[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
John Kerry arrives in Saudi Arabia to smooth ties A news report on the US Secretary of State’s trip to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to ease tensions with the kingdom.
Kerry hails disgruntled Saudi Arabia as important U.S. ally Lesley Wroughton and Angus McDowall report on the visit of the US Secretary of State to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi minister plays down policy differences with U.S. The Saudi foreign minster emphasizes that the recent differences with Washington are over tactics, not goals.
Region Slowly Turns to Diplomacy in Syria Crisis Ibrahim al-Amin examines the turn toward a diplomatic solution for Syria in the region following the failure of the military option.
Turkey expels Saudi intelligence over diplomatic rift: source Ankara decides to shut down Saudi intelligence offices in Turkey following disputes between the two countries over the conflicts in Syria and Iran.
Will US-Saudi Rift Open Oil Market to Iran? Hassan Chakrani discusses whether the rift between Washington and Riyadh will facilitate Iran’s return to the international oil market.
Syrian conflict: Persian Gulf officials, tired of waiting for U.S., move to boost aid to rebels Karen DeYoung and Bob Woodward examine the military support the Gulf states are providing to the Syrian rebels.
Bahrain-Qatar ties receive new boost Habib Toumi discusses the Qatari emir’s first official visit to Bahrain and both regimes’ decision to build a causeway to link the two countries.
Reports and Opinions
UAE – Human rights defender Abdullah Al-Hadidi released after 10 months in jail The Gulf Center for Human Rights reports on the release of the activist who tweeted on the case of the UAE 94.
Saudi Princes Fret As’ad AbuKhalil blogs on the likely solution to the US-Saudi rift and the disunity among the Saudi royal family.
Saudi Arabia frees man jailed for Muhammad tweets, jails another A news report on the release of Hamza Kashgari, and the imprisonment of Waleed Abu al-Khair who signed a petition demanding political reforms in 2011.
Saudi religious leader urges youths not to fight in Syria Mahmoud Habboush comments on a statement that Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti issued, urging young Saudis to refrain from fighting in Syria.
Saudi police question columnist over female drivers campaign Tariq al-Mubarak, a newspaper columnist, remains in detention for his role in supporting the end to the ban on women driving.
Saudi Arabia beheads 70th convict this year A news report on the latest beheading in the kingdom.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahrain Crackdown Extends to Exhibit on Crackdown Robert Mackey reports on a police raid of the offices al-Wifaq National Islamic Society to seize material used in an exhibition on the 2011 security crackdown on anti-regime protests.
Insult charges for Bahraini opposition leader The Bahraini authorities charged the head of al-Wifaq National Islamic Society with insulting the state through an exhibition on police violations during the 2011 uprising.
Bahrain teargas stockpile plan faces international opposition Ian Black writes on the Bahraini government’s reaction to the international campaign to prevent it from buying huge amounts of teargas.
Bahrain jails four for life, six to 15 years for Iran-linked cell A news report on the jail sentences of ten Bahrainis charged with setting up a cell linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and planning to assassinate public figures in the Gulf state.
Crisis in Yemen
Salafists ‘killed in rocket attack on Yemen Mosque’ Four people killed and several injured in an attack on a mosque in Saada.
Dozens killed in Yemen sectarian clashes More than fifty-five people died in the last four days during clashes between the Houthi rebels and Salafis in the northern town Dammaj.
Shi’ite and Sunni fighters in Yemen agree on ceasefire Fighters in Dammaj to a ceasefire yesterday following the death of more than one hundred people.
Yemeni street artist uses Sana’a walls to remember the disappeared Abubakr al-Shamahi writes on Murad Sobay, who stencils faces of disappeared political prisoners on the walls of the capital to keep their memory alive.
New Yemen charter could ban child marriages A news report on the efforts of the organization that is drafting the new constitution in Yemen to set the age of marriage at eighteen.
Migrant Workers
Foreign workers stay home to escape Saudi visa crackdown Marwa Rashad and Angus McDowall state that many expatriates stayed home yesterday to avoid the beginning of the Suadi crackdown on illegal foreign workers.
Man beating in Saudi Arabia raises questions over expat rights in kingdom A news report on a video showing a Saudi man beating an Asian employee for talking to his wife.
399 illegal workers arrested in Oman A news report on a crackdown against illegal residents in Oman in the last two days, and the deportation of thirty-four people to their respective countries.
Oman freezes expatriate recruitment in construction and cleaning sectors The Ministry of Manpower in Oman will not allow small construction and cleaning companies to recruit expatriates for the next six months in an attempt to limit illegal foreign work.
Human Rights Watch
Kuwait: 10 Years for Twitter Comments The organization condemned the decision of the court of appeals to uphold the prison sentence of Hamad al-Naqi.
Dispatches: Saudi Arabia Releases a Blogger, Convict an Activist Adam Coogle reports on the release of Hamza Kashgari and Waleed Abu al-Khair’s three-month jail sentence.
Saudi Arabia: Free Journalist who Supported Women Driving The organization called upon the Saudi authorities to release a journalist who was arrested after expressing support for an end to the ban on women driving.
UAE: Concerns About Muslim Brotherhood Trial The organization expressed concerns over the trial of sixty-nine people accused of attempting to overthrow the government, which is scheduled to start today.
Media
Kuwaiti blogger faces 10 years in jail for ‘insulting’ tweets Roy Greenslade blogs on the decision of the appeals court to uphold the jail sentence of Hamad al-Naqi, who was charged with insulting the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, among other charges.
Arabic
اليمن: قتلى في هجوم "القاعدة" واستمرار القتال بين الحوثيين والسلفيين
A news report on an attack on a checkpoint in Abyan, and on the ongoing fighting between the Salafis and Houthis in Saada in Yemen.
القادة الكويتيون يدقون ناقوس الخطر
The Kuwaiti emir announces that comprehensive reforms are needed in the Gulf states.
تركي الفيصل والموساد
Prince Turki al-Faisal participates in a conference attended by Israeli officers in the Mossad.
التقارب السعودي - الإسرائيلي
Samir Karam looks into the Saudi-Israel rapport.
عندما "تهدد" السعودية أميركا!
Zuhair Androus analyzes Saudi Arabia`s empty threats to the United States.
المملكة وخصومة الحلفاء
Habib Fayad examines Saudi-US relations.
السعودية | هل ترجع الزوجة العجوز صاغرة وتتسلل إلى فراشها تحت جنح الظلام؟
Nizar Abboud wonders if Saudi Arabia will take up the Security Council non-permanent seat after the failure to exert pressure on the United States.
امتحان العلاقة الأميركية السعودية: هل ديبلوماسية الحلفاء في خطر؟
Najat Sharaf al-Din examines the issues that led to the deterioration of Saudi-US relations.
الصراع يحتدم بين التغيير واعدائه
Said al-Shihabi examines Saudi Arabia`s regional policy and its recent fallout with the United States.
الإبراهيمي: غياب السعودية لا يعطل "جنيف 2"
Lakhdar Brahimi, the United Nations and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria, asserts that the absence of Saudi Arabia will not affect the upcoming meeting of the Syrian opposition groups in Geneva.
السعودية تسير على طريق الانهيار: اهدار مال قارون
Amr Mohsen argues that the real challenges facing Saudi Arabia are economic extravagance and social instability.
السعودية: الإفراج عن مغرد وسجن محام 3 أشهر
The Saudi authorities release a Saudi blogger, and sentenced a lawyer to a three-month prison sentence for signing a petition protesting the arrest of a reformist group.
البحرين: وزارة العدل تهدد جمعية سياسية
Political groups in Bahrain expressed their solidarity with the Unitary National Democratic Assemblage after attempts by Bahrain`s ministry of justice to interfere in its affairs.
شرطة البحرين تغلق معرضاً فنياً عن "الحركة المطالبة بالديموقراطية"
The Bahraini police shut down an exhibition on police violations during the 2011 uprising.
علي سلمان ل"السفير" بعد التحقيق معه: حكومة البحرين تصادر الحقوق.. ونبحث عن الحوار
An interview with Ali Salman, head of Bahrain`s al-Wifaq National Islamic Society, following six hours of interrogation after the Society sponsored an exhibition on police violations during the anti-government protests.
محامون بحرينيون يتطوعون للدفاع عن سجناء الرأي
Bahraini lawyers volunteer to defend activists who are tried on cases related to freedom and human rights.