Author: Steven Sahiounie

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid announces that he will be conducting his first official visit to Morocco on August 11-12 to establish a liaison office in Rabat. According to Moroccan news website Hespress, Lapid is also heading to Rabat to hold bilateral talks with Moroccan officials to speed up executing the agreements concluded between ‘Israel’ and Morocco. Lapid had announced that he would be visiting Morocco in a statement to “The Times of Israel,” made days after the first commercial flight between Morocco and the occupation. The flight came seven months after the re-establishment of relations between ‘Tel…

The occupation forces opened fire on Palestinian civilians during confrontations in Nablus on Wednesday night. The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that 8 Palestinian civilians were shot and scores suffocating due to tear gas. The occupation soldiers physically assaulted a young Palestinian man during the confrontations on Mount Sabih, Beita. For the past few months, Beita has been witnessing daily clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli occupation forces as part of the protests against the establishment of “Givat Eviatar,” an Israeli settlement outpost on the mountain. Yesterday, Shady Sleem, a 41-year-old Palestinian man, was martyred at the hands of the occupation…

The Syrian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Turkish regime’s meddling in Tunisia’s internal affairs, asserting that “Turkish policy can only support the extremist Brotherhood’s approach that seeks to destroy countries, fragment their national unity, and impose its abnormal agendas and archaic policies on other countries and people.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added in a statement, “Syria emphasizes the right of peoples to self-determination, affirms its full respect for the measures recently taken by Tunisia within the framework of the constitution that the Tunisian people voted on, and it is certain that the legitimate state in Tunisia and the Tunisian…

Vanguard reported that the Nigerian authorities have released the Head of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, and his wife after the Kaduna State Supreme Court acquitted them of all charges. The Nigerian newspaper added that the judge rejected the false accusations of disturbing public order and establishing illegal gatherings against Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife in the court session. The court session lasted almost 8 hours and acquitted them of the mentioned charges. It is noteworthy that in December 2015 the army and police forces attacked his house and Husseiniya in Kaduna state, where Sheikh Zakzaky, his…

Dismissed Tunisian PM Hichem Mechichi denied today that he had been beaten or threatened in the Carthage Palace, stressing that “rumors have no boundaries.” In a press statement, Mechichi said: “I categorically deny that I have been subjected to any form of violence,” stressing that he will not “be an element of disruption in the path chosen by the Tunisians.” Mechichi added, “Unfortunately, there are no boundaries to rumors, and it seems that they will not stop… God protect Tunisia, and I am sure that with the new phase, we will lead the country towards a better future, where everyone…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring in 2011 is going through a process of strategic correction. Tunisian President Kais Saied announced late Sunday he was firing the prime minster, Hichem Mechichi, dismissing the parliament, and assuming executive authority under Article 80 of the constitution. The speaker of Parliament, Rachid Ghannouchi, declared the actions amounted to a coup. Saied announced that he was assuming the public prosecutor’s powers and stripping lawmakers of immunity, while assuring Tunisian rights groups on Monday that he remains committed to civil liberties and the democratic process, and…

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Daifallah Alfayez, said that any unilateral move that would change the status of Jerusalem, its historical sites, demographic makeup, or its property endowments is rejected and is a breach of international law. Alfayez demanded that “Israel, as a force established through occupation, abide by its commitments per international law, which considers East Jerusalem to have been under occupation since 1967.” The project includes a 655 thousand m2 area that surrounds the old town in East Jerusalem and defines its building policies. It affects tens of thousands of Palestinians, primarily those living on Salahaddin, Sultan Suleiman, and…

On the occasion of the completion of his presidential responsibilities, Ayatollah Khamenei welcomed President Hassan Rouhani as well as members of the Council of Ministers at Imam Khomeini’s Hosseiniya on Wednesday. Khamenei directed a remark towards the West: “They don’t help and they strike a blow wherever they can. When they didn’t, it was because they couldn’t.” He also regarded that the experience of the previous administrations are “very important,” assuring: “Administrations should utterly avoid tying their plans to negotiations with the West, for they’ll certainly fail.” He added: “This administration too, wherever it relied on negotiations with the West…

A Taliban spokesman announced that a delegation met with the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs and other Chinese diplomats in China. Mohammed Naeem said Wednesday that during this visit, the Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar-led nine-member delegation “held separate meetings with the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Chinese Special Representative for Afghan Affairs.” According to the spokesman, the delegation’s visit began Tuesday and lasted two days. He also did not reveal the exact location where the meetings were held in China. “The Islamic Emirate assured China that Afghanistan’s soil would not be…

Real Madrid announced today that the Austrian newcomer, David Alaba, tested positive for COVID-19. The Club confirmed the player’s infection in a statement, stressing his commitment to quarantine. Real Madrid introduced Alaba as its new player on July 21st, and he began training under the leadership of the new coach, Italian Carlo Ancelotti. Alaba missed today’s training after his “PCR” test result came in. Last Friday, Real Madrid announced that French player Karim Benzema had contracted the virus. Previously infected players of the “Royal” team include Toni Kroos, Eder Militao, Casemiro, Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Nacho Fernandez, Sergio Ramos, and…