[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating on the Arabian Peninsula and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of the Arabian Peninsula Page Editors or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to ap@jadaliyya.com by Monday night of every week.]
Regional and International Relations
Israel establishes ‘virtual’ Gulf embassy The Israeli foreign ministry starts a Twitter account directed towards nationals of the Gulf Cooperation Council states in order to open channels of dialogue with them.
UAE buys two French surveillance satellites The United Arab Emirates buys two military surveillance satellites from France, which cost more than seven-hundred million euros.
Saudi Regional Supremacy? Not So Fast As’ad AbuKhalil argues that there are different obstacles facing the kingdom’s regional rise.
Reports and Opinions
Saudi rights activist Iman al-Qahtani given travel ban Sebastian Usher reports that the activist came under pressure from the security services after live-tweeting the hearings of two human rights activists, Mohammad al-Qahtani and Abdullah al-Hamid.
Kuwait court acquits 3 ex-MPs of insulting emir A news report on the overturn of the jail sentences of three opposition figures ahead of the upcoming elections.
Kuwait jails woman 20 months for anti-emir tweets Kuwait’s appeals court upholds the prison sentence against Sara al-Darees.
Dubai sentences Norwegian woman who reported rape Interior designer Marte Dalelv is sentenced to a sixteen-month prison term for reporting her rape to the police.
Dubai rape case Norwegian woman ‘free to go’ Marte Dalelv was pardoned and is free to leave Dubai.
Repression in Bahrain
The Story of Bahrain As’ad AbuKhalil argues that the Bahrainis who are protesting the regime do not exist in Arab or Western media since their uprising poses a threat to Western interests.
Car bomb hits Bahrain Sunni Mosque A car bomb explodes outside the Isa Bin Salman Mosque in Manama.
Bahrain arrests three over Sunni mosque blast: Ministry The Bahraini authorities arrest three men suspected of planning the bomb attack outside a Sunni mosque in Manama last Wednesday.
Bahraini forces escalate house raids, arbitrary arrests: NGO A report on Bahraini security forces’ raids on houses and arrests of activists since April.
Crisis in Yemen
The Drone that Killed my Grandson Nasser al-Awlaki writes on the death of his sixteen-year-old grandson, an American citizen, in a drone strike in southern Yemen in 2011.
US drone strikes in Yemen cast a long shadow over life on the ground Francois-Xavier Tregan examines the impact of drone strikes on Yemenis.
Yemenis battle for mosques in Sunni-Shia divide A report on the increased friction between Sunni extremists and Shia Zaidi rebels over the control of mosques in Sanaa.
Iran embassy employee abducted in Yemen A news report on the abduction of a staff member in the Iranian embassy by gunmen in Sanaa on Sunday.
Qaeda Yemen branch says number 2 killed in US drone strike A leader in Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula announces the death of Sheikh Saeed al-Shehri in a drone strike.
Migrant Workers
Dubai arrests man for sharing assault video A news report on the arrest of a cameraman who filmed and posted a video showing an Emirati man beating an Indian expatriate van driver.
Ethiopian migrants tell of torture and rape in Yemen Yalda Hakim writes on the experience of thousands of Ethiopian migrants who try to reach Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states but fall in the hands of criminal gangs and the Yemeni military.
Saudi Bands Ethiopian Workers The Saudi authorities ban Ethiopian workers from entering the kingdom following reports of crimes against children.
Kuwait’s Foreign Labor: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow Yazan al-Saadi writes on the Kuwaiti authorities’ plan to cut down the number of foreign workers by half by 2023.
Culture
Mecca Clock Tower Photo Shows Kaaba in The Shodow of Abraj al-Bait Building An article on the dwarfing of the Masjid Al-Haram by the luxury hotel and clock tower, The Abraj al-Bait Towers.
Wadjda: Haifa al Mansour on becoming Saudi Arabia’s first female feature film director – video interview An interview with the Saudi director, Haifaa al Mansour, who directed Wadjda.
Wadjda – review Philip French provides a synopsis of the film Wadjda, which depicts the life of a ten-year-old Saudi girl who is trying to own a bike to race against her friend Abdullah.
Media
Yemeni journalist who reported US missile strike is released from jail Tom McCarthy writes on the release of Abdulelah Haider Shaye, who was kept in prison for years at the request of the Obama administration after reporting that an attack on an al-Qaeda training camp was carried by the United States.
Arab news TV rivals Al-Arabiya, Al-Jazeera draw up Egypt battle lines An article on how the two channels have been more concerned with propagating the attitudes of their financiers in their coverage of events in Egypt.
Al Jazeera America names former ABC executive as president Matt Williams reports on Kate O’Brien heading the Qatar-owned network.
Arabic
السعودية: عبء الثورة المضادة الثقيل
Madawi al-Rasheed writes on Saudi Arabia and the heavy burden of the counterrevolution.
القرضاوي يعود إلى قطر
A news report on the return of Shaykh Youssef al-Qaradawi, the influential Egyptian Islamic theologian, to Qatar, which ends rumors of his expulsion from the Gulf state.
اليمن: خلاف حول الهوية الدينية يعيق عمل فريق بناء الدولة في مؤتمر الحوار ويفجر أزمة بين الاسلاميين وحلفائهم
Khalid al-Hamadi reports on the dispute among the Islamists and their allies in socialist and nationalist parties over the religious identity of the Yemeni state.
اليمن: هادي يتجه نحو قطر لتخفيف الضغط السعودي الإماراتي عليه بشأن وأد المشروع الديمقراطي في بلاده: الرياض تمارس ضغوطا عليه من أجل التوقيع على اتفاقية الحدود وعدم التنقيب عن النفط في الجوف
Khalid Hamadi argues that the Yemeni president is leaning towards Qatar in an attempt to alleviate the Saudi and Emirati pressure on him.
تفجير الرفاع: دخان نار طائفية تتهدد البحرين
Yessar Salman argues that the car bomb outside Isa bin Salman mosque increases fear of sectarian tension in Bahrain.
سلطات المنامة تحرض على المعارضة البحرينية… خليجياً
The Bahraini authorities incite the people of Gulf countries against the Bahraini opposition.
وزير كويتي: دعمنا لمصر `رد للجميل` بعد وقوفها معنا أثناء الغزو العراقي
Kuwait`s Minister of Municipality asserts that his country`s recent financial aid to Egypt was an act of gratitude for Egypt`s support of Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion.
اختيار ملك البحرين شخصية العام في خدمة كتاب الله
Fayz al-Thimali reports on King Abdullah`s choice of the Bahraini king as "Person of the Year" for his services for the Quran.