Daily Archives: November 21, 2020

2020-11-21: News Headlines

_____ (2020-11-21). Shocking New Figures Show How Much US Is Fueling Violence In Yemen. popularresistance.org Despite presenting itself as a force for good and peace in the Middle East, the United States sells at least five times as much weaponry to Saudi Arabia than aid it donates to Yemen. The State Department constantly portrays itself as a humanitarian superpower with the welfare of the Yemeni people as its highest priority, yet figures released from the United Nations and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) show that since the war in Yemen began, the U.S. government has given $2.56 billion in aid to the country, but sold over $13 billion in high-tech weapons to Saudi Arabia, the leader of th…

_____ (2020-11-21). Ten Foreign Policy Fiascos Biden Can Fix On Day One. popularresistance.org Donald Trump loves executive orders as a tool of dictatorial power, avoiding the need to work through Congress. But that works both ways, making it relatively easy for President Biden to reverse many of Trump's most disastrous decisions. Here are ten things Biden can do as soon as he takes office. Each one can set the stage for broader progressive foreign policy initiatives, which we have also outlined. | 1)End the U.S. role in the Saudi-led war on Yemen and restore U.S. humanitarian aid to Yemen.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-11-21). The Yemen Civil War Arms Bonanza. dissidentvoice.org "Making billions from arms exports which fuel the conflict while providing a small fraction of that in aid to Yemen is both immoral and incoherent." So thundered Oxfam's Yemen Country Director, Muhsin Siddiquey after consulting figures from the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showing that members of the G20 have exported over $17 billion worth …

Sheren Khalel (2020-11-20). Campaigns to boycott Saudi Arabia G20 summit gain momentum. middleeasteye.net Campaigns to boycott Saudi Arabia G20 summit gain momentum | From hashtags to petitions, damning statements and full-page newspaper ads, human rights groups demand kingdom be held accountable | Fri, 11/20/2020 – 17: 12 | G20 logo is projected at historical al-Tarif in Diriyah district on outskirts of Saudi capital, Riyadh, on 20 November (AFP) | Human rights groups and activists have intensified ca…

Mohammad Ayesh (2020-11-20). Arabic press review: Third of Jordanian children suffer from anaemia. middleeasteye.net Arabic press review: Third of Jordanian children suffer from anaemia | Jordanian health official warns of health crisis in the kingdom, while the UAE institute visa restrictions for Tunisians | Fri, 11/20/2020 – 11: 33 | Yemeni Aymen, who is suffering from a congenital spinal malformation, receives treatment at a private hospital in the Jordanian capital Amman (AFP) | Third of Jordan's child…

MEE staff (2020-11-20). Turkey's Erdogan and Saudi king agree to solve issues through dialogue. middleeasteye.net Turkey's Erdogan and Saudi king agree to solve issues through dialogue | In phone call, two leaders agree to keep channels of communication open to improve bilateral ties and overcome issues | Fri, 11/20/2020 – 22: 30 | Ankara and Riyadh have been at odds for years over foreign policy and attitudes towards Islamist political groups (AFP/File photo) | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's Ki…

news.un (2020-11-20). 'Act urgently' to stave off catastrophic famine in Yemen: Guterres. news.un.org Yemen is in "imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen for decades", the UN chief warned in a statement released on Friday, calling for urgent action on the part of the international community to "stave off catastrophe".

MEE staff (2020-11-19). Amnesty urges G20 leaders to 'stand up for brave activists' jailed in Saudi Arabia. middleeasteye.net Amnesty urges G20 leaders to 'stand up for brave activists' jailed in Saudi Arabia | Women's empowerment features prominently on G20 Agenda, despite several activists languishing in jail or facing trial | Thu, 11/19/2020 – 18: 17 | Protesters gather at Saudi embassy in Washington to remember slain Middle East Eye columnist Jamal Khashoggi (AFP/File photo) | Member states of the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in thi…

MEE correspondent (2020-11-19). Saudi alliance with Yemen's Islah on the brink over Muslim Brotherhood tensions. middleeasteye.net Saudi alliance with Yemen's Islah on the brink over Muslim Brotherhood tensions | Islahi leaders are nervous that their patron Riyadh has turned its back on them, which may push more into the arms of the Houthis | Thu, 11/19/2020 – 16: 25 | Yemeni tribesmen from forces loyal to the Yemeni government walk around the Awwam Temple area in the province of Marib, where Islahis and Saudis hav…

MEE staff (2020-11-19). Saudi court sentences Salman al-Odah's brother to five years in prison. middleeasteye.net Saudi court sentences Salman al-Odah's brother to five years in prison | Khaled al-Odah's sentencing comes three and a half years after he was detained for showing solidarity with his brother on social media | Thu, 11/19/2020 – 17: 39 | Khaled al-Odah was also issued a travel ban preventing him from leaving the country (Abdullah Alaoudh/Twitter) | Saudi Arabia sentenced the brother of jailed cleric Salman al-O…

Ralph Nader (2020-11-18). Abdicating to Boeing: An Open Letter to FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson. counterpunch.org November 13, 2020 Stephen Dickson, Administrator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) U.S. Department of Transportation 800 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20591 Dear Mr. Dickson, It is now abundantly clear that instead of clearing out top Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operatives who have worked to make the FAA safe for Boeing, you have thrown in your

MEE and agencies (2020-11-18). Iraq and Saudi Arabia reopen their land border after 30 years. middleeasteye.net Iraq and Saudi Arabia reopen their land border after 30 years | Saudi Arabia closed its border to Iraq after Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait | Wed, 11/18/2020 – 14: 26 | The Arar border crossing between Iraq and Saudi Arabia (AFP) | Iraq and Saudi Arabia have reopened their land border 30 years after the Gulf War prompted its closure. | Top Iraqi officials including the interior minist…