Middle East

Photo: PM's wife Aliza Olmert tours along the Israeli-Egyptian border where Sudanese refugees had crossed the border. Credit: Ohayon Avi, GPO. 19/07/2007

Sudanese Refugees Face Uncertainty in Israel If Bilateral Ties Are Resumed

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Sudanese refugees who live in Israel are wondering what their future holds if ties are normalized between the two countries as predicted and the Israeli government launches deportation proceedings against them.

There are around 6,500 Sudanese nationals in Israel, representing 20 per cent of all the asylum seekers in the country. Of these, 4,500 have submitted requests for political asylum and have been awaiting a decision for many years.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 02 November 2020

Photo: Iranian women wearing masks to protect themselves from coronavirus walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on February 20, 2020. Credit: © 2020 WANA/Nazanin Tabatabaee via Reuters

Iran's #MeToo Movement Challenges Patriarchy and Western Stereotypes

Viewpoint by Sara Tafakori*

BEIRUT (IDN) – It has been called an Iranian #MeToo movement, and it is. Thousands of women in Iran – and some men – are going online to speak about the sexual assault and harassment they experienced. What is crucially important, at what promises to be a historic turning point in Iranian women’s struggle for their rights, is to set the movement clearly in its proper local and global context, rather than locating it in terms of the familiar binaries of East and West, as much of the coverage in the coming weeks and months will do.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 15 September 2020

Photo: The Port of Beirut eleven days after the disaster. The French amphibious assault ship Tonnerre is the large ship on the right, which arrived in the port on 13 August to provide food, construction materials, medical supplies, and personnel. CC BY-SA 4.0

People Are Leading Beirut's Recovery in the Absence of the State

Viewpoint by Aseel Naamani and Ruth Simpson*

This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News.

BEIRUT (IDN) – Recent events in Lebanon tell a story of interwoven crises, culminating in the explosion in Beirut on August 4. To overcome the crisis in the long-term, recovery efforts must be participatory and take a bottom-up approach, based on communities’ needs, while protecting shared spaces and cultural heritage.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 13 September 2020

Photo: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Source: SADA ELBALAD.

The Press Freedom Climate in Algeria Has Changed for The Worse Under New President

Viewpoint by M ElHaies

The writer is a consultant in CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program. This article is being republished courtesy of CPJ which first carried it on its Website on August 26.

NEW YORK (IDN) – Two weeks after the imprisonment of a high-profile Algerian journalist, a former reporter has been sentenced to prison for his online commentary, cementing fears that Algeria’s new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, is on track to match his predecessor’s record of enacting restrictive policies toward the press even as he has promised democratic reforms.

: Africa & ME Editor; OPINION; 30 August 2020

Photo: "The Guardian of Time", a sculpture by Lebanese artist Tony Farah outside the lower cave at Jeita. CC BY-SA 3.0

Embedded in Beirut: A Communion with Ancestors

Recollections by a Nigerian journalist who toured Lebanon two years ago

By Louis Odion

*The writer, Fellow of Nigerian Guild of Editors, is the Senior Technical Assistant on Media to President Muhammadu Buhari.

ABUJA (IDN) – Many wished they were allowed to capture the moment with the camera, but the literary amazon from Borno beheld a different picture in the officially restricted space. She saw politics in the classification of the Jeita Grotto as the "world's 15th wonder" and not within the first 10.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Middle East; 06 August 2020

Photo: Protests in Tripoli, opposing foreign support of General Haftar. (Photo: YouTube Screenshot)

Time Is Not on Our Side in Libya

A "Demilitarization Zone" Would Divide the War-Torn Country into Two Parts

Viewpoint by Vijay Prashad*

This article was originally produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts (IDN) – Ahmed, who lives in Tripoli, Libya, texts me that the city is quieter than before. The army of General Khalifa Haftar—who controls large parts of eastern Libya—has withdrawn from the southern part of the capital and is now holding fast in the city of Sirte and at the airbase of Jufra. Most of Libya’s population lives along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea, which is where the cities of Tripoli, Sirte, Benghazi, and Tobruk are located.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 22 July 2020

Photo: The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is providing services to displaced women and girls across northeast Syria. Credit: UNFPA Syria.

Put Women at The Centre of Syria Crisis Response

Viewpoint by Dr Natalia Kanem and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

Dr Natalia Kanem is the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Executive Director of UN Women.

NEW YORK (IDN) – As the Syria crisis enters its 10th year, the situation is especially dire for women and girls, with the effects of COVID-19 compounding the risks and hardships for millions of people inside the country and for refugees around the region.

Today nearly 12 million people in Syria require urgent humanitarian assistance and around 4 million depend on cross-border aid. Some 5.7 million Syrians have fled and are now residing in countries throughout the region.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 01 July 2020

The Middle East Reeling Under COVID-19 Impact on Livelihoods and Food Security

By Bernhard Schell

AMMAN (IDN) – Highlighting the increasingly dire situation in countries across the Middle East, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that "deep humanitarian needs will worsen and new ones will emerge if the international community doesn't factor socio-economic aftershocks into our response and protect livelihoods and food security".

: Bernhard Schell; THE WORLD; Middle East; 28 June 2020

Why Global Arms Embargo Against Iran Must Remain in Place

Viewpoint by Hassan Mahmoudi

The writer is a social analyst, researcher, an independent observer and commentator of Middle Eastern and Iran. The article reflects his personal perspectives and opinions, which are not necessarily shared by the International Press Syndicate Group and its flagship IDN-DepthNews.

STOCKHOLM (IDN) – The global arms embargo against Iran, imposed by UN in the Security Council Resolution 2231, will, shockingly enough, be lifted in five months.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 21 June 2020

Photo: Images of former South African President F.W. de Klerk (left) and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

In Quest of The Israeli De Klerk

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has announced that in a month's time he will start to annex the large-scale Jewish settlements inside Palestinian territory, a step as provocative as one can imagine. Not even President Donald Trump's Administration which has supported Israel with many measures has not gone along with such thinking.

Supporting the creation of settlements, Trump appears to think, is one thing, annexing a step too far. On the other hand, he has made it clear how close to Netanyahu he feels. He may well end up supporting the prime minister.