Saudi Arabia

22 July 2022; MEMO: Saudi police announced the arrest of a citizen and his transfer to the Public Prosecution after he is alleged to have facilitated the arrival of an Israeli-American journalist to Makkah, Islam's holiest site and into which only Muslims are allowed to enter.

22 July 2022; MEMO: An Israeli reporter sneaked around the holy city of Makkah yesterday during a trip to Saudi Arabia, despite rules forbidding entry to non-Muslims.

According to Bloomberg, in his report, journalist Gil Tamari noted that "Mecca is a holy city for Islam and non-Muslims aren't allowed to enter".

"I am the first Israeli journalist to broadcast from here, even in Hebrew", said Tamari.

21 July 2022; MEMO: Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, spoke by phone on Thursday and underlined the importance of further cooperation within the OPEC+ group of oil producers, the Kremlin said, Reuters reports.

The conversation took place six days after US President, Joe Biden, visited the Prince in Saudi Arabia – highlighting the Kingdom's importance to both Washington and Moscow at a time when Russia's war in Ukraine is roiling global energy markets.

21 July 2022; MEMO: Remote-controlled cameras will take over responsibility from US-led peacekeepers for ensuring international shipping retains freedom of access to the Gulf of Aqaba, whose coastline is shared by Israel and three Arab nations, officials said, Reuters reports.

Tiran Island, which lies in the Straits of the same name at the mouth of the Gulf, was handed to Saudi Arabia by Egypt, along with next-door Sanafir Island, in 2017.

RIYADH, Jul 17 (NNN-SPA) – A statement was announced yesterday, following the “Jeddah Summit for Security and Development,” emphasising the importance of taking the required measures, to protect the security and stability of the Middle East.

Hosted by Saudi Arabia, the summit was attended by leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and the United States.

The summit reviewed global challenges and regional affairs, while the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to guarantee the region’s security and stability.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, July 16 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden told Arab leaders on Saturday that the United States would remain an active partner in the Middle East, but he failed to secure commitments to a regional security axis that would include Israel or an immediate oil output rise.

"The United States is invested in building a positive future of the region, in partnership with all of you—and the United States is not going anywhere," he said, according to a transcript of his speech.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, July 16 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took a step to mending their troubled relationship with a fist bump, but the U.S. leader left the kingdom on Saturday with few big successes and doubts as to whether the visit was worth it.

Biden's four-day trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, his first to the Middle East as president, aimed to reset ties with the Gulf Arab oil giant, demonstrate U.S. commitment to the region and counter the rising influence of Iran, Russia and China.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, July 16 (Reuters) - Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told President Joe Biden that Saudi Arabia had acted to prevent a repeat of mistakes like the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and that the United States had also made mistakes, including in Iraq, a Saudi minister said.

Biden said on Friday he told Prince Mohammed he held him responsible for the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, shortly after exchanging a fist bump with the kingdom's de facto ruler.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Russian officials visited an airfield in central Iran at least twice in recent weeks to view weapons-capable drones it is looking to acquire to use in its war against Ukraine, the White House said.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Iraq’s caretaker prime minister, whose country is mired in political crisis, says it is in Iraq’s interest to keep pushing for a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to ease regional tensions.

Speaking to The Associated Press Friday evening, Mustafa al-Kadhimi said Iraq intended to keep up its role hosting talks between the two Mideast neighbors whose rivalry has often played out in Iraq, leading to perpetual paralysis.