New and Noteworthy in Arab and Islamic Affairs, 10-30-17

New and Noteworthy in Arab and Islamic Affairs, 10-30-17
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L to R: Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, Ivanka Trump, Dina Powell

L to R: Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, Ivanka Trump, Dina Powell

Hints of coordination for a “regional settlement” with Israel, and mixed outcomes for Algerian soft power. To subscribe to this daily roundup by Mideast specialist Joseph Braude, click here.

Kushner, Greenblatt, and Powell pay a secret visit to Saudi Arabia... It’s Kushner’s third trip to the kingdom this year, and observers surmise based on his portfolio that it relates to a regional peace initiative.

... while Bibi freezes the far-right’s “Jerusalem Bill.” The Knesset legislation calls for annexing 19 Jewish communities on 1967 land Palestinians want as part of their capital in Jerusalem. The State Department had called on Israel to nix the bill.

Meanwhile, gains for Algeria at NATO ... It’s scientific cooperation among research institutes to develop “an innovative detection system to help in the fight against terrorism while engaging key partners in practical cooperation.” Political implications include a modest gain over Morocco vis a vis the latter’s Western allies.

... But Human Rights Watch charges Algiers with racial profiling and mass deportation of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. “Nothing justifies rounding up people based on their skin color, and then deporting them en masse,” said HRW’s MENA director.” The accusation is a blow to Algerian esteem on the continent’s south amid a contest with Morocco over alliances in the area.

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