by Peter Jacobs

President Donald Trump may have angered the Israeli government just days before his trip to the Middle East. There has been speculation that Trump would visit the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, during his Israeli trip, which would make him the first sitting US president to do so. However, Israel’s Channel 2 reports that while planning the visit, a Trump aide questioned Israel’s control over the holy site, located in disputed East Jerusalem. Channel 2 reports, as noted by the Times of Israel, that a Trump aide then angrily told Israelis that the Western Wall was part of the West Bank, which is governed in part by the State of Palestine. “What are you talking about? It’s none of your business. It’s not even part of your responsibility. It’s not your territory. It’s part of the West Bank,” said the White House official, according to Channel 2.

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly wanted to accompany Trump to the Western Wall, a request the White House reportedly denied. Israelis also reportedly asked for a camera crew to film Trump, which prompted the American’s remarks. An Israeli official told Channel 2 that the Trump team member’s comment “was received with astonishment.” Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the remarks were “not the position of this Administration,” according to journalist Itay Hod. The Western Wall — also known as the Kotel — is the last remnant of the ancient Jewish Second Temple, and the closest that Jews can get to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.

The site has been politically controversial, as it is located in Jerusalem’s Old City, which was under Jordian control from the founding of Israel in 1948 to 1967, when it came under Israeli control following the Six-Day War. In an odd coincidence, Trump’s new Ambassador to Israel David Friedman arrived in the country the same day as Channel 2’s report and made his first stop the Western Wall The reaction to Trump’s reported visit to the site shows why sitting US presidents have stayed away from the Western Wall. The US president could now anger both Israelis and Palestinians with his visit.

By Reem Hosam El-din -albawaba.com – A forecast report conducted by Colliers International for the hotels of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for the three-month period from April to June 2017 has showed that the UAE and Egyptian cities have experienced an increase in the number of reviews from Russian travellers who tend […]

Riad Salameh, Governor of the Banque Du Liban and HE Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC by cpifinancial.net – The audience was addressed by HE Riad Salameh, Governor of the Banque Du Liban (Lebanese Central Bank) and HE Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC. They highlighted how the banking sector is strategically important in both Lebanon and […]

By Youssef Diab  – english.aawsat.com

Beirut – Lebanese detainees arrested on terrorism charges in Lebanese prisons launched their “empty stomachs” campaign and began their open hunger strike until their demands are met and a general amnesty is issued leading to their release. Sheikh Khaled Hoblos, detained in Roumieh Prison, declared a mass hunger strike at Lebanese prisons on Saturday with the participation of 850 prisoners of several prisons. The announcement for the strike came through an audio clip of Hoblos released from prison where he announced “a hunger strike to demand a general amnesty” urging the prison administrations not to force inmates to end their hunger strike, deeming it “a right guaranteed by the law.”

 He asked politicians to grant prisoners an amnesty aside from any political motives, he also called on Prime Minister Saad Hariri to prioritize Lebanon’s national interest. Meanwhile, a Lebanese security source confirmed that hundreds of detainees had indeed begun their strike and refused to receive their daily meals. The source told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the number of prisoners participating in the strike reached 575 out of 600, 200 from Tripoli prison in the north, and about 60 others from Jezzine prison, south Lebanon. He added that prison administration began monitoring the prisoners and is following up on their medical situation. Prior to the strike, families of inmates blocked the roads and began protests to press for general amnesty at the beginning of the presidency of President Michel Aoun.

by Daily Star Lebanon – BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Friday that Arab banks should play a bigger role in the reconstruction drive in the region. “First, the size of the reconstruction processes in the Arab world requires more openness and cooperation between all Arab banking sectors and all Arab banks from all countries,” Hariri told participants in a conference on financing reconstruction in Arab states organized by the Union of Arab Banks.

“Second, the size of the reconstruction processes requires us to join the global trend of activating partnerships between the public and private sectors, particularly the process of developing infrastructure as the pillar of any economic growth. This is not the first time a senior Lebanese or Arab official has called on banks to help in financing the reconstruction of Arab states that have witnessed wars and conflicts.

“The forum’s title, ‘Financing Reconstruction – In the Aftermath of the Arab transformations,’ summarizes our vision of the future based on turning challenges into opportunities. “Today our Arab countries are witnessing crises and challenges on all political, security, economic and social levels,” Hariri added. Hariri shared with the participants Lebanon’s experience in rebuilding the country and the role of the banks in financing reconstruction projects.

By Joseph A. Kechichian Senior Writer Gulf news – This article represents opinion of the author – Beirut: Lebanon could see a shifting of alliances as Lebanese President Michel Aoun’s Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), which has traditionally been allied with the Shiite Amal and Hezbollah parties, may switch sides to an anti-Syrian alliance comprised […]

By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon is on the brink of crisis again with its politicians at odds over an election law at the heart of the nation’s sectarian system, threatening to leave the country without a parliament for the first time. Parliament’s term expires on June 20 and without a compromise Lebanon faces what one minister has called the most serious political crisis since the end of the 1975-90 civil war. Some analysts believe the dangers of a parliamentary vacuum – including the risk this would topple the government – will force a compromise deal, though there is no sign of one yet.

A short extension of parliament’s term beyond June 20 now looks inevitable to allow more time for a deal, though a so-called “technical extension” of a few months will also require a political agreement. Leaders have ruled out a longer extension on concerns of a popular backlash that could cause unrest. “This is the most dangerous crisis the country has been through since the Taif agreement,” Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told Reuters, referring to the 1989 peace deal that ended the civil war. “It is the first time since even before Taif that we are close to a (legislative) vacuum,” he said However, the prospect of a return to civil war appears remote. Lebanese leaders remain committed to containing sectarian tensions exacerbated by six years of war in Syria. The bigger risk is state paralysis as the government tries to revive an economy saddled by massive public debt and to cope with the strain of 1.5 million refugees from neighboring Syria.

By english.aawsat.com– “Hezbollah” Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah declared on Thursday that the party “competed its mission” along Lebanon’s border with Syria, leaving the arena to the Lebanese state. He announced that “Hezbollah” has “dismantled its positions” along the border, but noted that there is “no end in sight” to the battle on the outskirts of the […]