for al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the month of Ramadan.
London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has been slammed by members of the capital’s Jewish community over his refusal to ban Sunday’s anti-Israel al-Quds Day march and its traditional display of flags supporting the Hezbollah terrorist organization.
The Sunni Arab states aligned against their old Gulf Cooperation Council partner Qatar stepped up their boycott a notch on Friday by putting together an actual blacklist of alleged terrorism financiers linked to the Qatari government.
Bahrain became the latest Arab state to ban its people from expressing support of Qatar, warning in a statement Thursday that anyone doing so could be jailed for up to five years and be fined.
Contents: Iran says Tehran terror attack was by Iranian nationals in ISIS; Turkey approves troop deployment to Qatar after split with Saudi Arabia
