Section: Middle East Monitor (Kuwait)
US lawmakers want Russia sanctions over hacking, Ukraine, Syria
US Republican and Democratic senators said Tuesday they want to slap a wide range of sanctions on Russia over its cyber activities and actions in Syria and Ukraine, and force President Donald Trump to formally waive them if he has objections. Ten senators – Republicans John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Ben Sasse and Rob Portman and...
Russian tourists in UAE increasing
The UAE has recently recorded an increasing number of Russian tourists after a strengthening in the value of the Russian ruble. Emirati news outlet the National reported yesterday that Dubai hotels have seen a significant increase in the number of Russian tourists in recent months. A spokeswoman at Rixos the Palm hotel said that almost 45 per...
Report: Number of Jewish immigrants to Israel declines
The number of Jewish immigrants to Israel has decreased in 2016 compared to 2015; a new report has revealed. As many as 27,000 Jewish immigrants arrived in Israel this year compared to 31,000 in 2015; Israel’s Channel 2 reported citing a statistical report by the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Immigrant Absorption Ministry. Russia and...
Ukrainian MP calls for moving embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
Jewish Ukrainian MP Alexander Feldman called for moving his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, expressing anger with his country’s decision to vote in favour of a UN resolution which condemned illegal Israeli settlements, Israeli media reported yesterday. Writing on Facebook, Feldman said he was upset that his country voted...
Russia calls US move to better arm Syrian rebels a ‘hostile act’
Russia said on Tuesday that a US decision to ease restrictions on arming Syrian rebels had opened the way for deliveries of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, a move it said would directly threaten Russian forces in Syria. Moscow last year launched a campaign of air strikes in Syria to help President Bashar al-Assad and his forces retake...
Israel rebukes countries’ ambassadors over UN Security Council vote
Benjamin Netanyahu has summoned the ambassadors of all UN security council members which backed a resolution condemning Israeli settlements to “personally reprimand” them, Israeli foreign ministry announced on Sunday. The ministry added that the ambassador of the US was not among the envoys summoned. According to Israel’s official state...
Putin orders expansion of Russia’s naval base in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday approving the expansion of the Russian naval base in the Syrian port city of Tartus, Russian news agency Sputnik reported yesterday. The news about the new decree was further announced on the Kremlin’s website. According to Sputnik, the statement on the Kremlin’s website...
Saudi begins building military aircrafts
Saudi Arabia yesterday announced that it plans to expand into the field of building military aircrafts, AlKhaleejOnline reported. This comes after Ukraine rolled out its new AN-132 aircraft, which was built in partnership with Saudi Arabia. The kingdom owns 50 per cent of the intellectual property. The AN-132 is an advanced military transport...
Qatar acquires stakes in Russian state oil firm
Qatar’s Investment Authority (QIA) and Swiss Commodity trading Glencore have agreed to acquire 19.5 per cent of Russia’s largest oil-producer, Rosnet. The deal is worth €10.2 billion ($11.3 billion), US Bloomberg Economic reported. The agency said yesterday that Glencore, which took charge of attracting investors on behalf of the...
It is time for Israel to accept that Hamas is invincible, so negotiate
Last month, the New York Times reported on preparations underway in Estonia for an invasion by Vladimir Putin’s Russia. These kind of preparations are entirely reasonable, for NATO will almost certainly not come to the defence of Estonia. The Kremlin has both the means, the precedent and the motive to take on at least one of the Baltic...
