Your weekly Drops of MENA News ๐ง๐
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๐ฎ๐ฑ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a midnight deadline to put together a new coalition government after he failed to secure a parliamentary majority in the March 23 elections. If he fails, he may be leading his Likud party into the opposition for the first time in 12 years. Stay alert for any developments ๐.
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๐ฉ๐ฟ Due to mounting social anger in Algeria, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune urged his government to open a dialogue with different social factions. The last month has seen a surge in protests, with firefighters and other civil protection personnel marched in uniform ๐จโ๐ near the Algerian presidency headquarters. The police broke up the demonstration with tear gas, a frequent response to social unrest in Algeria.
๐๐ป The Hirak movement, which animated the demonstrations that led to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflikaโs resignation, seems to have regained strength after protests were prohibited due to COVID-related regulations ๐ท. Political stagnation, a plummeting economy, and a rising unemployment rate of 15% are the issues the government is most contested on.
๐ต๐ธ Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas announced that the long-awaited elections, initially scheduled for May 22nd, will be postponed due to concerns relating to whether Israel would allow Palestinians living in East Jerusalem to vote.
๐๐ป The Abbas opposition, both internal to Fatah and from Hamas, fears this is just another expedient to call off elections, as has previously happened.
๐ง๐ญ On April 17, a peaceful sit-in at Jauโs prison in Bahrain was brutally repressed by security forces, leading the ๐บ๐ณ UN office for human rights to call for the government to launch an investigation into the events, which have seen policemen ๐ฎ using stun grenades and beating demonstrators on the heads, resulting in serious injuries.
The sit-in sought to denounce detainees' terrible conditions and lack of medical services despite the increased risk posed by the coronavirus pandemic ๐ท. The UN has suggested political prisoners be released in an attempt to decongest the situation, although these requests are unlikely to be met in the short term.
๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ง Mediation talks about the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon resumed after a one-month pause after both countries declared their willingness to trust a US-led mediation process. The maritime dispute, which has been going on since 2011, has held up hydrocarbon exploration in the potentially gas-rich area.
๐ธ๐พ The Syrian Constitutional Court approved three of the 51 candidates for the May 26th presidential elections ๐ณ, including current President Bashar Al Assad. The other two are ex-cabinet minister Abdallah Saloum Abdallah and the leader of a โโtoleratedโโ opposition party, Mahmoud Ahmed Marei.
However, Western observers ๐ and the opposition are deeming the election as nothing but a farce to legitimise Assadโs endless position in power and grant him some leverage in the upcoming peace negotiations.
๐ธ๐ฆ Following the secret talks between Saudi and Iranian diplomats in Baghdad last week, Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman released an interview calling for dialogue between his country and Tehran ๐ฎ๐ท. While Riyadh still has concerns about the Iranian nuclear program, the Prince stated that a growing and prospering Iran would be beneficial to the region.
Whilst Saudiโs move may be surprising, it is a result of the decreasing support from the US for Saudi Arabia, which has led the Kingdom ๐ to seek new ways to establish itself as a leading regional power.
Youโre all caught up, and it only took you around 5 minutes! ๐
Written by Zoe Dharma Ciaccio and Filippo Gianoglio.
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