Page 33 - Middle East Program News Today

The Issue Since the outset of the Syrian crisis, parties to the conflict have instrumentalized aid, restricting, impeding, and diverting humanitarian assistance to their benefit. These barriers to access have undercut humanitarians’ ability to serve people according to need in a cost-efficient and principled manner. The lack of access has also meant that Syrian aid workers and organizations have played an outsized role in the humanitarian response, from delivery and programming to monitoring ...

The Inescapable Two-State Imperative Source: Getty Summary:  External pressure has never been effective in forcing the parties to abandon their core principles. Only a negotiated two-state solution has the potential to satisfy both sides. Related Media and Tools If you enjoyed reading this, subscribe for more! Thank you! Check your email for details on your request. The arrival of a new U.S. administration offers a welcome opportunity for a reset of U.S. policy vis-á-vis the Israeli-Palestini...

Breaking the Israel-Palestine Status Quo Source: Getty Summary:  A new U.S. approach should prioritize protecting the rights and human security of Palestinians and Israelis over maintaining a peace process and attempting short-term fixes. Related Media and Tools If you enjoyed reading this, subscribe for more! Thank you! Resetting U.S. Policy After decades of on-and-off negotiations and failed peace initiatives, it is time for a shift in U.S. policy toward Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. Jett...

15 April 2021 Iran International TV has reported that a research drone belonging to Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA), a subset of Iran’s Ministry of Defence and Armed Force Logistics (MODAFL) crashed this week in Shahinshahr Province due to a technical error. It is reported that there were no injuries, and Nasser Hosseini Manjezi, the deputy governor of Shahinshahr confirmed the crash of the drone and said: “This drone crashed due to a technical defect in the clock syst...

Supporting Syrian Refugees amidst Lebanon’s Crises Format By Will Todman, Fellow in the Middle East Program, CSIS Executive summary Lebanon is in freefall amid numerous crises. The currency has collapsed, food prices have quadrupled in a year, and Covid-19 cases continue to rise after one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. More than half of Lebanese households now live below the poverty line and the government will soon be forced to end subsidies on basic goods. The country is approachi...

After Natanz Attack, Israel and Iran on ‘Path to Escalation,’ Expert Says Daniel Sonnenfeld Strike on uranium enrichment facility sure to draw a response, he says Iran’s uranium enrichment site in Natanz reportedly experienced an explosion on Sunday, causing a power failure. Israeli and American officials pointed to Israel as responsible for the attack, claiming the explosion damaged the site and Iran’s ability to enrich uranium significantly, The New York Times reported. The Islamic ...

Supporting Syrian Refugees amidst Lebanon’s Crises Format By Will Todman, Fellow in the Middle East Program, CSIS Executive summary Lebanon is in freefall amid numerous crises. The currency has collapsed, food prices have quadrupled in a year, and Covid-19 cases continue to rise after one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. More than half of Lebanese households now live below the poverty line and the government will soon be forced to end subsidies on basic goods. The country is approachi...

Senior Advisor, Middle East and North Africa Please submit all media inquiries to media@crisisgroup.org or call +32 (0) 2 536 00 71 Crisis Group Role Dina Esfandiary advises Crisis Groups Middle East and North Africa Program on research, analysis, policy prescription and advocacy. Professional Background Previously, Dina was a Fellow in the Middle East department of The Century Foundation (TCF),  and an International Security Program Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy Schools Belfer Ce...

Libya’s Bumpy Road to Peace 15 March 2021 The Rome MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed comments on the MENA regions most significant issues and trends. Today we turn the spotlight on Libya, where the new National Unity Government led by Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah will be sworn in Tobruk and will have the difficult task of healing the country’s multiple wounds and leading it to the crucial elections of December 2021. After ten years of instability and seve...

Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images A Syrian child poses atop a stack of neutralized shells at a metal scrapyard on the outskirts of Maaret Misrin town in the northwestern Idlib province, Syria last week. Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images On March 15, 2011, protesters inspired by successful "Arab Spring" uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, rallied in Syria to call for an end to their own repressi...