Middle East Monitor Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

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  Egypt and China reaffirm support for Palestinian state, reject displacement

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  Egypt and China on Wednesday described the Palestinian issue as central to peace and stability in the Middle East and reiterated their support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, according to a joint statement following talks between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders discussed regional developments and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphasizing the need for what they described as a just and lasting settlement based on the two-state solution. The joint statement backed the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state along the 4th June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. READ: Katz says Gaza solution requires mass ‘emigration’, accuses Egypt of blocking departures Egypt and China also rejected any

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  The China paradox: A giant built on cracked foundations

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  For three decades, the West told itself a comforting story about China. Admit it into the global trading system, the theory went, and market forces would do the rest: prosperity would breed a middle class, and a middle class would eventually demand a political voice. Beijing joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 on that assumption. Twenty-five years later, the assumption looks like one of the great strategic misreadings of the post-Cold War era. China gained unrestricted access to Western markets. It never opened its own on comparable terms, and it never loosened the Communist Party’s grip on the economy or the state.  None of this means China’s rise is a mirage. It is not. China builds infrastructure at a

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  Pro Palestine groups call SNP’s failure on Israel boycott vote “a shameful chapter in Scottish history”

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  A year on from the unanimous vote in the Scottish Parliament where MSPs voted for a full boycott of the state of Israel and companies complicit in genocide, pro Palestine groups, the Scottish Palestinian Society and Scotland for Palestinian say there’s little evidence of the Scottish government taking the necessary steps needed to end Scotland’s complicity in the ongoing Palestinian genocide, calling its failure to act a “shameful chapter in Scottish history.” The boycott and sanctions measures available to the Scottish government under devolved powers include procurement contracts for the NHS worth millions of pounds and similar to the steps it took against Russia, exercising a trade, cultural, and sporting boycott of Israel. The SNP has also been accused of

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  Freedom Flotilla announces new mission to Gaza in October

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  Organisers of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced on Wednesday plans for a new maritime mission seeking to reach the Gaza Strip in October. According to the organisers, participating vessels will make stops in Spain, Portugal and Italy before continuing toward Gaza. The coalition said the mission was intended to challenge Israel’s restrictions on maritime access to Gaza and build international pressure for changes in Israeli policy toward the enclave. Previous coalition voyages have included the Handala II, which sailed through Scandinavia in June and July and stopped at ports in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Another vessel, the Kite, departed Bristol in the United Kingdom and made stops in Ireland, Germany and France as part of the coalition’s campaigning activities. READ: France

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  Katz says Gaza solution requires mass ‘emigration’, accuses Egypt of blocking departures

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said there could be no lasting solution for the Gaza Strip without what he described as the “genuine emigration” of Palestinians from the territory, while accusing Egypt of preventing such departures. Speaking at the “Time for Decision” conference, organized by Yediot Aharonot and the Israel Democracy Institute, Katz said: “There is no real solution without a genuine emigration from there.” Katz claimed that 80 percent of Gaza’s population wants to leave, but did not provide evidence for the figure. “Everything is ready for emigration by air, sea and land, but Egypt is not prepared for it,” Katz said. He added that departures were currently being delayed because potential receiving countries were unwilling to accept Palestinians

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  Netanyahu says Israel will not withdraw from Gaza’s “Yellow Line,” plans to expand control

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip that the military would not withdraw from the area it currently controls and indicated that Israel intends to expand its territorial control. Netanyahu made the remarks while touring an Israeli military position along the “Yellow Line,” accompanied by military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the head of the Southern Command. “We control this area, and we will not withdraw. We will remain at this line,” Netanyahu said, referring to territory that he said amounts to approximately 60 percent of the Gaza Strip. He added that Israeli control would expand further. The “Yellow Line” delineates areas of Israeli military deployment under the ceasefire arrangement

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  Imprisoned Palestinian doctor reports continued assaults and threats in Israeli detention

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  Dr Hussam Abu Safieh, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital who has been held by Israel since December 2024, has said that Israeli prison guards continue to physically assault him, deprive him of sleep and threaten him against speaking about his detention conditions, according to testimony relayed through his lawyer. Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI) said Abu Safieh provided the account during a meeting with his lawyer on Sunday, August 30. According to a written statement submitted by the lawyer, Abu Safieh said guards had beaten him on different parts of his body, including sensitive areas, using their hands, feet and batons. He also reported that prison staff deliberately disrupted his sleep by making noise and using loudspeakers during the night.

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  Organisations pursue prosecution of Turkish citizens serving in Israeli army

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry said organisations have launched a campaign to track Israeli soldiers who hold Turkish citizenship, searching for them through social media and family networks and identifying their military units in an effort to bring them to criminal trial. According to the report, a network of organisations is behind the campaign, including the World Organization of Law and Academic Society (WOLAS) and the Freedom Watch Platform.  The groups collect publicly available information about settlers and conduct campaigns to prosecute Israeli soldiers. READ: Report: Turkish warships force Israeli naval vessels to alter course in Mediterranean The report said the network also includes organisations such as Al-Haq and the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), which Israel classifies as terrorist organisations, as

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  Egypt, Turkey agree to cooperate on defence industries

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  Egyptian Minister of State for Military Production Salah Soliman Gembalat and Turkey’s deputy defence minister witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Wednesday between Egyptian and Turkish companies to cooperate in the defence industries sector. The MoU was signed by Egypt’s Heliopolis Chemical Industries Company (Military Factory 81) and Helwan Company for Engineering Industries (Military Factory 99), both affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production, and Turkey’s Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE). The signing took place on the sidelines of the First Balkan Shield Industrial Expo and Summit 2026, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first international defence industry exhibition. According to a statement by the Egyptian ministry, the MoU was signed “as part of the Ministry of

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  A homeland on canvas: Sliman Mansour and the rise of revolutionary Palestinian art

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  The death of Palestinian artist Sliman Anis Mansour stirred powerful memories. He passed away at Al-Makassed Hospital in occupied East Jerusalem on August 24, at the age of 79, bringing to a close a legacy that cannot truly be described, but only experienced. His life almost exactly spanned the age of the Palestinian Nakba. He was born mere months before the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homeland. Yet his death in an occupied city tells us that the story of Mansour, his art and the Palestinian struggle for freedom is far from over. Oddly, for years, I knew Mansour through a single painting: Jamal al-Mahamel (The Camel Carrier of Hardships). The title itself requires a pause. The

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  Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Dr. Djavad Salehi Isfahni: US Plan: Financial Strangulation and Internal Implosion

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  WATCH: Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Ray McGovern: Trump is Back With Bombs and Threats of Destruction

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  Syria excludes Kurdish women fighters from army, considers integration into interior ministry

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  A senior commander in the Kurdish Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), Nowruz Ahmed, said the unit’s fighters were told during a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus last week that there was “no place for them in the army”. Ahmed told Reuters that “talks have shifted towards finding an alternative path within the Interior Ministry”. She said the YPJ had sought to join the army because its fighters had military experience and capabilities, allowing them to serve within an organised force capable of defending itself. She added that contacts were under way with the Interior Ministry to agree on a formula that would ensure the force remained within an institutional framework while retaining an organised combat formation suited to

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  Palestinian churches call for international action to save Christian schools in Jerusalem

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  The Palestinian Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs on Wednesday called on churches around the world to take “immediate action” to save Christian schools in Jerusalem after Israel prevented teachers and staff from the occupied West Bank from reaching them. In a statement, the committee said Israeli authorities had refused to issue or renew entry permits for a number of teachers and staff from the West Bank, preventing them from reaching their schools. It said: “The measures have forced Christian educational institutions to declare an open-ended strike, placing the 2026–2027 academic year at risk and preventing students from returning to their classrooms.”    READ: All Christian schools in Jerusalem suspend classes as Israel denies permits to over 70 teachers, staff The committee

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  Oslo at 33: Anatomy of an ongoing Palestinian disaster

  by Mehdi Editor on September 3, 2026

  According to the popular narrative surrounding the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), some of sort of fully functioning, internationally recognized Palestinian state should have been established over two decades ago. The Declaration of Principles signed in 1993 explicitly mandated a transitional “interim period” not to exceed five years, setting May 1999 as the strict deadline for a permanent-status agreement covering Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, and borders. Yet a meticulous examination of the text reveals a structural paradox at the very heart of Oslo: while the diplomatic marketing and global expectations framed the process as a march toward eventual Palestinian statehood, the word “state” does not appear once in the agreements—substituting sovereign independence with vague language

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  Can Syria turn foreign power into national power?

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  For most countries, electricity is an economic input. For Syria, it is something more fundamental: a test of whether the state can again provide basic services, reconnect its regions and translate political transition into material improvement. Factories cannot reopen, hospitals cannot function reliably and displaced families cannot be expected to return where power remains intermittent. Syria’s first peace dividend, therefore, must be electricity. Yet the central question is not simply how many megawatts Syria can add. It is whether Damascus can transform foreign fuel, finance and technology into durable national capacity. If it succeeds, energy diplomacy could become an instrument of reconstruction and sovereignty. If it fails, Syria may merely exchange one form of external dependence for another. A new

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  66 Palestinian villages forcibly expelled by Israel from West Bank since October 2023: Rights group

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Israel has forcibly displaced residents of Khirbet al-Taban in the southern occupied West Bank, making it the 66th Palestinian village to be completely emptied of its residents since October 2023, Israeli rights group B’Tselem said Wednesday. The group said in a statement that Israeli forces raided the village, south of Hebron, Wednesday morning and demolished the homes of all its residents within hours. Khirbet al-Taban is home to 12 families totaling about 70 people, including 28 children, it said. “The forces did not leave a single home standing,” B’Tselem said. Israeli forces also demolished sheep pens, water tanks and storage facilities and destroyed caves in the area, according to the group. B’Tselem said Khirbet al-Taban was the “66th Palestinian village

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  Trump touts US control of Strait of Hormuz after striking Iranian boats

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, crediting last year’s US strikes with halting Tehran’s atomic program just before completion, and claiming: “We now control the Strait of Hormuz,” Anadolu reports. Speaking in a phone interview published Wednesday, Trump said: “If we didn’t do it, Iran would have … a nuclear weapon.” “If we didn’t send in the B-2 bombers a year ago to blow up their nuclear capacity, you know … they were two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon,” he said. Warning of catastrophic consequences, Trump argued that if Iran had “a nuclear weapon, Israel would be gone. The Middle East would be gone, and they would be

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  Iran says 18 killed, 108 wounded in Tuesday’s US attacks

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Eighteen people were killed and 108 others were injured in Iran during Tuesday’s US attacks, Iran’s state-run broadcaster IRIB cited Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi as saying on Wednesday. The outlet did not provide further details. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced late Tuesday that it had launched strikes against IRGC targets in Iran. Following the announcement, Iranian media reported explosions on Qeshm Island, as well as in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar and Konarak. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it had attacked several US military facilities in neighboring countries, including Kuwait, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq. On June 18, 2026, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities and reopening the Strait

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  Iran seizes barge for smuggling 382,000 liters of diesel

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Iranian authorities seized a foreign barge in Gulf waters on Wednesday for allegedly smuggling about 382,000 liters of diesel fuel and arrested 11 foreigners aboard, state news agency IRNA reported. IRNA said security forces launched an operation against the vessel after receiving a tip about the smuggling of petroleum products aboard a barge in the northern Gulf. Iranian border guards in Abadan intercepted the vessel and seized 382,000 liters of diesel, the report said. Eleven foreigners aboard the vessel were also detained, although their nationalities were not disclosed. There was no immediate official statement from Iranian authorities providing further details about the incident. READ: US must fulfill commitments before Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz: Parliament speaker

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  UN chief ‘gravely concerned’ by renewed US-Iran exchange of fire

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday expressed grave concern over a renewed exchange of fire overnight between the US and Iran, and voiced alarm over reported civilian casualties, including a strike that reportedly hit a wedding ceremony in Iran, Anadolu reports. “I can tell the secretary-general is gravely concerned by the renewed exchange of fire overnight between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The secretary-general is deeply alarmed by reports of civilian casualties, including a strike that reportedly hit a wedding ceremony in Iran,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference. “The secretary-general condemns all attacks against civilians. He recalls that all parties must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of

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  Over 55,000 urge new UK premier to hold Israel accountable over Gaza genocide

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Pro-Palestine groups on Wednesday delivered a petition signed by more than 55,000 people calling on new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham to hold Israel accountable over the genocide in Gaza, Anadolu reports. Video footage shared on US social media company X showed Ryvka Barnard, deputy director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Sara Husseini, director of the British Palestinian Committee, and prominent British actor Juliet Stevenson, a vocal critic of Israeli actions, handing the petition to Burnham’s office in Downing Street. Speaking in the video, Barnard said they were calling on Burnham to uphold international law and the rights of the Palestinian people and to hold Israel to account over the genocide “that it’s been committing, that’s an ongoing genocide

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  Is Evidence of Genocide in Gaza Being Erased? | Palestine This Week

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  In this episode of Palestine This Week, we examine allegations that evidence of Israel’s genocide in Gaza is being removed by Trump’s “Board of Peace”, South Africa’s latest submission to the ICJ over Israel’s non-compliance with provisional measures and growing scrutiny of illegal settlements and settler violence in the occupied West Bank. We also look at Britain’s economic ties to companies linked to settlements, Israel’s vast arms export industry, US punishing Kurds over the Iran war and the suppression of pro-Palestine voices on X, including MEMO.     WATCH: Israel Is Its Own Worst Enemy | Palestine This Week

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  No equal talks under siege: The contradiction at the heart of US policy on Iran

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  The latest direct exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran has returned the region to an old and dangerous rhythm: Washington fires, threatens further punishment and then leaves the word “diplomacy” hovering above the wreckage. At almost the same moment, Tehran has again placed a negotiated route on the table. The contradiction could hardly be starker. Talks conducted beside missile strikes and an economic siege do not offer peace on equal terms. They extend war into the negotiating room. The administration presents sanctions as leverage, as though they were a clean instrument that pressures officials without touching families. Its own documents tell a less sanitised story. The White House has directed US agencies to intensify economic pressure and

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  US must fulfill commitments before Iran reopens Strait of Hormuz: Parliament speaker

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Wednesday that the US must fulfill its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding before Tehran moves to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “The Americans must fulfill their commitments so that we can proceed with reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” Qalibaf said during a meeting in Tehran with Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official responsible for Islamic relations, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency. Referring to negotiations between Iran and the US, Qalibaf said Tehran does not reject diplomacy but considers negotiations a tool in its broader struggle. “We do not reject negotiations, but negotiations are a tool for the struggle,” he said, adding that abandoning confrontation with the US and Israel in

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  Germany approves nearly $930M in arms exports to Israel amid Gaza genocide

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Germany approved nearly €800 million ($930 million) worth of military equipment exports to Israel in the first half of this year amid its ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, local media reported Wednesday. The Economy and Energy Ministry disclosed the figure in its response to a parliamentary inquiry by the opposition Left Party, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel. Export licenses issued between January and June exceeded four times the total value approved for Israel throughout 2025, the report said. The surge came after Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government lifted partial restrictions on arms exports to Israel on Nov. 24, 2025. Merz had suspended exports of weapons that could be used in Gaza on Aug. 8 after Israel decided to

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  Australian judge says IHRA definition ‘does not reflect’ true meaning of anti-Semitism

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  An Australian court has dealt a major blow to the global campaign to redefine anti-Semitism along political lines, after the Supreme Court of New South Wales ruled that a young man’s “F**k Israel” graffiti amounted to political protest, not anti-Semitism.  The court rejected a government bid to keep the man under strict supervision after his release from prison. Although the ruling was delivered in July, the court’s reasons for the judgment were only published last month. The judgment undermines years-long efforts by pro-Israel lobby groups to weaponise allegations of anti-Semitism against critics of Israel. As part of its bid to keep the man under supervision, the New South Wales government had sought to invoke the highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance

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  Spanish police report alleges Morocco orchestrated mass migration into Ceuta

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  A Spanish police intelligence report alleges that Moroccan security forces helped plan and direct the mass crossing of migrants into Ceuta in late July, Spanish media reported Wednesday. The report, concerning the arrival of more than 70,000 migrants, challenges the Spanish government’s public account of the border crisis. The police report said Moroccan gendarmes, some in uniform and others in plain clothes, guided migrants toward the Spanish enclave in successive waves aimed at overwhelming border controls, Spanish public broadcaster RTVE reported Wednesday. The document, submitted to Spain’s National Court, describes the July 30-31 crossings, when around 72,000 people entered the Spanish enclave in North Africa, as a planned operation rather than a spontaneous movement driven by smugglers or social media

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  Washington reclaims Latin America through energy as Israel returns to Caracas

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Venezuela’s oil is becoming more than an energy asset; it is emerging as an instrument in a wider contest for influence across Latin America. The agreement announced by US President Donald Trump on 28th August brings more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan reserves into a partnership that Trump says gives the American side “majority control,” while Venezuela’s interim government, led by Delcy Rodríguez, insists the 25-year deal preserves national sovereignty.  That tension between American control and Venezuelan sovereignty lies at the heart of a broader geopolitical struggle over who will shape the country’s economic and strategic future. The deal also fits into Washington’s renewed push to reassert primacy in the Western Hemisphere by securing access to energy, strategic resources

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  Qatar, Egypt, Jordan condemn Iranian attacks on Arab states, warn of regional escalation

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan on Wednesday condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting neighboring countries including Kuwait and Bahrain, warning that continued military escalation risks deepening regional instability and undermining diplomatic efforts to contain tensions, Anadolu reports. Egypt strongly condemned the attacks, saying they “violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the targeted Arab states and represent a “dangerous escalation threatening regional security, stability and the safety of their peoples.” Cairo expressed “full solidarity” with Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan and rejected “any attacks targeting the security, sovereignty or territorial integrity” of Arab states. Egypt also warned that continued escalation could lead to a “vicious cycle” of confrontation and instability, threatening both regional and international security as well as freedom of international

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  Over 230 former Dutch officials urge tougher measures against Israel

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  More than 230 former Dutch officials urged the Netherlands on Wednesday to take stronger measures against Israel over its actions in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports. The signatories, including former ministers, ambassadors, diplomats and civil servants, called for a comprehensive arms embargo and suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported. In a letter to the government, they said measures taken so far, including a ban on products from illegal Israeli settlements, were insufficient given the situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The group said the Netherlands should adopt measures “that are proportionate to the seriousness and extent of the violations in question.” READ: Netherlands to ban imports from illegal Israeli

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  Coalition forces down 10 drones over Iraq’s Erbil: Counterterrorism unit

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  International coalition air defense systems downed 10 bomb-laden drones over Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdish Region early Wednesday, local authorities said. The region’s counterterrorism unit said coalition forces detected the drones in Erbil’s airspace between 1.13 am and 3.31 am local time, or 2213GMT Tuesday to 0031GMT Wednesday, and intercepted and destroyed them. No casualties were reported in the attacks, the unit said. Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted US forces and facilities in Erbil as part of simultaneous missile and drone attacks on US bases in the region. READ: Iraq prime minister rejects extension of International Coalition presence beyond 30th September This came after the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) announced late Tuesday that it launched strikes against

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  Xi backs Mideast countries in building new security architecture, urges no marginalization of Palestine

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday backed Middle Eastern nations in building a new security architecture and said the Palestinian issue should not be marginalized, Anadolu reports. Xi made the remarks during summit-level talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. “China supports regional countries in building a new security architecture for the Middle East,” Xi said, opposing external interference in the region. “Mideast people should remain masters of their own affairs and external interference should be rejected,” he said, calling on China and Egypt to “jointly oppose unilateralism and acts of bullying.” Xi called for a “comprehensive solution for common security” in the region and said the Palestinian issue “remains core of

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  4 IRGC Aerospace Force members among 7 killed in US strikes in western, southern Iran

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Four members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force were among seven who were killed in US strikes in western and southern Iran, Iranian authorities said Wednesday. Four members of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force were killed in a US attack in the western Kermanshah province, its provincial branch said in a statement. Separately, three members of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, affiliated with the IRGC, were killed in an overnight US strike on Lavan Island in the southern Hormozgan province, Iranian media reported. Abdolkarim Pouladifar, deputy commander of the IRGC’s Seyyed al-Shohada unit in Deyr county, said the three were identified as Mahdi Bahrani, Hossein Salehnejad, and Hassan Momeni, according to the Mehr News Agency. READ: US forces begin strikes

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  Israeli forces detain 12 Palestinians, with occupiers burning 2 vehicles in West Bank

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Israeli forces detained 12 Palestinians in overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, and Israeli occupiers burned two vehicles in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, local Palestinian sources reported on Wednesday. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA stated that Israeli forces raided Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, and detained three Palestinians. The forces also raided a metal workshop and seized equipment from inside before detaining its owner and his two sons following a raid on their home in the al-Jawza neighborhood of Nablus’ Old City. In the nearby village of al-Rashaydah, east of Bethlehem, Israeli forces raided several homes and detained and questioned four Palestinians. Israeli forces also detained two young men in the town of Aqaba,

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  Natural gas, corridors, and security: Why Turkey wants Egypt in the Mecca Pact

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  The Eastern Mediterranean’s importance is often measured by its gas discoveries, but reserves acquire strategic value only when they can reach consumers. Egypt’s Zohr, Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan, and Cyprus’s Aphrodite, Glaucus and Cronos have given the basin a substantial resource base. Yet Egypt occupies the pivotal position because its Idku and Damietta plants are the region’s only large-scale liquefaction facilities. Israel already sends gas to Egypt by pipeline, and the July 2026 investment decision on Cronos envisages moving Cypriot gas through Egyptian infrastructure for export from 2028. The region can help Europe diversify from Russian gas, but only through reliable production, secure pipelines and viable contracts. Discoveries alone do not create energy security Politics continues to constrain that potential.

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  Israel receives sixth Drakon submarine for its navy from Germany

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Israel announced on Tuesday evening that the Navy submarine Drakon is en route from Germany to the country, marking the conclusion of the joint planning and construction phase between the two nations and the start of its voyage to the country. In a joint statement, the Israeli military and Defence Ministry said the submarine was the sixth to be delivered to Israel. They said the Israeli navy commander, senior Defence Ministry officials, Israel’s ambassador to Berlin and the German navy commander attended a ceremony marking the start of the submarine’s voyage from the German shipbuilder TKMS’s shipyard in the German city of Kiel. The statement said the Drakon was the third and final submarine in the Dolphin-class (AIP) series under

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  Burhan drops cases against Sudanese abroad to pave way for dialogue

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a decision on Tuesday to drop cases against any Sudanese citizen living abroad who has entered or enters the country to take part in dialogue. The decision was announced by Justice Minister Abdullah Darf, according to the Sudan News Agency (SUNA), as the 19-member Dialogue Preparation Committee launched an initiative to create conditions for dialogue among political, civil and community forces, with the aim of helping to end the war and pave the way for national consensus. Darf said Burhan had “responded to the demands of the national initiative to launch Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue by providing guarantees, including dropping cases against any Sudanese citizen living abroad who has entered or enters the country

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  Oil prices rise as European gas climbs to highest level since 2023 after renewed attacks on Iran

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Oil prices surged on Tuesday, while European gas prices hit a three-year high, as renewed US strikes against Iran and Tehran’s threats of retaliation raised fresh concerns over the Strait of Hormuz. The price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for October delivery rose 5.20 per cent to $90.22 a barrel, breaking above $90 for the first time since late July. The price of North Sea Brent crude for November delivery also rose 4.60 per cent to $94.65 a barrel. The United States carried out strikes on Iran for a second consecutive day, while Tehran announced a “decisive” retaliatory operation, despite US President Donald Trump threatening to launch a “much stronger and more powerful” attack on Iran. READ: Iran transfers $7.5B

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  India remembers it has a spine

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Nations do not usually recover their dignity with trumpets. More often, they rediscover it after humiliation has become so routine that even the bureaucracy begins to feel embarrassed. At Bishkek, India appears to have suffered such an outbreak of geopolitical self-respect. Not a revolution. Not a resurrection of Nehru. Narendra Modi has not suddenly begun communing with Bandung or keeping Fanon under his pillow. But something consequential happened at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit: India joined a declaration condemning military attacks on Iran, defending Iranian sovereignty, affirming Tehran’s nuclear rights under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, rejecting unilateral coercive measures and insisting that Palestine cannot be permanently buried beneath the rubble of Israeli supremacy. For today’s India, that is almost radicalism.

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  Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Ray McGovern: Trump is Back With Bombs and Threats of Destruction

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  WATCH:Podcast by Jasim Al-Azzawi with Yusuf Erim: Israel & Turkey: Is a breaking point inevitable

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  Palestinian foreign ministry calls for international action over East Jerusalem school restrictions

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday called for international action over Israeli restrictions affecting Palestinian educational institutions in East Jerusalem, including measures preventing some teachers from reaching their schools. The statement coincided with a strike by several private schools in East Jerusalem, including Christian schools, at the start of the academic year. The schools were protesting Israeli authorities’ refusal to issue entry permits to teachers who live in the occupied West Bank and work in East Jerusalem. The ministry said the restrictions had prevented teachers and other school staff from reaching their workplaces, disrupting classes at the beginning of the academic year. It described the measures as a violation of Palestinian students’ right to education and accused Israel

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  Israeli opposition leader gives Netanyahu’s wife 24-hour apology ultimatum for 7th October claim

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, 24 hours Tuesday to apologize and retract remarks that appeared to suggest he knew about the 7th October 2023 attack in advance, threatening to sue her if she refused. The dispute began after Sara Netanyahu told Channel 14 on Monday that Golan was in the area near the Gaza Strip during the first hours of the attack. “When you are a senior-ranking military officer like this and claim that you were fighting on 7th October, you had been there since the early morning, dressed and ready,” she said, addressing Golan. She added that he had been in the area “very early,” while others, “including the prime minister,”

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  Qalibaf says Iran has rebuilt military capabilities, would be stronger in future conflict

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran has significantly strengthened and rebuilt its military capabilities, asserting that the country’s armed forces would perform more effectively in any future conflict. Qalibaf said Iran had achieved military advances over the past 15 months equivalent to what would previously have taken a decade. “The performance of Iranian forces has improved in every round of the war,” Qalibaf said, adding that Tehran was continuing efforts to rebuild its armed forces and strengthen both offensive and defensive capabilities. READ: Missile, drone attacks target Kuwait and Bahrain as Iran says US sites hit He said the military was using the current period to restore and expand its capabilities, emphasising Iran’s reliance on domestic technology and expertise.

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  UK plans measures against Israeli settlements as Sa’ar warns of response

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Britain is preparing a package of measures targeting Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, prompting Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to warn that Israel could respond with measures of its own. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said London would announce a “comprehensive” package of measures concerning Israeli settlements in the coming weeks. Miliband warned that continued settlement expansion, particularly plans in the E1 area east of Jerusalem, threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state and prospects for a two-state solution. In response, Sa’ar warned that Israel would retaliate if Britain takes measures against it. READ: UK foreign secretary condemns ‘appalling settler terrorism’ in occupied West Bank “If Britain takes action against Israel, we will respond,” Sa’ar said, adding:

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  Qatar warns against Israeli attempts to “impose new reality” in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Qatar on Tuesday warned against what it described as Israeli attempts to exploit heightened regional tensions to impose a “new reality” in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, while calling for de-escalation and a return to diplomatic negotiations. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari made the remarks during a press conference addressing renewed regional tensions, including recent Iranian attacks and developments around the Strait of Hormuz. “The renewed escalation in the region is not in anyone’s interest, and de-escalation and a return to negotiations are necessary,” al-Ansari said. He also called for an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank and warned against Israel using the wider regional crisis to advance its objectives in neighbouring territories. READ: Palestinian commission

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  Palestinian commission records 2,030 Israeli army and settler attacks in West Bank in August

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Israeli forces and settlers carried out 2,030 attacks against Palestinians, their land and property in the occupied West Bank during August, according to figures released Tuesday by the Palestinian Authority’s Commission Against the Wall and Settlements. The commission attributed 1,402 incidents to Israeli forces and 628 to settlers, describing the figures as evidence of continuing violence against Palestinians across the territory. According to the commission, settler attacks directly affected 164 Palestinians during the month, including 20 children and 17 women. It also reported that 17-year-old Karim Sand Shalalda was shot and killed during a settler attack in the Hamroush area of Sa’ir, in the southern Hebron governorate, on 21st August. The commission said his death brought the number of Palestinians

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  Irrational fear: From Gaza’s paper kites to “unsafe” on campuses

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  I recall my childhood growing up in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el Bared, in Lebanon. We were creative in devising seasonal games that didn’t require much money: one season playing soccer, another hide and seek, swimming and fishing in the Mediterranean and so on. My favorite was the summer kite-making. We made kites from plastic or paper collected from the dump; the frame was dry bamboo sticks tied or glued together from discarded electrical or metal wires. The only real cost was the line, if we weren’t lucky enough to find a fishing line or a sewing spool in the dump, we had to buy it. I never could have imagined that my cheapest favorite childhood toy could

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  Missile, drone attacks target Kuwait and Bahrain as Iran says US sites hit

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  The Kuwaiti army said its air defences had intercepted hostile missile and drone attacks following what it described as “the sinful Iranian aggression”. A statement from the Kuwaiti General Staff said that “if explosions are heard, they are the result of air defence systems intercepting hostile attacks”. In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry warned of “a danger”, urging citizens and residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe place. Meanwhile, Iran claimed that drones had targeted “radar facilities and gathering points for US forces at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain”. It vowed that Iranian forces “will take harsh revenge on the aggressors that will make them regret it”. READ: Trump says US launches ‘large and powerful’ strikes near Strait

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  Settler fire attacks damage 11 mosques in West Bank in 2026

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  Israeli settlers have stepped up attacks in the occupied West Bank targeting mosques, after setting fire early on Tuesday to part of the Imad al-Din Zengi Mosque in the village of Bazariya, north-west of Nablus. Local sources said the settlers set fire to a room belonging to the mosque after failing to break into it and burn it down completely. They also spray-painted racist slogans on its walls. The attack brings the total number of mosques subjected to arson or attempted arson since the start of 2026 to at least eleven. The attacks began on 23 February, when parts of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque in the town of Tell, west of Nablus, were set on fire. This was followed

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  Netanyahu’s son sparks backlash in Britain over Falkland Islands remarks

  by Mehdi Editor on September 2, 2026

  The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom has reported anger in Britain over remarks by Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about the Falkland Islands, in which he said the islands belong to Argentina. The newspaper said Yair Netanyahu had once again sparked heated debate online, this time over a comment about an area around 13,000 kilometres from Israel’s coast. It said he posted on X in support of Argentine President Javier Milei, claiming that the Falkland Islands, a sparsely populated group of islands off the southern coast of South America, belong to Argentina. According to Israel Hayom, the post sparked a lengthy and heated debate involving several figures, particularly on the British right, which is known for its