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Middle East Roundup: Israel’s bitter domestic dispute reaches crescendo

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Middle East Roundup: Israel’s bitter domestic dispute reaches crescendo

Deadly heatwaves are scorching the region and Sudan’s war surpasses 100 days – here’s the Middle East this week.

Israel passed a divisive bill that has seen protests rock the country for the last seven months. Deadly heatwaves are scorching the region with some of the highest temperatures in the world. And a grim milestone, as Sudan’s war surpasses 100 days. Here’s the Middle East this week:

Israel’s judicial hoopla

Every Saturday, for seven months straight, the streets of Israeli cities have been teeming with angry people sounding off against a controversial piece of legislation. The bill passed this week and while protesters have vowed to continue fighting it, all sides are taking pause until a hearing for an appeal against the law takes place in September.

The protester’s resolve to fight it went right up until the vote was held: a tent city was erected outside the Israeli Knesset the day before the vote, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog calling the situation an “emergency” as last-ditch talks took place.

But why has the judicial overhaul gotten many factions of Israeli society – from doctors, to banks, to army reservists – in disarray? Critics say the changes, which will limit the Supreme Court’s powers, are a power grab that will push Israel towards autocracy, even while Netanyahu says they are necessary to reign in the court.

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But is there more? The Israeli leader has been accused of using the legislation to try to circumvent his own legal problems.

What next, then, after the passing of the law the White House called unfortunate? The opposition has filed several petitions against the new law, and popular unrest, labour strikes and a mutiny on the part of some in the military will likely continue.

And while Israelis fear an erosion of democracy, for Palestinians, the new bill only adds to their fears: experts say the changes will make it easier for the Israeli government to pursue policies that serve its “far-right” agenda.

From Algeria to Syria, heatwaves scorch the region

Temperatures are soaring worldwide, reaching scorching levels, with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) far from spared.  Temperatures in some parts of the MENA region in the last few weeks were the highest in the world, with several countries breaking records.

Wildfires are raging across the region, authorities are having to issue advisory warnings, and many places are facing power cuts.

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In Algeria, wildfires killed dozens and forced hundreds to flee their homes as thousands of firefighters were deployed to contain them. Temperatures hit a scorching 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) in parts of the North African country.

In neighbouring Tunisia, Black refugees and migrants from sub-Saharan African countries are being forced to endure unbearable heat, living rough in the cities and desert.  “We cannot endure this,” said Kelly, one of the dozens sleeping outside the IOM building in the capital of Tunis. Meanwhile, farmers in the country are barely making ends meet as heatwaves and droughts are making growing crops difficult.

More than 100 days of Sudan’s war

The Sudan conflict reached a grisly milestone this week as 100 days passed from when it first erupted on April 15. There have been numerous diplomatic efforts to curb the violence but peace is nowhere in sight.

The Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are both vying for victory as they battle to survive – a victory each side believes it can achieve without having to engage in meaningful negotiations, analysts say.

Meanwhile, Darfur remains among the deadliest theatres of the war, with the RSF and Arab militias accused of sparing no one, killing lawyers, human rights monitors, doctors and non-Arab tribal leaders.

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Feel-good news of the week

Ramy Essam photographed by Patrick Fore

While exiled Egyptian artist Ramy Essam’s new album Metgharabiin (Outsiders) is about rage, nostalgia, longing and sorrow, he’s of the belief that art has the power to disrupt dictatorships.

And that’s despite his rise to fame in 2011 at the outset of the Egyptian revolution for creating one of the uprising’s most well-known songs – but now he is stateless, with the revolution he fought for arguably dead, and his own co-writers for that earlier album imprisoned.

“The only thing that matters is the documentation of the era in a form of political art,” he told Al Jazeera.

Briefly

Quote of the Week

“If I go back to [that moment] a million times, I will go out to the streets again. That will never take away from the hardships and struggles, but no, no regrets.” | – exiled Egyptian artist Ramy Essam, on joining the Egyptian revolution.

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Jay-Z’s Accuser Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Criticizes His Lawyer’s ‘Relentless’ Filings

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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.”

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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.

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China unveils world's largest amphibious warship

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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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A launching ceremony is held to unveil China’s first Type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a Shanghai-based subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, on December 27, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

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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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China Launches First Type 076 Amphibious Assault Ship

Named after southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the independently-developed new vessel was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony. (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

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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Launch ceremony for the Sichuan

Chinese military officials celebrate at the launch ceremony for the Sichuan.  (Pu Haiyang/VCG via Getty Images)

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.

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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.

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Health worker displaced by Israeli attacks in Gaza dies of ‘extreme cold’

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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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