For the Jordanian scholar, the plan that led to normalisation with Israel ‘seems dormant’ but remains a valid ‘basis’. The Middle East is a different reality today compared to the Tycoon's first term. The ‘zero conflict’ policy pursued by Riyadh privileges the economic sphere and opens up dialogue with Tehran. The centrality of the Palestinian issue to stop conflicts.
For the Israeli activist, who mediated the release of Gilad Shalit after five years of Hamas captivity, Israel’s prime minister is using antisemitism to cover up domestic scandals and exploiting the war for his own self-interest. He also criticises the Palestinian side, which must prepare the ground for elections postponed for far too long. Qatar's step back should be used to restart negotiations.
Without a ceasefire and full implementation of UN Resolution 1701, Lebanon remains in a political stalemate. Iranian pressure prevents House Speaker Nabih Berry from freeing himself from Hezbollah's grip. Invited to the Vatican for the Synod on Lebanon in 1995 and the one on the Middle East in 2010, the senior Sunni leader tells AsiaNews that he hopes Lebanon will learn from past tragedies, and return to the Arab fold through the Saudi "gateway".
The last of five seats for the Asia-Pacific region went to the Marshall Islands by seven votes. For Saudi Arabia, this is a second defeat after that of 2020, while Qatar won its second consecutive term. In the first 10 months of 2024, the kingdom carried out a record 213 death sentences.
A first group of 175 teachers has completed their training and will start teaching in the Saudi kingdom by the end of August. The goal is to send at least 800 teachers to the Arab country. This is another sign of Beijing's growing economic and educational involvement in the Middle East.
Today's headlines: North Korea punishes students and officials for watching a film about the Korean War. Telephone and Internet restrictions leave large parts of Myanmar without information from abroad. In Bangladesh, garment factories reopen after forced closure due protests. War in Gaza hinders polio vaccination amid WHO warning of a possible epidemic.
