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Government forces have fired shotgun pellets and tear gas to disperse hundreds of mainly Shia Muslims participating in a Muharram procession in Indian-administered Kashmir, injuring dozens, witnesses have said. The violence came as the disputed Himalayan region - where nearly 97 percent of residents are Muslims -  observed Ashoura  on Saturday, the 10th day of the Muharram month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Police said mourners on the outskirts of the region's main city of Srinagar violated prohibitory orders that restrict all religious processions and gatherings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Medical workers at a hospital in Srinagar told The Associated Press they treated at least 30 people, some of them with pellet and tear gas injuries. Residents said many other injured were taken to another hospital in the city. Videos circulating on social media showed police in armed vehicles warning the mourners to disperse before firing

Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Emadi met Saturday with Israeli security officials in an attempt to quell the escalating violence between the  IDF  and Hamas, a source confirmed to  The Jerusalem Post. Al-Emadi entered Israel from Gaza through the Erez checkpoint and met with representatives from the Shin Bet, the Office of the Coordinator for Government Activities and the Southern Command, according to the Arabic Al-Quds website. He returned to Gaza where he has been holding talks with Hamas for a number of days. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process  Nickolay Mladenov  on Friday took to Twitter to warn that an escalation in Gaza is imminent unless both Israelis and Hamas exercise restraint and pull back from the brink. “I am VERY concerned that escalation is imminent,” he tweeted. He spoke in the aftermath of an exchange of fire between Palestinian militants in Gaza and the IDF. Over the last weeks Palestinians have launched incendiary balloons and rocket

In a month or so, there will be a historic signing ceremony in Washington, DC. The US president will congratulate the parties (and himself) for advancing peace in the Middle East. The Israeli prime minister will talk about regional cooperation. The crown prince of the UAE will take credit for halting annexation, but there will be no Palestinians in the room. Four years ago, president-elect Donald Trump was already eyeing “the ultimate deal” brokering a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. Less than three years later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to unilaterally apply sovereignty to settlements in the  West Bank . Trump’s commitment to make peace and Netanyahu’s vow to apply sovereignty have always been in direct tension. Although there have been many implausible arguments made by the Israeli Right in favor of annexation, its palliative effect on Palestinian-Israeli relations has never been one of them. Skip forward to August 13, 2020. No por

First signs emerge that Sunni Islamist Ankara is seeking to fill the vacuum According to a report on the pro-Saudi Al Arabiya website published on August 19, officials in Lebanon are concerned at increased indications of Turkish efforts to build strength and influence in the country. The report quoted two sources in Lebanese intelligence, who mentioned recent Turkish efforts to bring weapons into northern  Lebanon . “We are pretty worried about what’s going on. The Turks are sending an incredible amount of weapons into the north,” the website quoted its source as saying. These reports await confirmation, and Al Arabiya is of course a media source linked to Saudi Arabia – a state rival of  Turkey ’s. But the evidence for a broader Turkish effort to build influence and allies in Lebanon in recent months is considerable, and solid. As are the indications of a Turkish-controlled infrastructure emerging in Sunni northern Lebanon. Both fit with the broader pattern both of Tur