Jason Ditz (2022-07-14). UN Extends Yemen Mission in Hodeidah by Another Year. news.antiwar.com Just days before its expiration, the UN Security Council voted to extend the mission to Hodeidah is the largest seaport in Yemen, and source of most food aid into the country. Pro-Saudi forces were trying to take the port and the UN made a deal to try to avoid the fight, worrying the port would be damaged, leading to a famine. | The Hodeidah deal hasn't been perfect, but has prevented any major offensives on the port. The UN was empha…

Basav Sen (2022-07-14). The Troubling Message of Biden's Trip to Saudi Arabia. juancole.com ( Foreign Policy in Focus) President Biden has set out on his travels to Saudi Arabia. The implications of the trip for the intertwined issues of human rights and energy policy are dire. The Saudi Arabia visit represents a 180-degree turn for Biden, who once called Saudi Arabia a "pariah" while campaigning for president. …

WSWS (2022-07-14). Biden arrives in Israel to begin four-day tour courting dictators and war allies. wsws.org The US president's visit is focused on Israel and Saudi Arabia, which he seeks to bring together in an alliance for war with Iran.

____ (2022-07-13). Kremlin hopes U.S.-Saudi ties would not be 'directed against Russia' ahead of Biden's visit. ecns.cn Moscow highly values its relations with Riyadh and hopes U.S. President Joe Biden's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia would not be used to create hostility against Russia, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

Dave DeCamp (2022-07-13). Israel Showcases Air Defense System to Biden, Including New Laser Iron Beam. news.antiwar.com President Biden on Wednesday toured The showcase of Israeli systems came shortly after Biden arrived in Israel for his short tour of the Middle East, during which he will also visit the West Bank and Saudi Arabia. According to The Times of Israel, the weapons display included the long-range Arrow…

_____ (2022-07-13). Report: US Weighs Resuming 'Offensive' Weapons Sales To Saudi Arabia. popularresistance.org Biden said last year that he enacted the ban but has pushed through arms sales for the Saudis since. | Reuters reported on Monday that the Biden administration is considering lifting a ban on the sale of "offensive" weapons to Saudi Arabia as President Biden is preparing to visit the country. | Sources told Reuters that the decision hinges on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending its war in Yemen, where a ceasefire has been holding relatively well. The report said that the Biden administration wants the ceasefire to stick. | In February 2021, Biden said he was ending support for Saudi Arabia's "offensive" o…

Staff (2022-07-13). Saudi-Israeli coop. plans to be announced on Biden visit. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 13 (MNA) — An Israeli news source claimed that during the US President's visit to Occupied Palestine, some measures that have been taken in the relations between the Israeli regime and Riyadh will be revealed to the public.

Daniel Levy (2022-07-13). The Problems With Biden's Middle East Trip. commondreams.org The president's visit this week to Israel and Saudi Arabia will pick up where his predecessor's regional policies left off.

The Conversation (2022-07-13). Biden once wanted to make Saudi Arabia a 'pariah' — so why is he playing nice with the kingdom's repressive rulers now? juancole.com By Jeffrey Fields, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences | (The Conversation) Even before setting foot in the Middle East for his first visit to the region as president, Joe Biden felt compelled to defend a portion of the trip. "I know that there are many who disagree with my decision …

Miko Peled (2022-07-12). As Biden Visits Israel, Netanyahu is Plotting a Return to Power. mintpressnews.com Netanyahu wants to make sure that any credit Trump might claim for the Abraham Accords — or Biden might claim if Saudi Arabia signs on — will be directed towards him…

M.K. Bhadrakumar (2022-07-12). India's takeaways from the G20 Ministerial. peoplesdispatch.org The G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting at Bali, Indonesia, last week was threatened by the hot lava flowing from Eurasia. Western diplomats tried hard to "isolate" Russia but the indefatigable Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov refused to oblige. As the dust settles down, China emerges out of the Bali summitry as the adult in the room. | Foreign Minister Wang Yi took an astounding number of "bilaterals" in less than 48 hours — with G20 counterparts from Indonesia, India, Russia, Argentina, European Union, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, France, Canada, Spain, Netherlands, Singapore, United States, Germany and…

Jason Ditz (2022-07-12). UN Envoy Wants Another Expansion of Yemen Truce. news.antiwar.com With a couple of weeks left before the latest deadline, the Yemen ceasefire has been an almost unconditional success. UN officials are trying to piece together ways to Almost four months in, there have been claims of scores, if not hundreds, of violations. These largely don't appear to have happened, however, and the only credible report was a Saudi cross-border attack this weekend. | Years of war haven't benefited anybody in Yemen, a…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-07-12). Daily Round-Up | Leaked documents expose Uber's inner workings & other stories. peoplesdispatch.org In today's episode, we bring you stories of leaked documents that expose Uber's underbelly, Saudi attacks in Yemen, a strike by Lebanese government employees, and the assassination of a Workers' Party member in Brazil…

Staff (2022-07-12). Saudis kill, injure 387 Yemenis during ceasefire period. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — More than 300 Yemenis have been killed and injured as the attacks of the Saudi-Emirati coalition continue amid the UN-backed ceasefire.

____ (2022-07-12). UN trying to cover up Saudi crimes in Yemen's Saada. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 12 (MNA) — A Yemeni website considered the recent statements raised by the UN envoy for Yemen Affairs as an attempt to cover up the recent crimes committed by Saudi aggressor coalition in northern Yemen.

Sam Carliner (2022-07-12). Biden's Middle East Trip Shows His Disregard For Journalists. commondreams.org Biden is demonstrating with his trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel and with his lack of response to police attacks on press within the United States that he takes no issue with emboldening attacks on press freedom.

_____ (2022-07-11). UN agencies warn of "looming catastrophe" as global hunger rises. popularresistance.org United Nations agencies reported last week that global hunger and the chronic inability to access food soared in 2021. | A staggering 2.3 billion (30 percent) of the world's population were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021, with nearly 12 percent facing severe food insecurity. Millions across the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, Yemen and Syria already experiencing severe levels of hunger and poverty face the prospect of mass starvation. | This is set to worsen due to the US/NATO provoked war in Ukraine, with executive director of the UN's World Food Program (WPF) David Beasley warning that the food crisis…

_____ (2022-07-11). UN Agencies Warn Of 'Looming Catastrophe' As Global Hunger Rises. popularresistance.org A staggering 2.3 billion (30 percent) of the world's population were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021, with nearly 12 percent facing severe food insecurity. Millions across the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, Yemen and Syria already experiencing severe levels of hunger and poverty face the prospect of mass starvation. | This is set to worsen due to the US/NATO provoked war in Ukraine, with executive director of the UN's World Food Program (WPF) David Beasley warning that the food crisis caused by the war would push countries into famine, causing "global destabilization, starvation and mass migration on an…