🌍 Inside the Middle East — October 21
🌍 Inside the Middle East — October 21
Saudi Human Rights Council, Palestinian Official Critical Covid Condition, Iran Arms Embargo Expires, Yemen Prisoner Swap, Egyptian Comedian Vlogger Released, MENA Economic Update
Hello folks! Happy Wednesday and welcome to another edition of Inside The Middle East, where we dissect the most important news from the past week in the most important region in the world. Today we visit Saudi Arabia whose attempt to join the UN Human Rights Council ended in failure, to Palestine where a top official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation is in critical condition with Covid-19, to Iran whose 13-year arms embargo has expired, to Yemen where the largest prisoner swap in five years took place between government and Houthi forces, to Egypt where a comedian vlogger has been released from prison after two years, and we look at the latest IMF economic forecast for the region amid multiple Covid second waves.
Be sure to check out this week’s podcast with Adam Vaughan, New Scientist magazine’s chief reporter, as we discussed what it’s been like reporting on Covid from the front line, as well as what affect the pandemic has and will have on flu season and climate change. This is a members-only post, but to make it your worthwhile, we’ve arranged a 20 percent discount to New Scientist… 👇
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Data Corner
Arms Sales — Database of all major weapons transfers since 1950, from SIPRI
Economic Outlook — Global economic outlook data, from the IMF
Imprisoned Journalists — Data on journalists that have been imprisoned, killed or gone missing, from the CPJ
Saudi Arabia Human Rights Humiliation
We start this week in Saudi Arabia who failed to join the UN’s Human Rights Council, as the country tries to improve its image after intense international criticism over the past few years. In 2018, the Kingdom admitted it murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while it also continues to order unlawful airstrikes aimed at Yemeni civilians in its war against Houthi rebels. And just yesterday Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Khashoggi, filed a lawsuit against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and more than 20 others accusing them of the murder, something the CIA has already concluded. Meanwhile Russia, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Nepal were all elected to the council in what has been called a mockery of human rights.
What is the UN Human Rights Council?
Senior Palestinian Official in Critical Covid Condition
We visit Palestine next as Saeb Erekat, one of the state’s most senior officials, is in critical condition with Covid-19, and has been placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine, as well as a ventilator, according to the Israeli hospital treating him. The rare medical device is occasionally used as a last resort for patients who can’t absorb enough oxygen. The machine pumps blood out of the body and artificially adds oxygen to it before sending it back into the patient’s circulation, according to the Times of Israel. The 65-year-old secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation announced on October 9 that he had contracted the virus and was experiencing “difficult symptoms resulting from my lack of immunity as a result of lung transplantation” three years ago. The state has struggled to control the virus with official data being recognized in mid-June.
Credit: Worldometers
Last Time on Inside The Middle East…
🌍 Inside The Middle East — October 14
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🌍 Inside The Middle East — October 2
Iran’s 13-year Arms Embargo Expires
Moving to Iran next whose 13-year arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council has expired, meaning the country can now legally buy and sell weapons including missiles, helicopters and tanks. The ban was lifted in line with the five-year timetable set out in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, brokered by a group of countries known as the P5+1 — the U.S, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany. But now under a different administration, the U.S. retaliated by threatening to impose sanctions on anyone looking to make arms deals with Iran, after a U.S. resolution to indefinitely extend the embargo was rejected in August.
Largest Yemen Prisoner Swap
We go to Yemen next where the largest prisoner swap between government and Houthi forces since 2015 took place. Around 680 Houthi rebels and 400 pro-government fighters were flown between the capital of Sanaa, a Houthi stronghold, and the city of Aden, held by government forces. The Houthis also exchanged two U.S. hostages and the remains of a third in exchange for around 250 of their own from Oman. The hopes are that this is a small but significant step toward peace in Yemen’s civil war that began in 2014 and has so far killed more than 100,000 people.
Credit: European Council on Foreign Relations
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Middle East Set for Economic Hardship
The International Monetary Fund has updated its Regional Outlook for the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa, and revised its economic forecasts for MENA countries slightly upward to an expected economic contraction of 5 percent, from 5.7 percent in July. But that doesn’t escape the deep economic challenges the “fragile” MENA countries are set to face, with Lebanon’s economy set to shrink an unthinkable 25 percent, second only to Libya as the worst-performing state in the region. The news could get even worse as second Covid waves continue to overrun countries, and OPEC, whose members include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the U.A.E., announced they would support the oil markets when oil demand inevitably declines once again.
Egyptian Satirical Blogger Released From Prison
We finish today with the news that an Egyptian vlogger and comedian has been released from prison after more than two years, serving charges of spreading false news and belonging to a terrorist group. Shadi Abu Zeid, who produced a satirical news program called The Rich Content, focused on highlighting prejudices in religion, sexuality and the Egyptian family. Zeid was part of a larger crackdown on freedom of speech since President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi led the military coup against former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, with a total of 156 journalists imprisoned since then, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Condom balloons: Shady Abu Zaid pranks cops in Tahrir Square on Police Day
That’s all for today, see you tomorrow for an Election Dissection of what went down in New Zealand, Bolivia and Guinea this past week. 👋