[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
Yemeni-Americans cry foul over passport revocations Amel Ahmed sheds light on the plight of US citizens of Yemeni origin, whose passports and documents are being confiscated at the US embassy in Sanaa.
Saudi minister says no role for Assad in transition The Saudi foreign minister asserts that the Syrian president cannot have a role in any political transition.
Egypt will return $3b to Qatar this year Egypt promises to return the Qatari loan by the end of the year.
Riyadh gives $100M for UN counterterrorism The Saudi government announces that it will donate one-hundred million dollars to the United Nations International Center for Counterterrorism.
Turki calls for UN resolution to pull out Shiites from Syria The former head of the Saudi intelligence agency attacks the United States for its policy on Syria, and calls for a resolution to pull “Iraqi and Lebanese Shiite militia” from the country.
Wanted Saudi Al Qaida militant killed in Syria Abdullah Sulaiman Al Dhabah, who is number eleven on Saudi Arabia’s wanted list of forty-seven militants abroad, is killed in Syria.
Reports and Opinions
Dubai’s Holy Quran Park to feature nearly all the plants mentioned in Holy Book A news report on the opening of the Holy Quran Park in Dubai in September 2015.
UAE convicts 30 over Muslim Brotherhood ties The Emirati authorities convict a group of Emirati and Egyptian nationals on charges of illegally establishing a Muslim Brotherhood branch in the country.
UAE gives assurances on health of president after stroke: agency The Emirati government issues a statement on the health of Shaykh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan after having surgery following a stroke.
`65% of females in Yemen marry underage` Jumana Al Tamimi reports on a study published by Sanaa University on the number of child marriages in the country.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahraini police, protesters clash after funeral Clashes between the police and protesters in Diraz erupted during the funeral of twenty-year-old Fadhel Abbas, who was detained on suspicion of smuggling explosives and died in custody a few days ago.
Bahrain deadlocked talks saved from brink, some hope for progress Rania El Gamal argues that the crown prince’s meeting with leaders from the opposition pulled the national dialogue back from the brink of failure.
Bahrain political parties asked for dialogue ideas Habib Toumi reports on the Bahraini government’s request that the political factions expected to take part in the new national dialogue share their vision on five topics.
Bahrain - Imprisoned medic deprived of adequate medical treatment for injuries sustained through torture, and authorities prosecute yet another human rights defender The Gulf Center for Human Rights expresses its concern over the treatment of detained human rights activists.
Crisis in Yemen
What really happened when a U.S. drone hit a Yemeni wedding convoy? Iona Craig offers an in-depth account of the US drone strike on a wedding convoy in Radaa in early December.
Houthi delegate to Yemen unity talks killed Ahmad Sharafeddin, a law professor and a member of the Huthi delegation to the national dialogue, is shot dead.
Yemen’s national dialogue conference concludes with agreement Members in the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference agree on a document on which the new constitution will be based.
Yemen extends Hadi`s presidency by one year, approves federal state Political factions taking part in the national dialogue agree to a number of conditions, including the extension of the Yemeni president’s term by one year.
Yemen’s conference: No proper end An article on the persisting divisions haunting the country despite the end of the national dialogue.
Analysis: No voice for Yemen`s southern youth Peter Salisbury argues that the concerns of young southerners, who are part of the independence movement, continue to be ignored, and raises the specter of an armed uprising.
Yemen gunmen shoot dead senior security officer Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Amir al-Mahthouthi is shot dead outside his home in Hadramawt.
Drone strike kills 3 Al Qaida suspects in Yemen A news report on a recent drone strike in the Obeida valley.
Migrant Workers
Qatar World Cup: 185 Nepalese died in 2013 – official records Owen Gibson and Pete Pattisson argue that the death toll of migrant workers in Qatar is likely to rise as new cases are revealed.
Saudi Arabia says it has deported more than 250,000 foreign migrant workers The interior ministry confirms that a quarter million foreign workers, who were residing illegally in the kingdom, were deported in the last three months.
More companies are applying for temporary work permits Bassma Al Jandaly discusses the popularity of temporary work permits for many companies.
Media
Al Jazeera journalists languish in Egypt jail Robert Kennedy reports on the prison conditions of three Al Jazeera journalists, who were arrested in late December.
Peter Greste: Egypt detention is `attack on press freedom` The Australian journalist writes a letter describing his and his colleagues’ detention as an “attack on freedom of speech.”
Egypt extends detention of Australian al-Jazeera journalist Peter Greste The jailed journalist will remain in solitary confinement for another fifteen days.
Media in Saudi Arabia: In the realm of the censors An article on the flourishing of, and changes in, newspapers in Saudi Arabia.
Bahrain denies ban imposed on columnists The media adviser to the royal palace denies claims that directives have been issued to newspapers to refrain from publishing opinions critical of the state’s move to relaunch the national dialogue.
Tweet sparks new controversy over religious issue Habib Toumi reports on a dispute between an activist and a religious scholar over a comment on the length of men’s beards.
Kuwait activist’s sentence shocks rights body A lower court sentences Abdullah Fairuz Abd Al Karim, whose father is Kuwaiti and mother Egyptian, to five years in jail to be followed by deportation for criticizing the emir on Twitter.
Human Rights Watch
UAE: Human Rights Watch Official Refused Entry The Emirati authorities refused to allow Sarah Leah Whitson to enter the country for a planned visit.
UAE: Assaults on Dissent, Free Expression The organization reviews the Gulf state’s human rights record in 2013.
Dispatches: Ending Child Marriage in Yemen Belkis Wille discusses the national dialogue`s recommendation to set the minimum age of marriage for boys and girls at eighteen.
Kuwait: Jail, Exile for Insulting Emir The organization urges the Kuwaiti authorities to drop charges against Abdullah Fairuz Abd al-Karim, who is sentenced to five years in jail, followed by exile, for allegedly insulting the emir on Twitter.
Arabic
تضارب سياسات زعماء الخليج واولوياتهم يهدد تحالفهم
Said al-Shihabi argues that divisions among leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council constitute a serious threat to their alliance.
من السيرة المحرّمة لآل سعود: الغدر والمكر والفتنة البكر
Jaafar al-Bakli writes on al-Saud`s history of sedition, deceit, and treachery.
الإعلام السعودي ينتقد بشدة دعاة `يغررون` بالشباب للقتال في سوريا
The Saudi media is waging a campaign against religious preachers enticing young people to fight in Syria.
اليمن: ردود فعل واسعة بعد اغتيال القيادي الحوثي شرف الدين وصنعاء تعيش حالة استثنائية مع الجلسة الختامية لمؤتمر الحوار الوطني
Khalid al-Hamadi writes on reactions to the assassination of Ahmad Sharafeddin, a law professor and a member of the Huthi delegation to the national dialogue in Yemen.
نجاة نجل أمين حزب التجمع اليمني للاصلاح من محاولة اغتيال
Ali Awadha reports on the failed attempt on the life of a Yemeni politician`s son.
اليمن | الحوثيون يطالبون بإسقاط الحكومة ويهادنون القبائل
Hundreds of Huthi protesters demonstrate in Sanaa and demand governmental change following the assassination of a member of their delegation to the national dialogue.
اليمن | نجاح وساطة لوقف الاشتباكات في الشمال
A news report on a ceasefire between the Huthis and the Hashid tribes in north Yemen.
أمين عام `الحوار اليمني`: لسنا مع تهجير السلفيين وعلى الجنوبيين أن يكونوا جزءاً من الحل
Mohammed Jumaih interviews Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, the Secretary General of the Yemeni National Dialogue, to discuss the current political scene and future prospects in Yemen.
الرئيس اليمني: مؤتمر الحوار الوطني أنهى أعماله على قاعدة لا غالب ولا مغلوب
The Yemeni president announced the conclusion of the national dialogue conference.
المعارضة البحرينية تلتقي ممثلين عن السلطة
The Bahraini opposition meets with representatives from the Bahraini government to discuss the relaunching of the national dialogue.
البحرين: المعارضة بصدد تشكيل تكتل وطني جامع لاستمرار الحوار
Bahraini opposition factions are attempting to form an inclusive coalition before the start of the national dialogue.
ولي عهد البحرين ينقذ محادثات المصالحة من الإنهيار وانتعاش الآمال في تحقيق تقدم
The Bahraini crown prince’s meeting with leaders from the opposition has nourished hopes of progress in the national dialogue.
الرئيس الاماراتي في حال مستقرة اثر اصابته بجلطة
The Emirati president, Shaykh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, is stable after surgery following a stroke.