World
MENA roundup: Jenin, the refugee camp on Israel’s radar
This week, Israeli forces once again raided the refugee camp in Jenin, the city that has come to symbolise Palestinian resistance.
Iran and the United States might be involved in talks.
The situation in Sudan gets more dire, with rights groups raising the alarm about a possible genocide.
Here’s what’s happening in the Middle East and North Africa this week:
Why Jenin?
It was a familiar headline: Israeli forces storm the Jenin refugee camp, ostensibly to arrest two suspects. What followed was a 20-year first: the use of helicopter gunships in the occupied West Bank. They pummelled the camp, killing seven Palestinians, including two minors, and injuring 91 others.
A large-scale military incursion on the Jenin camp has happened before. In 2002, 52 Palestinians were killed in a raid there. That was a turning point for the camp, marking it as a symbol of resistance for Palestinians.
Nowadays, what concerns Israel is that, in Jenin and elsewhere, young Palestinians are increasingly taking up arms, seeing no other way to alleviate the pressure of occupation.
A day after the deadly raid, Palestinian gunmen killed four Israeli settlers at a petrol station between the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus. Hours after the shooting, Israeli settlers stormed through Palestinian towns, torching property and smashing cars. A Palestinian man was killed.
But that wasn’t all. Israeli forces then deployed a rare drone to raid a target they called a “terrorist cell” responsible for recent shootings, killing three people.
Are Iran and the US holding secret talks?
Longtime rivals Iran and the US are holding closed-door talks, with the US vying for the release of prisoners and curbing Iran’s nuclear programme, according to sources. Neither side has gone public about the talks, but a short-term agreement is reportedly expected, rather than a revival of the 2015 deal.
But what’s in it for Iran? Well, any potential deal could ease Western sanctions imposed for violations of the 2015 accord, ease punitive measures by Washington and its allies and applied through the International Atomic Energy Agency or it could spur the US to release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets.
In Sudan, things are not looking better
Intensified fighting in Sudan’s West Darfur city of el-Geneina is raising alarm about the possibility of genocide. Thousands have fled in the last week alone, with the violence targeting civilians and driven by militias from Arab nomadic tribes, along with members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
But there’s no respite for those trying to escape. Sudanese citizens are being targeted by the militias even as they enter neighbouring Chad. A 72-hour ceasefire meant nothing for the people of Darfur, while its expiration was marked by fighting elsewhere in the country.
Hajj journeys offer hope and joy
Millions of Muslims from around the world have embarked on the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. This year, Hajj will start on Monday, June 26, and Eid al-Adha celebrations will occur on June 28.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on what happens during Hajj and Eid al-Adha.
Life is not easy in Syria, Yemen and the Gaza Strip with war and military occupations. But the journey for Hajj often inspires hope for those from these regions, many of whom save the little money they can for years to be able to afford it.
Four groups of pilgrims left Gaza this week. Pilgrims from northwestern Syria streamed through border crossings with Turkey. And Yemenis boarded the first direct flight to Saudi Arabia since 2016 for the pilgrimage.
A little something different: People being amazing
In Jordan’s water-scarce Mafraq region, a farming collective is transforming the lives of Syrian and Jordanian women. They’re learning to grow the azolla plant, a cheaper and less labour-intensive feed for livestock that allows the women to become farmers and provide for their families.
In Qatar’s capital, the city’s glistening skyscrapers get wiped down by Doha’s “Spidermen”. Cleaning the windows of a 40-plus storey building is not for the faint-hearted, but the rigorously trained workers love the adventure of the job.
For the second year in a row, Prince Abdulaziz, son of the late Saudi King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, has sponsored about 500 Syrian pilgrims injured in the war there to participate in the Hajj pilgrimage. He’s known in northern Syria as Abu Turki – an alias he used to keep his philanthropy hidden until last year – and pays for the injured pilgrims’ travel and accommodation, their travel documents and Hajj acceptance permits.
Briefly
Quote of the week
“When Ahmad was killed, I felt as though I lost one of my organs. He was the light of my eye. He was barely in the eighth grade. He used to help me with everything around the house and outside.” | Yousif Saqr, talking about his son, 15-year-old Ahmad Yousif Saqr, who was shot dead by Israeli forces during the raid on the Jenin refugee camp.
World
Jay-Z’s Accuser Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Criticizes His Lawyer’s ‘Relentless’ Filings
The woman accusing Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 can proceed anonymously (“at least for now”) in her lawsuit against the rappers, a judge ruled Thursday.
New York Judge Analisa Torres also condemned the legal team representing Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) for the “relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks [on accuser’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee],” according to a court order obtained by Variety. “Since Carter’s attorney first appeared in this case seventeen days ago, he has submitted a litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer [Buzbee].”
Judge Torres continues, calling the complaints “inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client [Jay-Z].”
Jane Doe, who filed her original lawsuit against Combs in October, and re-filed it with Carter’s name in early December, will remain anonymous at this early stage of the litigation. She could still be required by the court to reveal her identity.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Carter, recently asked the judge to dismiss the entertainer from the woman’s lawsuit. He cited a report from NBC News that revealed the accuser had admitted to some “inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in her allegations. His team has also issued public statements referring to Buzbee as a “1-800 lawyer” who is “in the pursuit of money and fame.”
Judge Torres denied Carter’s request to dismiss the case. Representatives for Carter did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
In the last few weeks, Buzbee issued his own lawsuit against Roc Nation, the entertainment company owned by Carter, claiming they are using “shadowy operatives” to bribe his former clients into filing “frivolous” complaints against him. Carter has also sued Buzbee for defamation.
Jane Doe, who alleges she was 13 when Combs and Carter raped her in 2000, says she encountered the pair at an afterparty for the MTV Music Video Awards.
Carter responded to the allegation almost immediately. “You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same,” Carter wrote in a letter addressing Buzbee. “I’m not from your moral world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.”
Combs has been held in a Brooklyn jail since September. He will remain there until his trial is scheduled to begin in May.
World
China unveils world's largest amphibious warship
China has launched the first of its new line of amphibious assault ships and its biggest warship yet, strengthening what is already the world’s largest navy.
The Sichuan, a type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony on Friday.
With a full load displacement of 40,000 tons, the warship ranks among the world’s largest amphibious assault ships, featuring a dual-island superstructure and full-length flight deck, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said in a statement.
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China Bugle, an news outlet associated with the PLAN’s news media center, reported the ship will play a key role in transforming and developing the Chinese navy and enhancing its combat capabilities in the far seas.
The Sichuan is capable of launching fighter jets and unmanned drones from an electromagnetic catapult. It is designed to carry ground troops in landing craft with air support.
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The ship also features “arrester technology” that Chinese researchers boast will allow fighter jets to land on its deck, similar to an aircraft carrier.
China launched its first amphibious assault ship, a type 075 class warship called the Hainan, in 2019.
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The PLANmi has been working on modernizing its forces for more than a decade, with the aim of being able to operate globally rather than being restricted to waters near the Chinese mainland. China first managed to launch fighter jets with the new electromagnetic technology on its homemade aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which launched two years ago.
The Sichuan will now undergo additional tests at sea.
China has the largest navy in the world and is consistently trying to upgrade its fleet. Recently, researchers found that the country is working on designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which would allow it to deploy its ships in distant waters without needing a base to refuel.
The U.S. Navy currently has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers deployed in strategic locations globally, including in the Asia-Pacific.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Health worker displaced by Israeli attacks in Gaza dies of ‘extreme cold’
Many people in Gaza lack adequate shelter and are malnourished after more than a year of Israeli attacks and blockades.
A Palestinian healthcare worker has died due to “extreme” weather conditions, according to a statement by the enclave’s Ministry of Health, as severe cold compounds the hardship faced by people displaced by Israel’s relentless attacks.
The body of Al-Hakim Ahmed al-Zaharneh, who worked at the European Gaza Hospital, was found inside his tent in al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the ministry said on Friday.
“This incident comes in light of the difficult humanitarian conditions that displaced citizens are experiencing, as the suffering of Gaza residents increases due to low temperatures and the lack of heating means in tents,” the ministry said.
The ministry said earlier that four Palestinian babies have died in tents in recent days amid the cold weather and widespread malnutrition.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said that the number of casualties in vulnerable groups is increasing due to worsening weather conditions.
“For 14 months now, people here have been lacking basic necessities to help them survive these difficult conditions – even in summer,” he said.
“Now in winter, the temperature has dropped very low, [and] people in tent camps feel the cold as being [colder] than the actual levels.”
He said that mothers often lack the strength or ability to breastfeed as they are malnourished and unwell.
“The conditions are worse for vulnerable groups like babies and, in the absence of [humanitarian aid], it is natural that deaths will happen.”
The vast majority of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once since war broke out with the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, with many people living in tents that offer little protection from the cold, rain and flooding.
The United Nations and other organisations have repeatedly decried the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as Israeli attacks and blockades severely curtail access to food, water, medicine and other supplies.
A leading United States government organisation monitoring food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade,” after the US asked for its retraction, US officials told The Associated Press.
The move follows public criticism of the report from the US ambassador to Israel.
The report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) had warned that a “famine scenario” was unfolding in northern Gaza where Israel launched a renewed offensive in early October.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the director of Gaza’s Health Ministry told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few remaining medical facilities in north Gaza, and forced the 350 people there to evacuate, including all the patients and staff. He said contact with the hospital had been lost.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 45,436 Palestinians and wounded 108,038 since October 7, 2023, according to figures released on Friday by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.
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