The last week of 2020: what happened in the MENA 🌍?
Uncertainty in Libya, a new Yemeni government, the collapse of the Knesset, the arrest of a Saudi women's rights activist, and much more!
Hi everyone! Here’s your last dose of MENA NewsDrops for 2020:
🇱🇾 The Libyan ceasefire: will it last?
🇹🇷 The LNA’s General Khalifa Haftar threatened to target Turkish troops in Libya: Turkey, a backer of Libya’s internationally recognised GNA government, has promised to retaliate against any Haftar-led attack.
🇪🇬 The Egyptian delegation visited Tripoli, the Libyan capital, for talks with GNA: this is the first time senior Egyptian officials visit Tripoli since 2014. Why? The ceasefire is hanging by a thread, and whilst Egypt has always supported Haftar’s LNA (A.K.A. the GNA’s enemy), Cairo-GNA relations may be necessary in order to preserve peace in Libya.
🇮🇱 Israel’s parliament (Knesset) was dissolved on Wednesday: The short-lived coalition between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Benny Gantz has collapsed due to their failure to pass the country’s 2020 budget by the deadline. This will lead Israel’s fourth election in two years to take place in March 2021.
🇶🇦🇧🇭 A continuing Gulf crisis? Qatar reported Bahraini fighter jets flew over their airspace to the UNSC: ‘promising’ negotiations amongst GCC countries in the hope of ending the 3+ year crisis may have taken a step back after Qatar’s claim that Bahrain has violated its sovereignty. Nonetheless, discussions to resolve the dispute are still moving forward.
🇪🇭🇺🇸 The U.S. began the process to set up a consulate in Western Sahara: following the country’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, the U.S. seeks to focus its diplomatic presence in the territory on social and economic development. Nonetheless, it is still unclear how the Biden administration plans to approach the issue.
🇸🇦👩🏽💼A Saudi women’s rights activist was sentenced to almost 6 years in jail: the charges against Loujain al-Hathloul include ‘‘agitating for change, pursuing a foreign agenda and using the internet to harm public order’’.
🇪🇬 The Cairo Economic Court sentenced the igniter of the regional #MeToo campaign to 3 years in jail for sexual assault: Ahmed Bassam Zaki sparked a #MeToo movement in the MENA after being accused of blackmailing and sexually harassing two women over the internet in July this year.
🇮🇱🇵🇸 The Israeli army struck three Hamas targets on Saturday night, after two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip: Hamas claims the Israel strikes damaged a children’s hospital and a centre for people for special needs.
🇾🇪 A new Yemeni government was sworn in as part of a Saudi-brokered power-sharing agreement: the ‘Riyadh Agreement’ was signed by theYemeni government and the STC in November 2019. Nonetheless, the lack of women in the new cabinet has caused Yemeni women to take the streets and start a social media campaign with the hashtag #NoWomenNoGovernment.
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