Daily News Brief - 06/09/2022
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Please find below today’s daily news brief.
Egypt | Iraq: Sources reveal a mediation process initiated by Egypt’s president to solve Iraq’s political crisis
Iraqi media reported on Monday that sources revealed a mediation process initiated by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to find a solution to Iraq’s political crisis. According to them, the initiative seeks to bring closer the rival political factions and was launched following el-Sisi’s phone call with Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Egypt | Saudi Arabia: Egypt’s president welcomes the Saudi foreign minister in Cairo to discuss cooperation between the two countries
On Sunday, the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi welcomed the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Cairo. The two discussed the strategic cooperation between the two countries after Riyadh announced recently that it would increase its investments in Egypt to support the country’s economy, harshly affected by the war in Ukraine.
Iran: Tehran says it has not received a US official response to its last nuclear deal proposal
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said on Monday, during a weekly press conference, that Tehran has not received the US’ official response to its last nuclear deal proposal. His statement comes after Washington said last Thursday that Iran’s latest response was “not constructive.” The European Union’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell also stated on Monday that he is “less confident today than 28 hours before about the convergence of the negotiation process,” adding that “if the process doesn’t converge, the whole process is in danger.”
Iraq: Leaders call for Shia cleric to participate in resolving the political crisis
Iraqi political leaders called on Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to participate in negotiations aimed at resolving the country’s political crisis, following a meeting on Monday between representatives of Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish parties and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih for a second round of “national dialogue” talks. They agreed on six major points, including the formation of a technical team to bring all parties into an agreement regarding the next steps to be taken. The participants also called on politicians aligned with Muqtada al-Sadr to take part in the discussions.
Iraq | US: Prime Minister meets US delegation in Baghdad to discuss the country’s political crisis
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi welcomed on Sunday a US delegation headed by the US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf. The two officials discussed the country’s political crisis, following a phone call between al-Kadhimi and US President Joe Biden during which they agreed to stay in touch. In a statement released after the meeting, it was noted that the US continues to support Iraq “in accordance with the strategic framework agreement between the two countries” and emphasized the importance of “strengthening the national dialogue between Iraqi leaders.”
Israel | Germany: Israeli president addresses the German parliament
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog addressed Germany’s parliament on Tuesday about atrocities committed during the Third Reich. At the same time, he praised the close and friendly relations between Israel and Germany that emerged after the Holocaust. On Tuesday afternoon, Herzog and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier are set to visit the site of the former concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Herzog’s father and former Israeli President Chaim Herzog was among those who liberated the camp in 1945 as an officer of the British forces.
Israel | Palestine: Israel admits there is a ‘high probability’ that US-Palestinian journalist was killed by one of its soldiers
On Monday, the Israeli army conceded for the first time that the US-Palestinian Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was likely shot dead by an Israeli soldier who mistook her for a Palestinian militant. The army investigation report says that “there is a high possibility that Ms. Abu Akleh was accidentally hit by IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) gunfire that was fired toward suspects identified as armed Palestinian gunmen.” It comes after months in which Israel claimed that it was impossible to determine the source of the shot. A United Nations investigation concluded in June that there was “no evidence of activity by armed Palestinians close by.” Abu Akleh was wearing a bulletproof vest marked “Press” and a helmet when she was shot in the head during an Israeli operation in the Jenin refugee camp on May 11.
Israel | Palestine: One Palestinian was killed and more than a dozen injured during an Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank
One Palestinian man was killed and 16 others were injured during an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank’s city of Jenin in which the military blew up the house of a Palestinian who carried out a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv, killing three Israelis. According to the Israeli forces, its troops had come under heavy Palestinian fire during the operation to which they responded with “riot dispersal means and live fire.”
Israel | US | Iran: Mossad chief flies to Washington as prime minister says Israel is applying pressure on the US
Israel’s Mossad Director David Barnea departed on Monday for Washington to hold a series of meetings with American officials at the White House, CIA Director William Burns, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon, and the State Department in another effort to prevent a new nuclear deal with Iran. On Sunday, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that his government was effectively applying pressure on the US to ensure that Israel’s concerns on the issue are being heard.
Lebanon: Dozens of migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea call for the coast guard to rescue them
Dozens of Lebanese and Syrian migrants stranded for the past three days on a sinking fishing boat in the Mediterranean Sea are urging European coast guards to save them. The roughly 60 persons told their families and volunteer groups via satellite phone that they have been without food or water for days and that two children have already died. The migrants on board are Syrian refugees and Lebanese from the country’s severely impoverished northern provinces trying to reach Italy.
Lebanon | Israel | US: The American mediator in the Lebanese-Israeli maritime border dispute is to arrive in Beirut this week
The American envoy Amos Hochstein who mediates the indirect talks between Lebanon and Israel over the demarcation of their maritime border will arrive in Beirut this week. During the visit, Hochstein is expected to relay the Israeli response to a Lebanese proposal for the border. Following a meeting with the Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Tuesday, the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Elias Bou Saab said that the talks regarding the maritime border dispute are “going in the right direction.”
Libya | UN: The UN officially announces the appointment of a new special representative to Libya
On Friday, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal as Special Representative for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), succeeding Jan Kubis of Slovakia. Bathily’s appointment was welcomed by Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, as well as by several embassies in Tripoli, including that of the US, Italy, and Malta.
Palestine: Hamas executes five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the first such action in years
Five Palestinians were executed in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, including two who were charged with collaboration with Israel. According to a statement, “on Sunday morning, the death sentence was carried out against two condemned over collaboration with the occupation and three others in criminal cases.” In recent years, Hamas sentenced several individuals to death for collaborating with Israel, but the executions carried out on Sunday are the first since May 2017.
Palestine | Egypt: Palestinian president arrives in Cairo for talks with his Egyptian counterpart
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Cairo on Sunday for an official visit during which he met with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. According to Palestine’s permanent representative to the Arab League and the Palestinian ambassador to Cairo Diab al-Louh, the visit aims to embody permanent and continuous consultation and cooperation with Egypt on various regional and international issues.
Qatar | Iran: Foreign ministers discuss the status of the nuclear deal negotiations
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani discussed with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian the latest developments in the talks for a new nuclear agreement with Iran. Qatar’s top diplomat underlined that Doha is hopeful that a deal would consider the concerns of both Tehran and Washington.
Syria: Damascus wants its readmission to the Arab League out of the November summit’s agenda
Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra that the issue of Syria’s readmission to the Arab League should not be discussed at the group’s summit in November, hosted by Algiers. According to the North African country’s foreign minister the Syrian top diplomat “said his country prefers that the question of it reclaiming its Arab League seat during the Algiers summit not be tabled for the sake of Arab unity given the challenges posed by current and international conditions.” Syria’s Arab League membership has been suspended since the start of the war in 2011.
UAE | Germany: Foreign ministers discuss strategic relations during a phone call
UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan discussed on the phone with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock the strategic relations between the two countries and reviewed several issues of common interest including economic integration and cooperation in the fields of energy and renewable energy.
Yemen | Iran | UN: UN special envoy to Yemen visits Iran to discuss ceasefire in the country
UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg visited Iran to discuss expanding a ceasefire in Yemen and held talks in this regard with Tehran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and other officials. The visit, Grundberg’s first, comes after recent military actions by the Houthi rebels, the most recent one leading to the death of at least ten members of Yemen’s army during an attack in the city of Ta’iz. Following the meeting, Iran’s foreign minister called for the lifting of the Saudi-led siege on Yemen, adding that Tehran wants peace, stability, and security.