Daily Archives: October 8, 2020

2020-10-08: News Headlines

Ali Harb (2020-10-08). US elections: Four Middle East moments from Harris-Pence debate. middleeasteye.net US elections: Four Middle East moments from Harris-Pence debate | Kamala Harris and Mike Pence discussed US policy on Iran, Israel and Palestine in the first and only vice presidential debate | Thu, 10/08/2020 – 07: 11 | Plexiglass separated the two candidates on Wednesday amid coronavirus concerns (AFP) | If political debates were a sport, US vice presidential debates would be a game between the reserve teams.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-10-08). Palestinian administrative detainee critical after over 70 days on hunger strike. peoplesdispatch.org Maher Akhras launched his hunger strike shortly after being arrested by the Israeli authorities on July 27. Doctors are now force-feeding him in an attempt to forcibly end his hunger strike…

_____ (2020-10-08). The Rebellious Emirate of the UAE: Ras al Khaimah. strategic-culture.org Israel may view the United Arab Emirates as one of its few allies in the Arab World. However, the UAE's embrace of Israel does not enjoy universal support in the seven emirates that make up the oil-rich federation. One of the constituent emirates, Ras al Khaimah — sometimes referred to merely as "RAK" — has had a stormy relationship with the chief emirate in the unequal federation, Abu Dhabi. Israel and the Donald Trump administration may believe that the UAE is part and parcel of the Washington-Jerusalem security bulwark against Iran, but Ras al Khaimah has always marched to its own beat from the ver…

The New Arab (2020-10-08). Libya Refuses to Take Up Arab League Presidency Following Palestinian Walkout. globalresearch.ca Libya on Tuesday refused to assume the presidency of the current session of the Arab League, after Qatar …

MEE staff (2020-10-07). Saudi trial resumes for Palestinian Hamas members detained by kingdom. middleeasteye.net Saudi trial resumes for Palestinian Hamas members detained by kingdom | At least 68 Palestinians – including veteran Hamas middleman Mohammed al-Khoudary – are standing trial on unknown charges with no access to lawyers, right group says | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 12: 18 | Mohammed Saleh al-Khoudary, and his eldest Hani have been in a Saudi prison since April 2019 (Screengrab) | Rights groups continue to raise the al…

MEE and agencies (2020-10-07). Qatar makes formal request to US for F-35 jets: Report. middleeasteye.net Qatar makes formal request to US for F-35 jets: Report | Despite being close allies, potential Qatar deal must satisfy decades-old US agreement to maintain Israel's 'qualitative military edge' | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 22: 47 | Any F-35 sale may take years to negotiate and deliver and would also require congressional approval (AFP/File photo) | Qatar has submitted a formal request to buy US-made…

MEE staff (2020-10-07). Accept tax revenues collected by Israel or lose aid, EU tells Palestinians. middleeasteye.net Accept tax revenues collected by Israel or lose aid, EU tells Palestinians | Palestinian Authority began boycotting Israeli tax payments in May following Israel's plans to annex large swaths of the occupied West Bank | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 20: 50 | Palestinians gather to commemorate the Second Intifada and protest Israeli normalisation deals with the UAE and Bahrain in Ramallah on 28 September (AFP/File photo)…

Anand Naidoo (2020-10-07). The Heat: Palestinian Elections. america.cgtn.com Last month the two largest Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, agreed on a deal to hold elections for the first in almost 15 years. After years of unrest with Israel, and the on-going Israeli occupation of the West Bank, could these elections offer a new …

MEE staff (2020-10-07). Trump shares tweet calling New York City mayor 'an anti-Semite thug'. middleeasteye.net Trump shares tweet calling New York City mayor 'an anti-Semite thug' | President suggests New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is antisemitic after night of demonstrations by Orthodox Jews that saw some burn their masks | Wed, 10/07/2020 – 17: 51 | Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men in Borough Park section of Brooklyn in New York City on 6 October (Reuters) | US President Donald Trump suggested that New York's Democratic mayo…

Philip Giraldi (2020-10-07). Netanyahu's Dirty Laundry Tells All. globalresearch.ca Staff in Washington D.C.'s Blair House, where the U.S. president houses his V.I.P. foreign guests, report that they have begun counting towels and robes after visitors depart. Soap and shampoo resupply is also being closely monitored and a metal detector …

The Muslim News (2020-10-07). Further Betrayal of Palestinians. globalresearch.ca The old idiom says, "possession is nine-tenths of the law", but in the case of the dispossessed Palestinians, occupation represents one hundred per cent of the law after their land was usurped due to Israel's creation some 82 years ago. …

Alan MacLeod (2020-10-06). Abraham Accord: Experts Warn Trump Peace Deal a Precursor to War with Iran. thealtworld.com Experts warn that the Accord is motivated by a desire to secure a united front against Iran for a potential future war — a conflict that would likely make Iraq and Afghanistan look mild by comparison. | MPN— On paper at least, last month's U.S.-sponsored agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were all about peace. But behind the headlines, a darker, much more worrying picture of regional alliances, weapons deals, destabilization campaigns, and messianic prophecies emerge. | The Abraham Accord, as it is known, is likely to expand the power of Gulf dictatorships and increase the…

Alex MacDonald (2020-10-06). Arab populations continue to oppose normalisation with Israel, survey shows. middleeasteye.net Arab populations continue to oppose normalisation with Israel, survey shows | Support for pro-democracy movements still high, though Algerians refused to back Sudanese transition | Tue, 10/06/2020 – 15: 56 | Palestinians gather to protest the Israeli normalisation deals with the UAE and Bahrain, in the town of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank (AFP) | Arab populations overwhelmingly continue to o…

MEE staff (2020-10-06). Israeli-made cluster bombs used by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, says Amnesty. middleeasteye.net Israeli-made cluster bombs used by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, says Amnesty | The rights group says widely-banned weaponry has been fired on residential areas of breakaway region | Tue, 10/06/2020 – 14: 10 | A picture shows an unexploded rocket in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's main city of Stepanakert on 6 October 2020 (AFP) | Israeli-made cluster bombs are being used by Azerbaijan against civili…

Raul Diego (2020-10-06). From British Israelism to the Miami Model: What's Behind QAnon's 2020 Resurgence? mintpressnews.com The QAnon message being subtly, and sometimes not-so-subtly, amplified by the very same members of the deep state they claim to abhor, spurring some of America's most powerful forces to join the movement.

Lily Galili (2020-10-06). Netanyahu's aggressive missteps are handing his rivals the initiative. middleeasteye.net Netanyahu's aggressive missteps are handing his rivals the initiative | Failing to quash protests through lockdown restrictions, the prime minister has encouraged security forces to look to Palestine for inspiration | Tue, 10/06/2020 – 14: 30 | Police officers detain a person as Israelis protest against legislation banning them from holding demonstrations more than 1 km from their homes (Reuters) | Israe…

MEE staff (2020-10-06). Israeli press review: Minister breaks lockdown, gets corona, then lies about it. middleeasteye.net Israeli press review: Minister breaks lockdown, gets corona, then lies about it | Meanwhile, Jerusalem police let ultra-Orthodox celebrate Sukkot as normal and Israeli and UAE foreign ministers meet in Berlin | Tue, 10/06/2020 – 13: 41 | Gila Gamliel has been backed by Netanyahu (social media) | Israeli minister breaks lockdown and lies about it: | An Israeli minister broke lockdown restrictions, lied…

Ramzy Baroud (2020-10-06). In Lieu of a Liberation Strategy: Palestinian Elections Are Designed to Buy Time. zcomm.org It is abundantly clear that Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, has underestimated the seriousness of the challenges facing Palestine and the Palestinians.

_____ (2020-10-06). Human Rights Defenders Sue German Parliament Over Anti-BDS Resolution. popularresistance.org Three human rights defenders are mounting a court challenge to the German parliament's resolution condemning BDS — the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement for Palestinian rights. | The BDS supporters are suing the German parliament for violation of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. | Based on the widely criticized IHRA definition that is promoted by Israel and its lobby, the resolution passed by the Bundestag in May 2019 smears BDS activism as anti-Semitic.

Alexander Bertschi Wrigley (2020-10-06). US Poised to Flout Int'l Law as Part of Potential Morocco-Israel Normalization Deal. commondreams.org Morocco's Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani. (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-1189626142.jpg

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-10-05). Turkey Mediates Agreement Between Hamas and Fatah. globalresearch.ca After 15 years divided and in constant conflict of interest, the main Palestinian political forces, Hamas and Fatah, finally reached an agreement to hold new elections in Palestine. According to Hamas spokesman Saleh al-Arouri, there was a real consensus …

MEE staff (2020-10-05). House bill seeks to give Israel veto authority over US arms sales to Middle East. middleeasteye.net House bill seeks to give Israel veto authority over US arms sales to Middle East | The legislation seeks to guarantee Israel's military advantage by requiring the president to first gain approval from the Israeli government before striking regional arms deals | Mon, 10/05/2020 – 16: 02 | An Israeli F-35 fighter jet rolls on the tarmac during the "Blue Flag" multinational aerial exercise at the Ovda air force b…

MEE staff (2020-10-05). A Biden victory will be 'bad' for Israel, Gulf states, US envoy claims. middleeasteye.net A Biden victory will be 'bad' for Israel, Gulf states, US envoy claims | US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman says if Joe Biden wins presidential election, it would damage Trump's efforts to subdue Iran | Mon, 10/05/2020 – 15: 57 | US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman speaks during a briefing at the White House on 13 August 2020 (AFP/File photo) | The US ambassador to Israel has said a victory for Joe Bide…

RT (2020-10-05). Israeli minister urged to step down after traveling despite lockdown & revealing Covid-19 diagnosis. rt.com Israel's environment minister has apologized after coming under fire for testing positive for Covid-19 days after apparently disregarding national lockdown rules to travel some 140 kilometers from home on Yom Kippur. | Minister Gila Gamliel announced on October 3 that she'd In a

MEE staff (2020-10-05). Pro-Netanyahu daily tweets false story on Trump's health after hack. middleeasteye.net Pro-Netanyahu daily tweets false story on Trump's health after hack | Israel Hayom's Twitter account issues series of fake posts on Hezbollah spy submarine and gunmen outside Clinton home | Mon, 10/05/2020 – 11: 08 | President Trump's motorcade drives past supporters outside the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, 4 October (AFP) | The Twitter account of Israel Hayom, a daily newspaper close to I…

Mehr News Agency (2020-10-05). Palestinians know their friend, enemy well: Hezbollah. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Oct. 05 (MNA) — Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah Resistance Movement in Lebanon said that normalization of relations between a number of Arab countries and the Zionist Regime revealed their hypocrisy for Palestinians.

WSWS (2020-10-05). Israel: 130,000 protesters demand resignation of Netanyahu government. wsws.org Israeli workers now face measures long associated with the suppression of the Palestinians in the territories illegally occupied by Israel since their seizure in the June 1967 war.