Category: 2. Middle East

Israel’s premier said Friday his pick for the next domestic intelligence chief should be appointed “as soon as possible” but would have no hand in an ongoing investigation into his associates.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to tap army Major General David Zini to lead the Shin Bet — following months of legal and political wrangling over his attempt to sack incumbent head Ronen Bar — has already sparked threats of a legal challenge.

“It is imperative to name a permanent head of the Shin Bet as…

An Israeli settler seized the Sheikh Ahmed al-Dajani Shrine, one of the oldest Islamic landmarks in occupied Jerusalem, dating back nearly five centuries, and converted it into a private residence.

The Jerusalem Governorate’s media office said in a press release on Thursday that the settler broke and replaced the shrine’s original lock before providing the place with fixtures, furniture and utilities, including electricity and water meters.

The settler also…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Thursday his pledge not to run for president or any other official position again.

“I have no intention of being re-elected or running for president again. We only care about improving our country’s reputation” he told reporters upon his return from Hungary.

“Turkey is changing; the world is changing. We are living in a new era. Do you think we can achieve anything in such a rapidly changing world with…

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have urged judges to reject Israel’s request to withdraw or vacate arrest warrants targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Anadolu agency reported.

The prosecutors also dismissed Israel’s attempt to suspend the court’s investigation into alleged crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, labelling the request as lacking “legal basis,” according to a…

Chief of Staff of the Algerian Army, Lieutenant General Said Chengriha attended on Thursday a live-fire tactical exercise in the Tindouf region, near the border with Morocco, Algerian state television reported.

According to the report, the exercise dubbed “Fortress Impregnable 2025” was carried out by army units from the operational sector south of Tindouf, supported by units from various forces and weapons.

General Chengriha started on Wednesday a visit to…

Microsoft employees announced Thursday that emails containing the terms “Gaza,” “Palestine,” and “genocide” are being blocked from being sent to anyone inside or outside the company, as protests over the company’s connection to Israel intensified, Anadolu agency reported.

The company’s protest group, “No Azure for Apartheid,” announced the email restrictions in a social media post on Thursday.

“Microsoft fires Joe Lopez for disrupting…

Israeli settlers set fire to several Palestinian homes on Thursday evening after storming the outskirts of Bruqin town, west of Salfit province in the northern occupied West Bank.

According to WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, a group of settlers attacked the area, setting fire to a number of homes. The fires caused extensive damage and led to large-scale blazes across parts of the town. Footage circulating on social media showed flames spreading in…

Hamas has warned that Israel is planning to establish detention camps in the southern Gaza Strip under the guise of providing aid.

The movement clarified that Israel is using the restriction of aid to Gaza as a political and security tool, in what it called a strategy of “engineered starvation”, paving the way for a new reality that includes the creation of detention camps in the south of the Strip.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the group said,…

Iranian and US negotiators closed on Friday a fifth round of nuclear talks in Rome with “some but not conclusive progress”, mediator Oman said, after a public disagreement over Tehran’s uranium enrichment.

The talks, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the foes since the United States quit a landmark 2015 nuclear accord during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Since returning to office, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, backing talks but…