Middle East Monitor Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa

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  Vance says Iran unwilling to accept some US red lines after Geneva talks

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  US Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday evening that Iran is not prepared to recognise some of the red lines set by President Donald Trump, following a second round of negotiations between the two countries held earlier in Geneva, Switzerland. In an interview with Fox News, Vance said the talks with Tehran “went well in some ways”, but added “in other ways, it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.”  He added that Trump “is very much trying to find a solution here, whether it’s through diplomatic options or through another option, that means the Iranians cannot have a nuclear weapon,”    READ: US

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  Gazans perform Taraweeh prayers on rubble in first Ramadan after the genocide war

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  Palestinians in the Gaza Strip performed Taraweeh prayers on Tuesday evening, marking the first night of Ramadan, on the ruins of destroyed mosques and in makeshift prayer spaces set up inside tents made of nylon and wood. The prayers were held amid the vast destruction left by what Palestinians describe as genocide committed by Israel. On Tuesday evening, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories and head of the Supreme Fatwa Council, Mohammed Hussein, announced that Wednesday would be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan for the year 1447 AH. This is the first Ramadan for residents of the enclave since the cessation of the genocide. It comes amid widespread devastation and dire humanitarian conditions.

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  How Addis and Ankara are shaping a more stable Red Sea

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  At the edge of the Red Sea, where history has always been written in salt and blood, a new chapter is quietly unfolding. It is not the clash of empires that once defined relations between the Ottoman fleet and the highland kingdom of Abyssinia. It is something subtler, more ambitious, and perhaps more consequential for the future of Africa and the wider Indo-Pacific. Turkey and Ethiopia — once adversaries in the sixteenth century, now partners in the twenty-first — are testing whether middle powers can reshape the geopolitical grammar of the Horn of Africa. The historical memory is long. Scholars have chronicled how Ottoman forces, allied with the Adal Sultanate, seized Massawa and Suakin, pressing hard against Ethiopia’s sovereignty in

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  Hamas urges ‘Peace Council’ to assume responsibilities

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  Hamas has called on the so-called Peace Council to take immediate action to stop what it described as Israel’s ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. The movement urged the council to implement the principles it has announced in order to achieve peace on the ground. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the past four months had shown that Israel had not halted what he described as a “war of genocide”, but had instead changed its methods and forms. He stressed that the war was still continuing, and that killings, displacement, siege and starvation had not stopped. In a recorded video statement, Qassem called on the Peace Council, which is due to hold its first meeting on 19

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  Smotrich: I will cancel the ‘cursed’ Oslo Accords, dismantle Palestinian Authority

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party and Israel’s Finance Minister, has said that one of his main goals in the next term is to cancel the Oslo Accords, dismantle the Palestinian Authority and impose full Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. Smotrich made the remarks during a special conference held on Tuesday evening with settlement leaders in the West Bank. He said that “cancelling the Oslo Accords will bring about the end of the Palestinian Authority,” describing this course of action as “the only long-term solution”. Addressing settlement leaders, he added: “We are placing before you one of our objectives for the coming term: to eliminate the idea of a terrorist Arab state, to cancel the cursed

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  Israel probes alleged bribery, smuggling at US-run Gaza reconstruction hub

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  Israeli military authorities are investigating allegations that senior criminal figures bribed foreign personnel at a US-run headquarters in the city of Kiryat Gat, which oversees matters related to Gaza’s reconstruction, in order to smuggle prohibited goods into the enclave. According to i24NEWS, security officials suspect cooperation between Israeli criminals and foreign staff at the American facility. The alleged scheme involved smuggling goods into Gaza while diverting large sums of money into the hands of traffickers.     The development follows indictments filed around two weeks ago in a separate smuggling case into Gaza, in which 12 individuals were charged with transporting goods worth 3.9 million shekels. In that case, cartons of cigarettes, iPhones, batteries, communication cables and car spare parts were reportedly

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  The Rise and Fall of Turkey’s Democrat Party: The Cold War and Illiberalism, 1945–60: 73

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  Turkish politics was fundamentally altered by the rule of the Democrat Party (DP) between 1950-1960. It has been often viewed as highly controversial party that ended with its leaders being toppled by a military coup in 1960. The Turkish memory of the DP rule and Prime Minister Adnan Menderes is polarised with some seeing them as democratic heroes and others seeing them as betraying a democratic vision. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it is said, draws inspiration from Menderes and in 2020 had a memorial museum built on the island where Menderes was imprisoned. The importance attached to the DP years and why so many different groups remember them differently makes them a critical subject of inquiry. Reuben Silverman’s new book

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  Smotrich calls for reoccupation of Gaza and military rule

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has renewed his call for the occupation of the Gaza Strip and the establishment of a military government there, prompting sharp criticism from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who described the proposal as “delusional”. According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Smotrich told a press conference on Monday evening that “the goal is to occupy Gaza, establish a military government, build Israeli settlements in the Strip, and encourage the voluntary emigration of Gaza’s residents”. His remarks come despite the implementation last October of a plan promoted by US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Smotrich, a leading figure on the far right, has consistently advocated for Israeli control over the territory. READ: Israel will

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  Erdogan aide rejects speculation over ‘right of hope’ for PKK leader

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  The administration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denied reports suggesting the possible conditional release of Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). In recent weeks, Turkish media outlets have speculated about potential legal adjustments under the government’s “Turkey Free of Terror” initiative, which aims to disarm armed groups and dismantle their clandestine structures. Some reports suggested that, within a broader political framework, authorities might consider easing detention conditions for certain prisoners, including the possibility of house arrest under what is known as the “right of hope” — a legal principle applicable to some individuals convicted of crimes against the state. READ: Kurdish PKK begins disarmament process Mehmet Uçum, senior adviser to the president and deputy head

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  Adalah says West Bank land settlement plan could amount to war crime

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  The Adalah Center, a Haifa-based human rights organisation, has called on Israeli authorities to revoke a recent government decision on land settlement procedures in the occupied West Bank, warning that it may amount to a war crime. In a letter addressed to the Israeli defence minister, the attorney general and other relevant legal and military authorities, Adalah demanded the cancellation of a decision issued on 15th February 2026. The directive instructs the commander of the Israeli army in the West Bank to enable land settlement procedures in Area C and to register approximately 15 per cent of unregistered land in the area as part of the process. Dr Suhad Bishara, Adalah’s legal director, said the move serves the expansion of

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  1,200 former Israeli officials urge Knesset to reject death penalty bill

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  More than 1,200 former Israeli officials and public figures have signed a petition opposing a proposed bill that would impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, according to Hebrew media reports published on Tuesday. The signatories include former Supreme Court judges, Nobel laureates, ex-heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad intelligence agencies, academics, university presidents, former Israel Defense Forces chiefs of staff Dan Halutz and Moshe Yaalon, as well as former prime minister Ehud Olmert. In the petition, the group said it “strongly opposes the death penalty bill currently being debated in the Knesset in preparation for its second and third readings” and called on lawmakers to vote it down. READ: Knesset approves bill allowing death penalty for Palestinians over 7

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  Ben-Gvir accuses attorney general over surge in Arab community killings

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has accused Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara of bearing responsibility for a surge in killings within the Arab community, amid mounting criticism over the government’s handling of violent crime. Speaking at a conference organised by a right-wing newspaper on Tuesday, Ben-Gvir said the attorney general’s “hands are stained with the blood” of victims killed since the start of the year. Official data show that violence in Arab towns has reached record levels during his tenure. Ben-Gvir claimed that three years ago he had requested the use of administrative detention against 100 Arab families, but that Baharav-Miara had refused. He argued that such measures are applied to members of the extremist settler group known as the

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  Turkish intelligence highlights role in Syria and Gaza diplomacy

  by MI on February 18, 2026

  The head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Ibrahim Kalin, has said Ankara has taken proactive measures to prevent new threats to its national security along the Syrian border. In the introduction to MIT’s 2025 activity report, released on Tuesday, Kalın said the agency had adopted a comprehensive approach to developments in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2014. He stated that Turkish intelligence had played an active role in addressing the Syrian crisis since its outset and had acted within the framework of efforts to build a new state structure in Syria. “Proactive steps were taken to counter any new threats that might arise against our country in Syria,” Kalın said, adding that these measures

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  Over 80 UN members condemn Israeli acts to expand ‘unlawful presence’ in occupied West Bank

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  More than 80 UN member states and several organizations on Tuesday condemned “unilateral” Israeli decisions aimed at expanding Israel’s “unlawful presence” in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu reports. Delivering a statement at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York, Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour said, “I have the honor to deliver the following statement on behalf of 80 States and a number of organizations on the latest Israeli decisions regarding the occupied West Bank.” “We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank. Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed,” he said, underlining “our strong opposition to any form of annexation.”

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  US official says Iran talks made ‘progress,’ but ‘there are still a lot of details to discuss’

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Talks between the US and Iran “made progress,” but additional details need to be addressed, a US official said Tuesday, Anadolu reports. “Progress was made, but there are still a lot of details to discuss. The Iranians said they would come back in the next two weeks with detailed proposals to address some of the open gaps in our positions,” said the official. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier Tuesday that “more serious discussions” were held during the latest round of indirect nuclear negotiations, describing the atmosphere as “more constructive.” Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the second round of talks in Geneva, Araghchi said the parties reached a general agreement on a set of “guiding principles” to

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  Israel’s recognition of Somaliland benefits no one: Turkish president

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday touched on Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state and become the only country to do so, stressing that the decision benefits neither Somalia nor the region, Anadolu reports. “I would like to reiterate that Israel’s recognition of Somaliland would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa,” Erdogan said in a joint presser with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa. Ankara believes that the countries of the region should develop solutions to the region’s problems, said Erdogan, urging the Horn of Africa not to be turned into “an arena of struggle for foreign powers.” Stressing the bilateral relations between Turkiye and Ethiopia, Erdogan said that it

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  Egypt calls for cooperation among Nile Basin countries, rejects ‘unilateral measures’ on river

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty underscored the importance of cooperation among the Nile Basin countries, rejecting any unilateral measures on the waterway, the country’s foreign ministry said Tuesday, Anadolu reports. A ministry statement said that Abdelatty met in Nairobi on Monday with Kenyan President William Ruto during which he delivered a message from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to his Kenyan counterpart. In the message, Sisi hailed the elevation of bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership between the two countries and the signing of the Cairo Declaration during Ruto’s visit to Cairo last month. On water security, Abdelatty stressed the importance of cooperation and consensus among Nile Basin states, rejecting “unilateral measures” on the river and reiterating

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  Afghanistan hands over 3 Pakistani soldiers to Saudi negotiators

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Afghanistan on Tuesday said it handed over three Pakistani soldiers to negotiators from Saudi Arabia, months after they were captured during deadly border clashes between the two neighbors, Anadolu reports. Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Pakistani soldiers were captured on Oct. 12 last year during clashes with Pakistani forces along the border. They “were released and handed over to the respected delegation that came from the brotherly country of Saudi Arabia,” Mujahid said in a post on US social media company X. Islamabad has yet to comment on the handover. Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan deteriorated last year following a series of deadly border clashes. Mujahid said the decision was taken in line with Afghan policy of “maintaining

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  Extremist Israeli settler burns copy of Quran in Jerusalem ahead of Ramadan

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  An extremist Israeli settler burned a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, at an unspecified location in Jerusalem, days before the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a video showed on Tuesday, Anadolu reports. “A religious Zionist activist from the neo-Nazis is burning the Holy Quran with his face uncovered,” Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi said on the US social media company X. He said the extremist Israeli “will not be punished because he is Jewish.” In the footage shared by Tibi, the illegal Israeli settler is heard saying: “What’s happening? We are here now celebrating and burning a very sacred book to Muslims, surah by surah, all the surahs. Congratulations to us.” “The people of Israel

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  Israeli firms use advanced cyber tools to spy on cars, track movement: Report

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Israeli companies are using advanced cyber tools to hack into digital systems of cars to spy on people inside and track the vehicle’s movement, Haaretz newspaper said on Tuesday. “These tools can also assist in a cross-referencing of data to identify an intelligence target among tens of thousands of cars on the road,” the daily said. An investigation by the paper found that at least three Israeli firms operate a system called CARINT (car intelligence), which uses data generated by connected vehicles for surveillance. One of these companies, Toka, even developed an “offensive” tool that could tap into a car’s microphones and cameras to collect information. This company was co-founded by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former army cyber

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  British Museum rejects claims it removed ‘Palestine’ from displays under pressure

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  The British Museum has rejected a claim that it removed the word “Palestine” from its displays in response to pressure from a pro-Israeli lawyers group, adding it continues to use Palestine across a series of galleries, Anadolu reports. The row over changes to some galleries continues, as the UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) said Saturday that the British Museum has confirmed it is reviewing and updating some gallery panels and labels after “Audience testing has shown that the historic use of the term Palestine … is in some circumstances no longer meaningful.” The pro-Israeli group said there were “historically inaccurate” references to Palestine in displays covering the ancient Levant and Egypt, which was also reported by the Sunday Telegraph during

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  Iran’s foreign minister says ‘serious discussions’ held with US, ‘clear path’ lies for deal

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that “more serious discussions” were held during the latest round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States and the dialogue atmosphere was “more constructive”, Anadolu reports. Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of the second round of talks with the US in Geneva under Omani mediation, Araghchi said the parties reached a general agreement on a set of “guiding principles” to serve as a basis for beginning work on the text of a potential agreement. “It was decided that both sides will work on the drafts of a potential agreement, and after exchanging the texts,” he said. “The timing of the next round of talks will be determined,” Araghchi said. Iran’s top

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  Algorithms and AI have turned Gaza into a laboratory of death

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  The revelations by +972 Magazine and Local Call have exposed the darkest core of the contemporary war in Gaza, in which genocide is carried out not only by bombs and missiles, but by data, algorithms and global digital platforms. The Israeli artificial intelligence system known as Lavender has confirmed what the Palestinian resistance, Lebanon, and Iran have denounced for years: Technology as an organic part of the Zionist war machine, functioning as an instrument of surveillance, target selection, and mass extermination. The liberal rhetoric of “digital privacy” collapses in the face of the facts. Applications such as WhatsApp insist on the promise of end-to-end encryption, but conceal what is essential, in which metadata are worth more than messages. Location, contact

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  Israel will not withdraw ‘one millmeter’ from Gaza, defence minister says

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Israel will not move “one millimeter” from the “Yellow Line” in Gaza until Hamas is disarmed, despite the start of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war, Anadolu reports. The “Yellow Line” refers to the line to which Israeli forces withdrew in eastern Gaza during the first phase of Trump’s plan to end the war. Under the plan’s second phase, which began last month, Israel is expected to withdraw gradually from that line. “We will never allow Hamas to remain, not with weapons and not with tunnels. The slogan is simple: until the last tunnel,” Katz said at a conference organized by the newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

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  Israel orders closure of East Jerusalem’s Burj al-Luqluq community center for 6 months

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Israeli authorities closed the Burj al-Laqlaq Community Association in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem for six months on Tuesday, its director said. Munther Idkeidek told Anadolu that police forces raided the association’s headquarters and delivered an order requiring its closure for six months. “The order claims the association operates with funding from the Palestinian Authority. This is completely false and has no basis whatsoever,” Idkeidek said. He added that a team of lawyers would challenge the Israeli decision. Police entered the association’s headquarters in the Old City and enforced the closure, he said. According to the text of the order signed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and reviewed by Anadolu, the decision followed information that “activity of

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  Governance by weather: Iran’s independence, priced in dollars

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  When US and Iranian officials sit in separate rooms in Muscat, passing messages through Omani mediators, people in Iran do not wait for the communiqué. The quickest dispatch from Oman is never a carefully chosen diplomatic phrase. It is something more elemental — a shift in the atmosphere. And the atmosphere moves fast. On 13th February, the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — received orders to leave the Caribbean and join the USS Abraham Lincoln already on station in the Middle East. In Washington, two carrier strike groups read as posture. In Tehran, the same fact lands as cost. A shopkeeper does not need a policy memo to know what a tougher American line can

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  Continuing genocide, with full international approval

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  The international community has truly illustrated its fragmented approach to both international law, order and human rights. Not only did the UN Security Council members vote the international community out of its usual process in favour of the US 20-point plan which places Gaza in the hands of President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The international community is now on a parallel wavelength that serves Israeli colonial interests. For while the attention is focused on the ceasefire, humanitarian aid and rebuilding Gaza (the latter merely a rhetorical clause), Netanyahu is adamant that the genocide will continue, on the same premises of eliminating and disarming Hamas. Two years of genocide did not eliminate and disarm Hamas. Israeli Cabinet

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  From Madame Claude’s Salon to Epstein’s Island: The unchanging currency of power

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  The most telling image of the Jeffery Epstein saga is not of a private jet or a tropical island. It is the photograph of the frail, brilliant astrophysicist, Stephen Hawking, surrounded by fellow scientists, on that very island in 2006.  The cognitive dissonance is staggering: What was the world’s pre-eminent cosmologist doing in the lair of a man even then known to be a predator.  Epstein’s connection with Hawking is profoundly odd because it highlights his calculated strategy not only to launder his reputation but to gain access to the world of elite science and dual-use technology. As such, his network was a constellation of Nobel laureates, and the era’s most prestigious scientific minds, (among them Marvin Minsky, the AI

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  1,200 Israelis oppose proposed death penalty law for Palestinian prisoners: Report

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Around 1,200 Israeli public figures announced their opposition to a proposed law that would impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, a bill being advanced by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing it as a “moral stain,” local media reported on Tuesday. The Israeli figures, including Nobel Prize laureates, former senior military officials, and former Supreme Court justices, published a statement opposing the death penalty law for Palestinian prisoners currently being promoted in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, the Israeli news website Walla reported. The statement said that “renewing the use of the death penalty would cast a moral stain on Israel and contradict its identity as a Jewish state,” referring to the proposed execution law for Palestinian

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  ‘Challenges were great after entering Damascus,’ Syrian President al-Sharaa says

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said the challenges were ‘significant’ after forces entered Damascus on Dec. 08, 2024, stressing that the immediate priority was to control weapons, unify armed factions, and safeguard the country’s territorial integrity, Anadolu reports. “Challenges were great after entering Damascus,” al-Sharaa said during an open dialogue session at the Conference on the Unity of Islamic Discourse in Damascus, Syrian al-Ikhbariya TV posted the video on YouTube late Monday. He said the first priority is “controlling the revolutionary street, particularly the revolutionary factions, and uniting them under one word,” moving toward controlling weapons and focusing on building a unified national army, “away from factional language.” The president added that those efforts faced obstacles due to internal disputes, as well

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  Russia, China, Iran deploy ships for joint exercises in Strait of Hormuz

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Russia, China and Iran have deployed naval vessels for joint exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev said on Tuesday, Anadolu reports. In an interview with the weekly Argumenty i Fakty, Patrushev said Russia is working to build a “multipolar world order on the oceans” in response to what he called Western hegemony. “We will tap into the potential of BRICS, which should now be given a full-fledged strategic maritime dimension,” he said. He added that the first BRICS naval exercise, dubbed “Will for Peace 2026,” was held in January in the South Atlantic and involved Russia, China, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. OPINION: The new calculus in the Gulf: How Beijing and

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  Rising prices strain family ties in Egypt

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  “I used to host my sisters for lunch every Friday at the family home, but I stopped that tradition after meat and poultry prices rose,” said Ahmed Sayed, 40, explaining how rising prices in Egypt’s markets have affected him socially. As Egyptians approach the holy month of Ramadan, they face a major dilemma amid a climate of austerity now shaping social relations, driven by inflation, the collapse of the local currency, declining wages and rising prices of essential goods. Marked negative shifts have affected patterns of social relations and family visits among Egyptians, against the backdrop of a deteriorating economic situation under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has been in power since mid-2014. Decline in family feasts Egyptians are known

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  Tehran signals readiness to negotiate on 60% uranium enrichment

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Iran has confirmed its readiness to negotiate with the United States over uranium enrichment at the 60 per cent level, provided Washington demonstrates seriousness in lifting economic sanctions. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Tehran was open to discussions on enrichment to 60 per cent, but stressed that any agreement would depend on tangible steps towards sanctions relief. His remarks come amid a growing US military presence in the Middle East. According to regional estimates, more than 40,000 American troops are currently deployed across bases in Gulf states and in the Arabian Sea. READ: Iran holds military drill in Strait of Hormuz on eve of indirect nuclear talks with US Takht-Ravanchi warned that if this deployment were perceived as posing

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  Israeli authorities issue notices for 60 West Bank and Jerusalem structures

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Israeli authorities issued stop-work and demolition notices for 60 homes and commercial structures across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on Monday, citing construction without permits. According to local sources, 20 homes in the town of Tuqu’, south-east of Bethlehem, received stop-work orders. In East Jerusalem, the Israeli municipality distributed demolition notices for more than 40 structures in the town of Anata. At the same time, Israeli bulldozers demolished an agricultural room in the town of Shuqba, west of Ramallah, also on the grounds that it lacked a permit. Witnesses said Israeli forces, accompanied by a military bulldozer, entered Shuqba and demolished the structure in the al-Atari area, owned by Nizar Shalash. Authorities claimed it had been built without

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  Report cites sharp rise in administrative detention of Palestinians since Gaza war

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  A new human rights report has documented an unprecedented escalation in the use of administrative detention against Palestinians, including Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of occupied East Jerusalem, particularly since the outbreak of the Gaza war. The report, issued by Adalah Center, states that administrative detention has historically been used almost exclusively against Palestinians in the territories occupied in 1967. It argues that recent data indicate a significant expansion of the practice. According to official figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request submitted to the Israeli Ministry of Justice, 560 administrative detention cases were opened in Israeli central courts between January 2020 and May 2025 against Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of the 1948 territories and East

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  Israeli police arrest Al-Aqsa Mosque imam inside compound

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Israeli police arrested Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Abbasi, imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, on Monday evening inside the mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, according to local sources. Witnesses said that officers detained Sheikh Al-Abbasi within the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, without immediately clarifying the reasons for the arrest or the legal measures being taken against him. The incident comes amid what Palestinian officials describe as escalating Israeli measures at Al-Aqsa Mosque, including increased restrictions on imams and preachers, tighter controls on worshippers’ access, and a rise in visits by settlers under heavy police protection. Tensions have also intensified in Jerusalem’s Old City and around the Al-Aqsa compound, with reports of arrests and deportation orders targeting religious figures and local activists. Israeli authorities

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  Aid groups begin Gaza withdrawal after new Israeli restrictions

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Several international aid organisations, including prominent British charities, have begun steps to wind down their operations in the Gaza Strip ahead of a deadline set by the Israeli authorities for 1st March 2026. The move follows a series of measures introduced by Israel at the start of the year. According to humanitarian sources, 37 international organisations operating in Gaza and the West Bank were notified that their registration had expired, including branches of British and European groups. Aid agencies say the new requirements include demands to submit detailed lists of Palestinian staff members and comprehensive funding data. Organisations argue that such requests breach humanitarian principles, compromise staff safety and violate data protection standards. READ: Israeli suspension of aid groups ‘renders life

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  Palestinian presidency urges immediate international action over Gaza bloodshed

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  The Palestinian presidency has called for immediate international action over what it described as the continued shedding of Palestinian blood in the Gaza Strip. On Monday, the presidency strongly condemned what it called the ongoing “violation of Palestinian blood” in Gaza. It urged the international community to intervene to stop what it described as a war of genocide and to oblige Israel to halt measures that it said are fuelling the cycle of violence and conflict in the region. According to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, the presidency expressed “strong” condemnation of the continued bloodshed, including the killing of 14 Palestinian citizens over the past 24 hours as a result of ongoing Israeli shelling, despite a ceasefire being in

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  Sudan Liberation Army leader: RSF’s sole aim is to loot citizens’ property and wealth

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  A leader of the Sudan Liberation Army has said that the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) only aim is to seize citizens’ property and wealth. Speaking in an interview with Egypt’s Al Qahera News channel on Monday, Aqqad bin Koni said the actions carried out by the RSF since 15th April 2023 “are witnessed by the whole world”. He stated that from the first day of the war, the militia looted people’s property, killed civilians and took over homes in Khartoum. The Liberation Army figure added that the militia’s operations later spread to Al Jazirah state and then to cities in Darfur. He accused the group of committing genocide in El Geneina, and later in El Fasher and a number of

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  Iran’s Khamenei says US warships could be ‘sunk’ as nuclear talks resume in Geneva

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Tuesday that the US warships currently deployed to the Persian Gulf “could be sunk to the bottom of the sea,” Anadolu reports. “The strongest army in the world may receive a slap it cannot recover from,” Khamenei said at an event in Tehran, referring to US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington has the “strongest army” in the world. “They keep saying that we sent a warship toward Iran. Very well, a warship is indeed a dangerous machine, but more dangerous than a warship is the weapon that can sink it to the bottom of the sea,” he added. Khamenei’s comments followed recent threats by Trump against Tehran and the US military buildup

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  The new calculus in the Gulf: How Beijing and Moscow have altered the Iran equation

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  In the rarefied environment of the West Wing, the ghosts of the “Twelve-Day War” that transpired last June still linger in the Situation Room. For President Trump, the goal remains unchanged: the same triad of demands that Iran ceases its enrichment activities, dismantles its missile program, and severs its “axis of resistance” connections. But as Washington pursues a policy dictated almost entirely by Israeli security imperatives and the Zionist donor class, the calculus on the ground—and in the water—has fundamentally changed due to the reality of the new, tri-polar world that has emerged. The Trump administration finds itself trapped between competing imperatives: the operational caution of the foreign policy establishment and the political demands of a donor class for whom

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  Belgium summons US ambassador over ‘anti-Semitism’ claim

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Belgium has summoned the United States ambassador in Brussels after he accused the Belgian government of “anti-Semitism”. The US ambassador to Brussels, Bill White, was called to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest remarks in which he described the government as anti-Semitic. On 14 May, Belgian police carried out raids at several addresses in Antwerp as part of an investigation into alleged illegal circumcision practices. Prosecutors opened an inquiry into three Jewish circumcisers, known as mohels. On Monday, the US ambassador called for the investigation to be ended, arguing that the measure was anti-Semitic. READ: Belgium urges Israel to respect international law, halt UNRWA escalation Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot, rejected the accusation in a

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  Smotrich rejects mixed-gender service in army as soldiers’ mothers call for his dismissal

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he opposes men and women serving together in the army. His remarks were condemned by the group Awake Mother, which represents mothers of female soldiers, who described the remarks as “dangerous” and demanded for him to be removed from office at once. The remarks were made on Monday during a meeting of the parliamentary group of the Religious Zionism party, led by Smotrich, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. During the meeting, Smotrich said: “I will make an effort to educate my daughter not to enlist in the army, because the Chief Rabbinate opposes it.” He added: “This is a world of values that is thousands of years old. I hope the great

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  Hamas rejects reported deadline to hand over weapons in Gaza

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Hamas has announced its complete rejection of the deadline indicated by Israeli media, which gives Hamas 60 days to surrender all its weapons, including individual weapons. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told Al Jazeera on Monday that the group had not been formally informed of any such decision. He said the statements attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli media were “mere threats with no basis in the ongoing negotiations”. Mardawi added that Israeli occupation policies in the West Bank and Jerusalem amount to what he described as a religious war, not just a military occupation. He referred to control over religious sites such as Rachel’s Tomb and the Ibrahimi Mosque, as well as what he called displacement

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  Only 29% compliance with Rafah crossing reopening amid Israeli restrictions

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  Only 29 per cent compliance was recorded in the reopening of Rafah crossing since the start of the month due to strict Israeli restrictions, the Gaza government media office said on Monday.    In a statement, the office said that 811 people were able to travel in and out through the Rafah land crossing between 2 and 15 February, out of a total of 2,800 applicants, reflecting what it described as Israeli compliance of around 29 per cent. Israel reopened the Palestinian side of the crossing on 2nd February on a very limited basis and under strict restrictions. The crossing has been under Israeli control since May 2024. According to the statement, 455 travellers were allowed to leave Gaza, while 456 people

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  Freedom does not arrive on a cruise missile

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  When Reza Pahlavi spoke on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this week, he did not simply criticise the Islamic Republic. He urged United States officials to embrace something far more consequential: “military intervention” against Iran, framed as a humanitarian shortcut. In an interview with Reuters, he argued that an American “attack could weaken [the government] or accelerate its fall”, adding that “intervention is a way to save lives.” For anyone writing about Iran, this moment matters precisely because it invites a principled refusal to slide into two familiar traps. The first trap blames Iran itself for the violence that foreign bombs always unleash. The second trap treats war as a neutral tool that “good people” can deploy for

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  PFB accuse British Museum of historical erasure

  by MI on February 17, 2026

  The Palestinian Forum in Britain (PFB) on Monday wrote to the Board of Trustees of the British Museum expressing their profound concern of the Palestinian community in the UK and its absolute rejection of the museum’s recent measures to remove the name “Palestine” from historical materials and galleries related to the country’s heritage.  The PFB said, “We view this as a troubling act of historical erasure that contradicts the museum’s professional and ethical responsibilities.” The letter continued: “As one of the world’s leading cultural institutions, the British Museum carries a duty to present history with accuracy, integrity, and independence from political pressure. Reports indicate that these changes were made following complaints from a pro-Israel legal group, and that the museum

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  UN chief condemns Israel’s plan to register West Bank land as state property

  by MI on February 16, 2026

  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned Israel’s decision to classify areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property”, Anadolu reports. “The Secretary-General condemns the Israeli government’s Feb. 15 decision to resume land registration procedures in Area C of the occupied West Bank, following a cabinet decision in May 2025,” said Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a news conference, warning that the move could dispossess Palestinians of their property and expand Israeli control over land in the area. “Such measures, including Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, are not only destabilizing but, as recalled by the International Court of Justice, unlawful,” Dujarric said. The statement came a day after the Israeli government approved a proposal to register

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  Irish republican party to boycott White House St Patrick’s Day events over Gaza

  by MI on February 16, 2026

  Sinn Fein will not attend St Patrick’s Day events at the White House for a second consecutive year, with the party’s leadership citing the ongoing war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians, Anadolu reports. The party president, Mary Lou McDonald, confirmed the decision on social media on Monday, saying the situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank had not improved since last year’s boycott. “The situation on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank remains dire. Israeli attacks on Gaza have not ended. The genocide continues,” she said. “It is important that Sinn Fein uses its voice to demand that international law is upheld and peace and justice prevail.” McDonald stressed that the party’s decision should

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  Lebanese parliament speaker calls for pressure on Israel to halt ceasefire violations

  by MI on February 16, 2026

  Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called Monday for international pressure on Israel to halt its repeated violations of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, Anadolu reports. “Lebanon and the Lebanese people do not want war and will not accept the Israeli occupation of their land,” Berri said during a meeting in Beirut with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “We cannot succumb to these daily violations and attacks.” According to a statement issued by his office, Berri reiterated Lebanon’s full commitment to the ceasefire agreement with Israel. The statement said discussions between Berri and Steinmeier focused on developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as relations between Lebanon and Germany. The parliament speaker thanked the German president for his country’s support for