Middle East round-up: Talks, then a ‘pogrom’ in Palestine

Israeli settlers rampage through Palestinian villages, Syria’s president is befriending several Arab states, and attacks against African migrants in Tunisia are rampant. Here’s your round-up of our coverage, written by Abubakar Al-Shamahi, Al Jazeera Digital’s Middle East and North Africa editor.

With support from the United States, Israeli and Palestinian officials met at a Jordanian resort on Sunday in an effort to reach an agreement to end more than a year of intense violence. To that end, both sides said they have agreed to work together to “reduce tensions on the ground”. And, according to a joint statement, Israel even said it would suspend construction of any new settlement units in the occupied West Bank.

Or, at least, that was the optimistic reading.

on the ground, the reality of the situation Something was different in the West Bank. There, a Palestinian gunman killed two Israeli residents traveling in a Palestinian village called Huwara, south of Nablus. Then, the 400 or so settlers took it upon themselves to “retaliate” – Huwara and many other villages were set on fire, One Palestinian was killed, hundreds were injured, and dozens of cars and buildings were destroyed. To make matters worse, there appear to be videos showing Israeli soldiers, at best, unable to do anything to stop the settlersOr at worst, standing by silently during the stampede.

[READ: Settler violence forcing out Bedouins in the West Bank]

In the wake of the attack, many Israeli politicians, including government ministers, supported the settlers’ actions, with the far-right finance minister even saying that Huwara to be “wiped out” by the “State of Israel”, On the other hand, an Israeli general called the attack on Palestinians “genocide”.

And, with regards to suspending any new settlements? Well, just hours after the statement was released Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to do so.

Assad from the cold?

There have been many visitors to Damascus this week. First of all, it was a delegation of parliamentarians from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Libya, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. then it was This is the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister since 2011.The year saw a massive uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, triggering a civil war that came close to toppling him.

The way al-Assad and his government responded to the uprising, particularly with mass killings and human rights abuses, contributed to the ouster of the Syrian leader from the Arab diplomatic arena. His close ties with Iran, a major rival of many Gulf Arab states in particular, helped strengthen the animosity.

And yet, many of those same governments have been lobbying for al-Assad in the years since it became more and more clear that he was going to seize power. Last month’s devastating earthquakes again presented an opportunity. With the death toll now standing at over 6,000 in Syria (a number that keeps on increasing)The need for aid that has been created has also provided a way out for those who wish to heal their relationships with once-outcasts, humanitarianism providing a useful defense against any critics. But, As this analysis suggestsPolitics and selfishness are at large.

Anti-Black hate speech in Tunisia

Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, doesn’t seem particularly bothered by accusations that he is authoritarian. If anything, his speeches seem more incendiary than ever. in one, He took out his anger towards people coming from sub-Saharan Africaordering the expulsion of anyone without documentation, and saying that immigration from other parts of Africa is an attempt to replace Tunisia’s Arab and Muslim identity.

Said’s comments have been widely described as racist, and protesters in Tunisia have staged rallies to condemn them. During this, The African Union has condemned Tunisiaand warned it to “refrain from racial slurs”.

[READ: Tunisia judge imprisons politicians, businessman amid crackdown]

and now for something different

Artificial intelligence is the talk of the internet right now, with companies rushing to unveil their new search-chatbots, and journalists like me worrying that ChatGPT is about to take away our jobs. The power of AI extends beyond list writing, of course. In Jordan, an engineer-turned-farmer Developed a smart-farming technique that uses AI to detect pests in date palms instead of indiscriminate spraying of pesticides. Fascinatingly, it senses tiny noises inside trees to find out where the infestation is before it’s too late.

Short

under fire for twitter Censoring Palestinian public figures , Cholera outbreak in northwestern Syria kills two. Why are schoolgirls in Iran being mysteriously poisoned? , Iran expels two German diplomats In retaliation against Germany | Sudanese protester killed in protest against military rule. Turkey’s Erdogan indicated elections would be held on May 14 , Rights groups, UN experts express concern over Bahraini arrests , Turkey investigates 612 people for earthquake violations , Syrian refugees in Turkey face return to quake-hit areas , Oman joins Saudi Arabia Opening of airspace to Israeli carriers ,

suffering in Darfur

This week marks 20 years War begins in Sudan’s western province of Darfur, According to UN estimates, 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict, and 2.5 million have been displaced. An agreement between the government and rebel groups in 2020 could mean the worst of the fighting is over, but there is still more to come outbreak of violence, Abdelwahab Al-Afendi, Professor of Politics at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, remembers how the struggle beganIts period of international prominence, and what it argues are agreements that have done little to help the millions of victims of the war.

quote of the week

“I apologize to the people on behalf of myself and all my colleagues because we could not keep Piroj alive.” , Amir Moradi, head of Tehran’s Central Veterinary Hospital, where doctors were trying to save Piroz, an Asiatic cheetah cub who captured the hearts of millions of Iranians this week before he died of acute kidney failure, The endangered animal was one of three cubs that were raised by humans after being rejected by their mother. The other two cubs have also died. The plight of the cubs has been used by many Iranians to highlight wider issues such as environmental issues and mismanagement in the country.

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