#IRAQ: Foreign Minister Says Iraq Won't Join Others in Recognizing Israel

[world politics news]

Iraq doesn’t plan to normalize ties with Israel in the near future, its Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told a security conference in Bahrain over the weekend.

“As for the question, is Iraq going to be part of the Abraham Accords soon? – in short, I can say no,” Hussein said in response to queries from participants at the conference IISS Manama Dialogue 2021 on Saturday.

Other Abraham Accord countries include the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan. 

The Accord is viewed by many as a regional bulwark against Iran. Iraqi politics features several pro-iran parties. Such an agreement might be very difficult to get through Iraq's Parliament, even if it's leaders were inclined to sign it.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ISRAEL: UAE And Israel Sign First Agreement After Mutual Recognition

[world politics news]

Israel and the United Arab Emirates have signed a first formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) on banking and finance, including preventing terror financing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday as an Israeli delegation ended a landmark visit to Abu Dhabi to promote normalization between the countries.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ETHIOPIA: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Wins Nobel Peace Prize

[world politics news]

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been crowned the winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for "his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation", beating 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg who was considered the favourite to win.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee credited the 43-year-old with ending the two-decade-long conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea as they announced the award in Oslo on Friday night.
[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ISRAEL: 21 Knesset Members Reject US House Resolution Calling For 2-State Solution

[world politics news]

Twenty-one right-wing Israeli lawmakers rebuffed a US House bill that had endorsed a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while rejecting efforts to boycott the Jewish state.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Reps. Brad Schneider, Lee Zeldin, Jerry Nadler and Ann Wagner, the co-sponsors of the bill and staunch supporters of Israel, the Israeli lawmakers asserted that a Palestinian state is “far more dangerous to Israel” than the boycott movement against Israel.

A neighboring Palestinian State would “undoubtedly be a dysfunctional terrorist state” which would “undermine stability” in the region and “severely damage the national security of both Israel and the United States."

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.
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#EGYPT: Cairo Talks Continue Between Two Palestinian Factions Over Control Of Gaza

[world politics news]

Delegations from the Palestinian Fatah and Hamas movements held separate meetings in Cairo to discuss reviving the Palestinian reconciliation process. While the Hamas delegation announced its approval of the latest Egyptian proposal to promote inter-Palestinian reconciliation, the Fatah delegation returned to the West Bank for consultations with President Mahmoud Abbas. Sources close to the talks in Cairo say Pres. Abbas wants a formula that guarantees the Palestinian Authority’s “full empowerment” in Gaza, something Hamas rejects.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SOUTHSUDAN: Rebel Leader To Return As Vice President As Part Of Power-Sharing Deal To End Civil War

[world politics news]

A power-sharing deal has been signed between South Sudan Pres. Salva Kiir and his deputy-turned-rebel leader Riek Machar, who will return to his position as one of the nation's four vice presidents, in the latest attempt to end a bloody civil war. The unitary government the two men will form together is the second attempt since 2013, when the Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup, triggering a civil war. The last attempt, in 2015, collapsed when intense clashes broke out in Juba, the capital, a year after a similar deal was signed.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CHINA: Foreign Min. Gives Blessing To Upcoming US/N. Korea Talks

[world politics news]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says that China supports North Korea's upcoming summit meetings with Seoul and Washington and that China will continue to work for denuclearization and the establishment of a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula. The statement comes after a rare out-of-country visit to China by North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jun-un.

Pictured: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) shakes hands with Ri Yong-ho, foreign minister for North Korea, in Beijing.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SOUTHKOREA: New Pres. Moon Taking "Softer" Approach To North Korean Neighbors

[world politics news]

South Korea says it wants to re-establish lines of communication with North Korea, as new President Moon Jae-in seeks a two-track policy involving sanctions and dialogue with its reclusive neighbor to rein in its nuclear and missile programs. The two countries are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North has ignored calls to curb its weapons programs, defending them as necessary to counter US hostility.


[FULL STORY HERE]

#ISRAEL: Knesset Legalizes West Bank Settlements In Symbolic Vote

[world politics news]

Israel’s parliament passed a law on Monday retroactively legalizing about 4,000 settler homes built on privately-owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. The legislation is largely symbolic because the Supreme Court has ruled many of these settlements to be illegal. Opposition leader Yitzhak Herzog denounced the measure as "an acute danger to Israel" that could lead to prosecution at the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
[FULL STORY HERE]

#COLOMBIA: Voters Narrowly Reject Peace Deal With FARC Rebels

[world politics news]

Voters have narrowly rejected a peace deal between the government and the Marxist group, FARC. The deal would have ended 52 years of war and allowed FARC fighters to re-enter society and form a political party. But 50.2% opposed the deal while 49.8% favored it. Some attribute the result to Pres. Juan Manuel Santos' unpopularity. He championed the Yes vote. Many "No" voters wanted the rebels to face harsher punishment.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#NORTHERNIRELAND: "Continued Devolution" Of Powers To N. Ireland Within Reunification An Idea Gaining Favor

[world politics news]

Achieving a united Ireland could involve “transitional arrangements” short of unity that could include continued devolved government in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy recently told a peace conference - an idea that has gained favor recently as a possible way to achieve unification.

#PALESTINIANAUTHORITY: Palestinian PM Rejects Netanyahu's Call For Direct Talks

[world politics news]

Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah has dismissed an Israeli proposal for direct negotiations in place of a French multilateral peace initiative, calling it an attempt to "buy time." Hamdallah made the comments as he met French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who has held talks in Israel and the Palestinian territories this week to push Paris’s peace initiative. Netanyahu has rejected the plan and called for direct negotiations.

#LIBYA: US Sanctions Libyan Parliament Leader For Blocking #UN-Backed Transition

[world politics news]

The US Treasury Department has sanctioned Aguila Saleh, the president of Libya’s internationally recognized parliament in Tobruk, over his effects to block the formation of a UN-backed government of national unity. Saleh "is responsible for stalling political progress in Libya," said John E. Smith, Acting Director of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control. The statement said Saleh repeatedly blocked votes by Libya’s House of Representatives to support the North African country’s political transition. The sanctions freeze Saleh's assets in the US.

#LIBYA: Parliament Set To Vote On Unity Gov't

[world politics  news]

Libya's internationally recognized parliament was set to vote Monday on ratifying a UN-backed peace deal and endorsing a unity government seen as crucial to stemming widespread unrest.

#SOUTHSUDAN: Gov't And Rebels Sign Power-Sharing Agreement, Even As Fighting Continues

[world politics news]

President Salva Kiir has signed a power-sharing agreement with rebels led by former Vice-President Riek Machar, even though he says he has "reservations" about the deal. With all parties having signed, it will mean an immediate ceasefire for both sides. Machar signed the agreement last week, though fighting resumed shortly thereafter.

#SOUTHSUDAN: Warring South Sudanese Factions Seek Power-Sharing Agreement In Peace Talks

[world politics news]

South Sudan’s rival factions are in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, aiming to strike a power-sharing deal before an August 17 deadline. The country, which became independent in 2011, has been engaged in a civil war since 2013. The country's former vice-president is leading an armed insurrection against the government.

#LIBYA: Islamist-Backed Rival Parliament Rejects Peace Deal, But Will Keep Talking

[world politics news]

The Islamist militia-backed rival parliament in Tripoli has rejected a UN proposal to resolve Libya's political crisis but the General National Congress said it wanted to press on with talks with the internationally-recognized parliament in Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya. UN envoy Bernardino Leon had appealed to both sides to endorse his proposals for a merged administration during talks in Morocco.


Pictured: Libyan protesters set a portrait of United Nations envoy Bernardino Leon on fire during a demonstration outside the General National Congress in Tripoli. 

#PALESTINIANAUTHORITY: "No Place For Hamas" In New Gov't Says Pres. Abbas; Members Must "Recognize Israel"

[world politics news]

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that any new Palestinian unity government would not include Hamas. Abbas is building a new cabinet after the government collapsed this week amid a deepening rift with Hamas. Abbas reportedly said all government members must "recognize Israel" which would exclude Hamas.

#NORWAY: Pty Ldr Says Labor Gov't Would Recognize #Palestinian State; Israeli Amb. Warns

[world politics news]

Labor Party Leader Jonas Gahr Støre says his party would recognize Palestinian state if they come to power. He stated that there must be no longer a prerequisite of a peace agreement before recognition. Israeli Ambassador Raphael Schutz warned that recognition would be a mistake that prolongs the conflict.

#PALESTINIANAUTHORITY: Pres. Abbas Says He'll Work With #Netanyahu; Slams Hamas For Refusing Reconciliation

[world politics news]

Palestinian Authority Pres. Mahmoud Abbas says he will work with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as a peace partner, and slammed Hamas, accusing it of rejecting any possibility for reconciliation by its opposition to elections in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, where says Israel.