[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
Saudi Arabia and Iran Reach Out Tentatively Ben Hubbard examines the recent rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran.
GCC ambassadors’ reinstatement reports denied Habib Toumi reports on a Bahraini diplomat’s assertion that the three Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors in Qatar are not returning to Doha within days.
Saudi shouts support for Egypt's new anti-Islamist leader Yara Bayoumy reports on the Saudi king’s message to the Egyptian people to embrace Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Saudi king invites countries to attend donor conference for Egypt King Abdullah asks countries to attend a donor conference for Egypt following the election of al-Sisi as a president.
Actions speak louder than words, Qatar told Ramadan Al Sherbini analyzes Qatari-Egyptian relations in light of the election of al-Sisi as a president.
Gulf security inseparable to Egypt’s security, Al Sissi says The newly elected Egyptian president emphasizes that the security of the Gulf states is vital to his country.
Reports and Opinions
Qatar: Too rich for its own good An Economist article on Qatar’s regional and global ambitions.
UAE introduces compulsory military service Male high school graduates between eighteen and thirty are required to serve nine months in the United Arab Emirates.
Kuwait ex-MPs get jail terms for insulting emir Kuwait’s supreme court handed three former opposition members of parliament twenty-month suspended jail terms for insulting the emir.
Two get death sentence over Shiite unrest A Saudi court sentenced two people to death and jailed a third for twenty-five years for participating in anti-government protests.
Repression in Bahrain
Nabeel Rajab: The problematic success of 'human rights' in the Arab world Mark LeVine argues that the human rights discourse in the region is employed by governments to oppress and silence their people.
Bahrain jails activists for life over Asian expat’s killing A Bahraini court jails four activists for life for “forming and joining a terror group.”
Crisis in Yemen
Relatives drop lawsuit against drone strikes Charlie Savage reports on the decision of al-Awlaki’s relatives not to appeal a federal judge’s dismissal of a lawsuit they filed against Obama administration officials.
Drone strike kills three suspected militants in Yemen: sources A drone strike killed at least three al-Qa‘ida fighters in Wadi Abida last week.
North Yemen clashes ‘leave 120 dead’ At least one hundred Houthi fighters and twenty soldiers were killed during the latest clashes between the two sides in Amran.
Yemen says 500 al Qaeda militants, 40 soldiers killed in campaign Colonel Saeed al-Faquih claims that five hundred al-Qa‘ida militants died during the military offensive against the group in April.
Fighting in Yemen displaces 20,000 people: UN A news report on the number of displaced people in Amran due to the fighting between Houthi fighters and government forces.
Yemeni army and Shia rebels agree ceasefire The United Nations envoy, Jamal Benomar, brokers a ceasefire deal between the Yemeni forces and Houthi fighters in Amran.
Yemeni airstrike ends ceasefire in flare-up of Houthi rebellion Yemeni warplanes bomb Houthi fighters.
'AQAP fighters' attack Yemen army checkpoint Six government-allied tribesmen were killed in an al-Qa‘ida attack on a military checkpoint in Shabwa.
Yemen's democracy shift hampered by 'forgotten' humanitarian crisis Ellie Violet Bramley argues that hunger, access to safe water, and lack of security constitute a serious challenge to political transition in Yemen.
Qatar World Cup 2022
Qatar World Cup 2022: Investigator nears probe conclusion FIFA investigator and New York lawyer Michael Garcia intends to complete his probe early this week.
Qatar 2022: Fifa sponsor demands ‘appropriate investigation’ Five of FIFA’s six sponsors—including Visa, Coca-Cola, Sony, and Adidas—have called upon the association to carry out “an appropriate investigation.”
Qataris defend country’s right to host World Cup Robert Booth examines Qataris’ reactions to the allegations of bribery.
Qatar faces fresh corruption claims over World Cup bid A news report on recent allegation of corruption in awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup tournament.
Fifa could factor in human rights record when choosing World Cup hosts Owen Gibson writes on FIFA’s new plan to factor in human rights records while awarding future bids in the wake of allegations of corruption and mistreatment of migrant workers in Qatar.
Migrant Workers
Scores of migrants drown off Yemeni coast At least sixty migrants from Ethiopia and Somalia along with two Yemeni crew members drowned before reaching Yemen.
Yemen’s human traffickers prey on Ethiopian migrants William Davison reflects on the kidnapping of Ethiopian migrants to extort ransoms from their families.
Human Rights
Dispatches: In Kuwait, Deported for an Opinion Belkis Wille, from Human Rights Watch, deplores the Kuwaiti authorities’ announcement that they will deport an Egyptian imam for criticizing the Egyptian elections.
Bahrain: PRESS RELEASE / Renewed call for release of jailed Bahraini journalists before Human Rights Council’s 26th Session The Gulf Center for Human Rights, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights demand the release of Hussain Hubail and Qassim Zain Aldeen.
A Tiny Kingdom’s Worldwide Warrior Eric Reidy writes for the Bahrain Center for Human Rights on Maryam al-Khawaja, who has not been allowed to board an airplane from London to Bahrain last year.
Saudi Arabia: Trumped up charges, including under cyber crime law, submitted against Waleed Abu Al-Khair The Gulf Center for Human Rights calls upon Saudi authorities to release the human rights activist.
Bahrain: Urgent Appeal: Redha AlGhasra at Risk The Bahrain Center for Human Rights is concerned over the news that Redha al-Ghasra is placed in a cell with an inmate who has Pulmonary Tuberculosis, which is infectious.
Bahrain: 15 Year-Old Child Detained and Denied Education The Bahrain Center for Human Rights condemns the arrest of Firas al-Saffar from his home.
Health
Mers virus: Saudi Arabia raises death toll to 282 Saudi authorities confirm that almost three hundred people have died because of the MERS virus.
Saudi Arabia sacks minister criticized over handling of MERS Angus McDowall and Kate Kelland report on the dismissal of the deputy health minister over his handling of the deadly virus.
WHO experts find hospital breaches worsened MERS outbreak in UAE Kate Kelland writes on the outbreak of the virus due to lapses in infection control measures in hospitals in the United Arab Emirates.
Media
Peter Greste’s parents preparing for the worst as journalist faces maximum term Michael Safi reports on the Egyptian prosecutors’ announcement that he would seek the maximum fifteen-year sentence for the three Al Jazeera English’s journalists.
Kuwait suspends TV programs over report related to 'plot' tape The information ministry referred several newspapers to the public prosecutor for violating a news ban on covering an alleged plot against the regime.