Saudi Arabia - Page 38

Contents: Iran protesters kill a police officer in escalating violence; Trump and Netanyahu express solidarity with Iranian protesters

TEL AVIV — The riots in the streets of Iran have excited social media networks in the Sunni Arab world ever since they first broke out, with many expressing their hope that the confrontations would harm the extremist Iranian regime, which is trying to exert its influence over Arab states.

King Abdullah of Jordan reportedly fired his brothers Prince Feisal and Prince Ali and his cousin Prince Talal on Friday, relieving them of important military posts.

A two-time world female chess champion from Ukraine has decided to skip an upcoming tournament in Saudi Arabia, even though doing so will cause her to lose her titles because she refuses to be treated like a “secondary creature” in the Saudi Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia kicked off a world chess tournament Tuesday amid controversy over the kingdom denying visas to players from Israel and barring from attending.

Citing a dozen “Western, Lebanese, and regional officials and associates” of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri, on Christmas Eve the New York Times published an account of Hariri’s resignation (and later un-resignation) that asserts he was forced out of office by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of Saudi Arabia’s cold war against Iran.

TEL AVIV — Sunni Arab countries are reportedly fuming at Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over his reaction to the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, according to Israeli paper Israel Hayom.

Although failing to match up to the dizzy heights of a U.S. presidential election year, 2017 has been another eventful year for world politics.

Place a temporary hold on U.S. funding for the United Nations except in the case of urgent humanitarian relief. Set up a committee to review all U.S. UN contributions.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, noted this week that there is mounting evidence showing that Iran is indeed arming Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen in violation of the U.N. resolution that codifies the nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers into international law.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have engaged in discussions with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB)-affiliated Islah party in Yemen as part of its efforts against Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in the war-ravaged country.

Turkish authorities will not allow New Year celebrations at Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square for security reasons, state media reported Wednesday, quoting local officials.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked the capital of Saudi Arabia, with a ballistic missile on Tuesday, specifically targeting the Saudi royal palace. Saudi media reports that air defenses were able to intercept the missile. Reporters in Riyadh heard an explosion and saw a “plume of smoke” in the sky above the city.

Saudi Arabia will begin issuing tourist visas in the first quarter of 2018, its top tourism official said, a first for the kingdom as it undergoes major economic and social reforms.

A report in Saudi outlet Al Arabiya on Monday cites local sources in Yemen as claiming that internal strife among the nation’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels has claimed the lives of more than 30 fighters who attempted to desert the movement.

Hollywood star John Travolta has wooed fans during a visit to Saudi Arabia, where authorities have said that commercial cinemas will reopen next year after more than a three-decade ban on movie theaters.

The United States on Thursday displayed incontrovertible proof Iran has violated multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions against weapons proliferation in the form of missiles and explosives recovered from Middle Eastern battlefields by America’s allies.

Contents: Organization of Islamic Cooperation throws a temper tantrum over Jerusalem; Palestinians disappointed by final communiqué of OIC Summit

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held an emergency summit called by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Tuesday. The meeting produced a resolution calling for the United States to rescind its formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and vaguely threatened “political and economic restrictions” against countries, presumably including the U.S., which defy the OIC’s demands.

Speaking from a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo on Saturday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil called for “pre-emptive measures” against the U.S. decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. He said this should begin with “diplomatic measures” and then proceed to “political, then economic and financial sanctions” against the United States.

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia on Monday lifted a decades-long ban on cinemas, part of a series of social reforms by the powerful crown prince that are shaking up the ultra-conservative kingdom.

Contents: Protests fizzle 3 days after Trump’s Jerusalem announcement was universally condemned; Trump’s proclamation hardens splits among Arab countries

Media aligned with the Houthi insurgents in Yemen reported on Wednesday that the Saudi-led coalition intervening in Yemen’s civil war intensified its airstrikes against positions occupied by rebels. Among those positions were the residence of Yemen’s ex-president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was gunned down by his erstwhile Houthi allies this week. The U.N. reported at least 25 airstrikes in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa over the past 24 hours.

A statement from Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor on Tuesday indicated that most of the suspects swept up in the recent anti-corruption crackdown will be released after reaching settlements with the government, although a sizable number remain in detention, and some of those will be prosecuted for their offenses.

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT – Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said it is too early to tell what effect the killing of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh will have in Yemen, where there is a civil war raging between Iran-supported Houthi insurgents and the U.S.- and Saudi-backed government.

President Donald Trump held separate phone calls with several Middle Eastern leaders on Tuesday during which he reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and potential decisions regarding Jerusalem.

The long and strange story of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s resignation appears to have ended on Tuesday with news that Hariri reached a deal with opposition leaders and formally rescinded his resignation, making him once again the Prime Minister of Lebanon.

The son of ex-Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh has called for retaliation against the Iran-linked Houthi rebels who killed the former leader, accusing him of “treachery” for offering to “turn a new page” with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition fighting the Shiite insurgents in Yemen.

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

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Tuesday that he had withdrawn his resignation, a month after his shock announcement that he was quitting sparked a political crisis.

Saudi Arabia is working directly with Israel and other Sunni Arab nations to fight terror, US CIA Director Mike Pompeo said.

Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen who became an ally of the Houthi insurgency, has been killed in an attack near the capital city of Sanaa.

Contents: Yemen war changes direction with collapse of Iran-backed Houthi coalition; The Houthi-Saleh ‘alliance of convenience’ crumbles into violence

TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that Middle Eastern countries should solve their problems together without relying on external powers.

ROME, Italy — Saudi Arabia and Iran have exported their bitter regional tussle to Rome, accusing each other of villainous meddling in the Middle East during diplomacy talks in the Italian capital.

TEL AVIV – The editor-in-chief of a Saudi daily this week slammed Gaza-based terror group Hamas for exploiting the Palestinian cause to benefit Iran in its quest to “take over the Arab world.”