Global Courant 2023-05-04 18:07:22
A Palestinian hunger striker dies in an Israeli prison, fighting continues in Sudan, and we look back to when George W. Bush “completed mission” in Iraq. Here is your overview of our coverage, written by Abubakr Al-Shamahi, Middle East and North Africa Editor of Al Jazeera Digital.
In recent months, I feel that Israel and the Palestinians are on the brink of a major incident, or even a widespread Palestinian uprising – an intifada. So many things can fuel it. It could be the ongoing Israeli incursions into the occupied West Bank that have already killed more than 100 Palestinians this year, or perhaps the attacks on Israelis by individual Palestinians. On the other hand, it could be the rockets fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, or the violent clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. But so far, despite limited exchanges of Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian missiles, it has not happened.
(READ: Port Sudan, a Red Sea haven for many fleeing Sudan’s violence)
I had that feeling again this week, when a prominent Palestinian prisoner died after being on hunger strike for nearly three months. Khader Adnan, who was affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, protested what Israel calls “administrative detention,” which essentially amounts to detention without charge. It is a widespread Israeli policy. More than 1,000 Palestinians are currently being held without charge or trial, a practice strongly condemned by human rights groups. Adnan himself had previously been held without charge and had been on hunger strikes several times, gaining notoriety among Palestinians, whose case drew attention to the conditions faced by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Adnan’s death, after being found unconscious in his cell, sparked outrage among Palestinians, with a Gaza prisoners’ association saying he had in fact been “executed in cold blood”. Within hours, Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit Gaza, and rockets from the besieged area hit Israel. More arrived during the night, but a ceasefire was agreed in the early morning hours. All-out war has now been averted.
Western embassies trap Sudanese
Obtaining a visa can be a tedious process, especially if the passport you hold does not give you easy access to most countries. Many Sudanese have typically had to wait days, if not weeks, after handing over their passports when applying for visas to travel to Western countries. But then things got immeasurably worse when conflict broke out in Sudan last month, and embassy staff fled and closed their doors, with many Sudanese passports still locked. The message it sent to the Sudanese who are now trapped in their own country as the war rages around them was harsh.
The United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain are all among the countries accused of leaving Sudan before returning the applicants’ passports. Some told people to apply for new passports from local authorities, the same local authorities currently embroiled in a conflict that has killed hundreds of people and turned the capital, Khartoum, into a war zone.
The past week has been another week filled with lofty ceasefire announcements whose failures are punctuated by the roar of gunfire. South Sudan brokered the most recent ceasefire. We’ll have to wait and see if this one outperforms the rest. It appears that the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces are struggling to gain precedence over each other, underscoring fears that this battle could drag on. Thousands have already fled to other countries as the UN warns that up to 800,000 people could leave.
(READ: UAE and Egypt closer to different sides in Sudan)
We have continued our coverage of the fighting, trying to look at all angles, whether it be the situation for refugees in Chad and Egypt, the impact on Darfur, Syrians and other refugees trapped in Sudan, or the potential return of officials from the government of overthrown President Omar al-Bashir.
(Al Jazeera)
Mission accomplished, 20 years later
On May 1, 2003, 43 days after the US invaded Iraq, President George W. Bush stood on an aircraft carrier and declared that “major combat operations” had ended. Behind him a huge banner with the words “Mission Accomplished”.
To call it overconfidence would be an understatement, given the quagmire the US found itself in, the number of soldiers sent (peaking at more than 160,000 in 2007), and the violence that continued to devastate Iraq. And, as Joseph Stepansky explores in this piece, critics say the US has failed to take responsibility for its actions in the so-called War on Terror over the past two decades.
And now for something else
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly undecided about his move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, but I’m sure the decision has made him the highest paid footballer in the world (estimated to bring in $173 million a year, according to Forbes) should at least make him feel a little better. Argentina’s Lionel Messi comes in at number 3 and earns a paltry $65 million. Perhaps that’s why he was adamant about taking a trip to Saudi Arabia this week to fulfill his contractual obligation to promote tourism in the kingdom. His club, PSG, is not happy about this and has suspended him for two weeks for traveling without their permission, potentially ending his career at the French club.
Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates Saudi Arabia’s founding day in local traditional dress (Al-Nassr FC/Handout via Reuters)
It doesn’t matter if Cleopatra was black or white (or brown).
Have you ever thought about whether Cleopatra was black, white or brown? Well, according to historian Islam Issa, the most important thing to remember is that she was an Egyptian first and foremost. The ancient queen’s racial background has been the subject of controversy in recent weeks, with an upcoming Netflix docudrama produced by Jada Pinkett Smith portraying her as black. That has led to an angry response from Egyptians, and even the Egyptian government, who have claimed that the show is an attempt to falsify Egyptian history, and an act of cultural appropriation. Issa happens to be the one and only Egyptian who has been interviewed for the show. His own point of view is more nuanced, bringing in her well-known Macedonian Greek heritage, as well as other elements of her background, and how she serves as an example of who the Egyptians are today as a people.
Short
Syria agrees to curb drug trafficking in meeting with Arab ministers | US Senator Urges Release of New Report on Murder of Shireen Abu Akleh | Indians convicted of espionage Qatar for Israel | Kuwaiti parliament dissolved by royal decree | Al Jazeera journalist released from captivity in Egypt | Erdogan says Turkey killed suspected ISIL leader | Fan death, crowd problems drive continental football matches in Morocco and Tunisia | Israel launches airstrike on Aleppo airport | “Even one American in Iraq is too many,” says Iranian Khamenei | Israelis rally for and against government judicial changes | Turkey’s Baykar to Build New ‘Highly Autonomous’ Combat Drone | Why did Iran seize a US oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman? | Israeli troops kill Palestinian teenager in occupied West Bank | Pro-Kurdish HDP backs Erdogan’s rival ahead of Turkish presidential election | ‘State of terror’ hangs over Syrians in Lebanon amid deportations | Israel discusses possible direct Hajj flights to Saudi Arabia | Morocco recognizes Berber New Year as a public holiday
Quote of the week
“There is a problem with large numbers of corpses arriving on the coast. We don’t know who they are or what shipwreck they came from – and the numbers are increasing” | Faouzi Masmoudi, a civil servant in the Tunisian city of Sfax. More than 200 refugees have died in shipwrecks off the coast of Tunisia in 10 days while trying to reach Europe. But despite the risk, many people are still willing to make the journey, even as the European Union tries to raise the drawbridge.
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