BAHRAIN REVOKES CITIZENSHIP OF 115 PEOPLE BASED ON TERRORISM CHARGES<\/h2>\n
On Tuesday, May 15, a Bahraini court revoked the citizenship of 115 people on terrorism charges, 53 of whom received life sentences. The accused were believed to have been involved in militant activities in connection with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The government attributed the country\u2019s recent civil unrest to Iran and Hezbollah involvement. Commenting on the verdicts, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy activist, Sayed Ahmed Alwadai said, \u201cThis outrageously harsh sentence is setting a new level of injustice in Bahrain. Rendering people stateless in a mass trial is a clear violation of international law. This is the worst verdict on the record.\u201d Rights groups stated that the court rulings follow in the tradition of post-Arab Spring governmental crackdowns where opposition groups are suppressed and discriminated against.<\/p>\n
KUWAIT ANNOUNCES U.N. DRAFT RESOLUTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF PALESTINIANS<\/h2>\n
Kuwait\u2019s United Nations Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi\u00a0said<\/a> on Tuesday, May 15, that he would push for a draft U.N. Security Council resolution on the \u201cprotection of Palestinians.\u201d Al-Otaibi\u2019s announcement followed the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, which resulted in violent clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators. Nearly 60 Palestinian demonstrators were killed and 1,200 were injured.<\/p>\n On Wednesday May 16, the GCC states agreed to increase<\/a> sanctions against Hezbollah\u2019s senior leadership under the U.S-Gulf partnership of the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center. The partnership had been previously established last year before the onset of the GCC crisis. These developments emerged as a result of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo\u2019s diplomatic efforts. The Associated Press dubbed the move<\/a> as having limited practical impact, citing strict withstanding U.S. sanctions against Hezbollah. The increased sanctions followed after U.S President Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal.<\/a><\/p>\n On Sunday, May 27, Bahrain\u2019s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa stated that the blockade in Qatar is unlikely to end<\/a> soon, stating, \u201cWe were expecting from the beginning of the crisis with Qatar that the emir of Qatar would go to Saudi (Arabia) but this did not happen.\u201d<\/p>\n He elaborated by saying that Qatar was prolonging the crisis by going to Western allies instead of directly to the Gulf States. The crisis has lasted nearly a year.<\/p>\n The Saudi authorities arrested around 11 women\u2019s rights activists on charges of undermining national security. Saudi state media accused the mostly female activists of being \u201ctraitors\u201d and \u201cagents of embassies,\u201d with suspicious contacts and financial ties abroad. The Saudi government then released four out of 11 detained women\u2019s rights activists. The terms of release were not revealed by the authorities. The released activists were among those who had not been denounced by state-backed media.<\/p>\n The Saudi government had arrested numerous women\u2019s rights activists who had previously protested the kingdom\u2019s male guardianship system and its ban on female driving. The series of arrests happened in the wake of the country\u2019s decision<\/a> to overturn its decades-long driving ban.<\/p>\n Experts viewed the arrests in accordance with the country\u2019s renewed efforts of appeasing ultraconservative religious bodies. Saudi Arabia\u2019s diplomatic circles expressed concern over the government\u2019s actions. According<\/a> to a diplomatic source interviewed by Reuters, \u201cThese actions are inconsistent with messages of reform on which Western support for Vision 2030 is based.\u201d<\/p>\n The United Nations urged the Saudi-led military coalition blockading Yemen\u2019s ports to hasten food imports in order to prevent another spike in Yemen\u2019s ongoing food crisis. According to a U.N. report, 8.4 million people currently stand at risk of starvation. U.N Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock stated<\/a>, \u201cIf conditions do not improve, a further 10 million people will fall into this category by the end of the year.\u201d Yemen\u2019s food security has always been tied to food importation with 90 percent of its food being imported.<\/p>\n The Qatari government issued a directive banning products originating from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain. The government\u2019s official statement outlined precautionary measures to ensure the safety of Qatar\u2019s citizens. The statement read<\/a>, \u201cProducts originating from the blockading states, which as a result of the blockade cannot pass the Gulf Cooperation Council Customs Territory, have to undergo proper import inspections and customs procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\nU.S. AND GULF STATES STRENGTHEN SANCTIONS AGAINST HEZBOLLAH<\/h2>\n
BAHRAIN SEES \u2018NO GLIMMER OF HOPE\u2019 FOR ENDING QATAR CRISIS SOON<\/h2>\n
SAUDI GOVERNMENT RELEASES FOUR WOMEN\u2019S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS<\/h2>\n
U.N. URGES SAUDI-LED COALITION TO HASTEN YEMEN FOOD IMPORTS<\/h2>\n
QATAR BANS PRODUCTS ORIGINATING FROM BLOCKADING COUNTRIES<\/h2>\n