https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/netanyahu-abbas-israel-government/2021/03/25/98802d8c-8cd6-11eb-a33e-da28941cb9ac_story.html The surprising star turn of Mansour Abbas at the center of Israeli politics stems from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s desperate search for parliamentary seats. And it could signal the possible softening of Israel’s long-standing taboo against Jewish parties partnering with Arab parties. A final tally from Tuesday’s election — Israel’s fourth during two years of political stalemate — was… Read more »
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/iran-nuclear-deal-vienna-talks/2021/04/06/02ac1afe-93e4-11eb-aadc-af78701a30ca_story.html U.S. and Iranian officials said an initial day of talks in Vienna on returning to the 2015 nuclear deal was “constructive,” but the Biden administration cautioned that no immediate breakthroughs were anticipated on one of the new president’s top foreign policy goals. The European-led diplomatic effort featured mediators shuttling between Iranian and American envoys, a far cry from the… Read more »
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/3/kuwait-swears-in-new-government-amid-mounting-crises Kuwait’s new Cabinet was sworn in Wednesday weeks after the government quit amid a deepening deadlock with the parliament that has blocked badly needed reforms in the tiny oil-rich Gulf Arab state. Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah swapped out four ministers whose selections had angered various lawmakers for less contentious, veteran politicians, an apparent gesture… Read more »
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/the-ship-behind-oil-spill-found-environmental-protection-minister-says-660817 Israel’s top environmental official accused Iran of deliberately causing the major oil spill that despoiled Israel’s Mediterranean coastline last month, an act she described as “environmental terrorism.” Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said investigators from her ministry had traced the spill, which authorities have described as one of Israel’s worst ecological disasters, to an unregistered Libyan tanker. The ship… Read more »
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/jordan-coup-abdullah-plot/2021/04/03/2a517ed2-9498-11eb-a74e-1f4cf89fd948_story.html Jordanian authorities on Saturday arrested as many as 20 people and sought to restrain the movement of a former crown prince amid what officials called a threat to the “security and stability” of a country long regarded as a vital U.S. ally in the Middle East. Prince Hamzeh bin Hussein, the eldest son of the late King Hussein and… Read more »
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/17/eyeing-us-crude-india-plans-to-buy-less-oil-from-middle-east#:~:text=Indian%20state%2Drun%20refiners%20including,the%20spot%20market%2C%20officials%20said. Indian refiners plan to buy less oil from the Middle East in the coming months as OPEC+’s supply restrictions make United States crude more attractive. Strong gasoline demand due to people favoring private vehicles amid the Covid-19 pandemic and a slower recovery in diesel is also giving low-sulfur American grades an edge over heavier and more sour Middle Eastern varieties. Indian… Read more »
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/541512-biden-reignites-war-powers-fight-with-syria-strike?rl=1 President Biden’s strike in Syria is reviving a dormant fight over war powers as Congress looks to claw back some of its authority. At least 22 Iraqi militants allied with Iran were killed and three ammunition trucks were destroyed in the attack, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Biden said the airstrikes were a warning to… Read more »
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/ultra-orthodox-israel-police-covid/2021/01/25/2438e840-5ee3-11eb-a177-7765f29a9524_story.html Long-building tensions over pandemic restrictions within Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods erupted in violence Sunday night as rock-throwing crowds pushed back police attempts to clear yeshiva classes and religious gatherings being held in violation of lockdown rules. Rioters burned trash and toppled street signs and light poles in several cities across Israel. In Bnei Brak, a bus driver was pulled… Read more »
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/01/27/biden-iran-nuclear-deal-challenge/ There’s probably no country in the world outside the United States that was more affected by the November election than Iran. President Biden’s victory and entry into the White House was expected to mark a major shift in United States strategy toward the regime in Tehran. After weathering the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign, Iranian officials hoped for a change in the… Read more »
