Middle East & North Africa

RAMALLAH, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming visit of U.S. President Joe Biden to Israel and the Palestinian territories won't make any "serious breakthrough" in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Palestinian analysts said.

The Biden administration is not serious about finding political solutions to the Palestinian cause and tries to focus on improving the economic conditions of the Palestinians while maintaining Israel's grip over Palestinian security, they said.

11 July 2022; MEMO: The Biden administration is discussing the possible lifting of its ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, but any final decision is expected to hinge on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending the war in neighbouring Yemen, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

10 July 2022; MEMO: The UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has pledged $25 million in support of the Al-Makassed Hospital in Palestine's occupied East Jerusalem to expand its medical supplies services.

According to the Gulf Times, the pledge comes as part of the Gulf state's "ongoing efforts to support Palestinian healthcare institutions, and to meet the needs of the Palestinian people."

10 July 2022; MEMO: Iran on Saturday decried a plan by the US and Israel to form a security alliance with Arab states to counter Tehran as "provocative," saying it would fuel regional tensions, Anadolu reports.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, reacting to reports about the proposed plan, said Iran looks at it as "a threat to national and regional security."

10 July 2022; MEMO: Around 1 million Muslims in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia completed the Hajj and became pilgrims on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

Spending the day in prayers on the plains of Arafah and then arriving at Muzdalifah, Muslims took part in the symbolic "stoning of the devil" at Jamrat al-Aqaba.

Muslims performed Tawaf al-Ziyarah – the ritual of walking back and forth seven times between the two small hills of Safa and Marwa.

11 July 2022; MEMO: It was humanity, conscience, and compassion that was buried in Srebrenica 27 years ago, Turkey's first lady said on Monday, the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, Anadolu Agency reports.

"We will not forget either the cry of the Bosniak mothers nor the children who watched the murderous expulsion of their fathers. I commemorate our brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the genocide with mercy," Emine Erdogan said.

TEHRAN, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States seeks to erode the negotiations that aim to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by imposing new sanctions against Iran, an Iranian senior lawmaker said on Sunday.

JERUSALEM, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Sunday called on Arab countries to form ties with Israel, sending a message to Saudi Arabia ahead of United States President Joe Biden's visit this week.

Noting Biden's planned trip to Israel, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia, Lapid told his cabinet ministers that Israel "extends its hand to all the countries of the region."

He called on Arab countries "to build ties with us, establish relations with us, and change history for our children."

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran announced Sunday that it has begun enriching uranium up to 20% using sophisticated centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear plant, state TV reported, an escalation that comes amid a standoff with the West over its tattered atomic deal.

That Tehran is enriching uranium up to 20% purity — a technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — with a new set of its most advanced centrifuges at a facility deep inside a mountain deals yet another blow to the already slim chances of reviving the accord.

09 July 2022; MEMO: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday it had held productive discussions during a staff visit to Egypt on economic policies and reforms to be supported by an extended fund facility, reports Reuters.

"In the period ahead, we are continuing our close engagement with the authorities towards reaching staff-level agreement," the IMF statement said.

The IMF announced that Egypt had made a request for a new programme in March as it came under new financial pressure from the war in Ukraine.