ATFP News Roundup October 19, 2016
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News: The executive board [1] of the United Nations cultural agency [2] voted to adopt a controversial [3]resolution that denies a Jewish connection to the Old City of Jerusalem. (JTA/Ma'an/Times of Israel) Mexico has fired its ambassador [4] to UNESCO, Andre Roemer, who is Jewish, for protesting against his country’s decision to vote for a resolution denying Jewish ties to Jerusalem. (JTA) Asked about punitive action initiated [5] by Israeli PM Netanyahu against B’Tselem [6], a human rights watchdog, the Obama administration said it is “troubled by instances anywhere in the world” where civil society is threatened. (JTA/Ma'an) The European Union sent a public message [7]of support to Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem Tuesday, amid anger in Israel over a speech by the organization’s director to the United Nations Security Council criticizing Israeli settlement policy last week. (Times of Israel) The “overwhelming majority [8]” of Palestinian minors held in Israel’s Megiddo and Ofer prisons have been tortured during their detention and interrogation, the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs said Tuesday. (Ma'an) The Egyptian army reportedly [9] killed 19 gunmen believed to be affiliated to the Sinai Province group, after airstrikes hit more than 30 of the group’s bunkers and hideouts on Mondayafternoon. (Ma'an) The Syrian army and its allies [10] see a risk that Islamic State will regroup in eastern Syria as it is forced from the Iraqi city of Mosul in a U.S.-backed operation, posing new risks for President Bashar al-Assad. (Reuters) The U.N. Human Rights Council [11] will hold a special session on the worsening situation in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday after a formal request from Britain, a United Nations statement said. (Reuters) The United Nations said [12] that Russia's plan for a ceasefire will not mean any supplies get into besieged eastern Aleppo because Russia, Syria and other groups fighting in the city have not yet given guarantees of safety for aid workers. (Reuters) The International Committee of the Red Cross [13] appealed to all sides including Islamic State on Tuesday to show humanity on the battlefield and spare civilians in the Iraqi city of Mosul as government forces close in to re-take the city of 1.5 million. (Reuters) After losses in Syria and Iraq, ISIS moves [14] the goal posts. (New York Times) Yemen's Houthi-run administration [15] welcomed a 72-hour ceasefire starting on Wednesday intended to allow aid to reach areas cut off by months of fighting and in dire humanitarian need. (Reuters) Imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi [16], whose public flogging in the kingdom in 2015 generated global outcry, now risks a new round of lashes, a co-founder of a Canadian foundation advocating for his release said on Tuesday. (Reuters) Commentary: The New York Times [17] looks at why Mosul is critical in the battle against ISIS. (New York Times) Joyce Karam [18] says the real hard battle for Mosul will be in charting its political course after the military operations. (Al Arabiya) Abdul Rahman Al Rashed [19] says the continuity of the war in Yemen only suits the strategy of Iran...but it does not suit Oman. (Al Arabiya) |
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