Category: 2. Middle East

The US on Monday rejected an international conference on the two-state solution taking place this week at UN headquarters in New York, calling it an “unproductive” and “ill-timed” effort that undermines ongoing diplomacy, Anadolu reports.

“This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Monday.

“Far from promoting peace, the conference will prolong…

On a sweltering Monday morning at Cairo’s main railway station, hundreds of Sudanese families stood waiting, with bags piled at their feet and children in tow, to board a train bound for a homeland shattered by two years of war.

The war is not yet over, but with the army having regained control of key areas and life in Egypt often hard, many refugees have decided now is the time to head home.

“It’s an indescribable feeling,” said Khadija Mohamed Ali, 45, seated inside one of the train’s ageing…

The Iranian foreign minister said on Sunday that he had survived an assassination attempt during the recent 12-day war with Israel, Anadolu reports.

Asked in an interview on the state television about whether he had been subjected to an assassination attempt, Abbas Araghchi said that a bomb had been placed outside his house.

“But friends (security forces) took control of it,” he said.

Regarding the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in…

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Israel will “have to make a decision” on its next move in Gaza following the collapse of ceasefire talks, Anadolu reports.

Referring to hostage talks, Trump stressed the urgency of securing their release, saying Hamas had “hardened” its stance and added: “They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision.”

“I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say it. But Israel is…

US Democratic senators urged the Trump administration on Sunday to halt funding for the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) over concerns about food aid distribution and casualties, Anadolu reports.

Led by Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, 21 Democratic senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing “grave concerns” about “the US role in and financial support for the troubled GHF.”

“We urge you to immediately cease…