RSS
CNN & Other Media Give Voice to Anti-Israel ‘Human Rights’ Organization
Bartender and survivor of the Nova Festival, May Hayat, takes cover as rocket sirens sound, during her first visit to the scene of the attack, on the one-month anniversary of the attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on Oct. 7, near Re’im, Israel, Nov. 6, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
An organization called Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor describes itself as a “youth-led independent, nonprofit organization that advocates for the human rights of all persons across Europe and the MENA region, particularly those who live under occupation, in the throes of war or political unrest and/or have been displaced due to persecution or armed conflict.”
Behind this humanitarian mask, however, lies an organization steeped in anti-Israel bias, conspiracy theories, and activism. But this has not stopped international media from citing some of Euro-Med Monitor’s most outrageous charges against Israel.
As noted by NGO Monitor, Euro-Med Monitor has published articles that accuse Israel of “apartheid,” “genocide,” and “ethnic cleansing,” and has issued calls for an arms embargo as well as sanctions against the Jewish state.
Among the more extreme conspiracy theories published by Euro-Med Monitor are claims that Israel is engaged in organ trafficking, that the IDF engages in extra-judicial killing, and that Israel has used doctored photos to cover up these executions.
ORGAN THEFT IN GAZA | NGO ACCUSES ISRAEL
Euro-Med Monitor, a group of 68 human rights organizations in 30 countries, has accused Israel of harvesting organs from Palestinian bodies in Gaza.
Euro-Med: “Israel is the world’s biggest hub for the illegal trade of human organs… https://t.co/VJXWgEkq51 pic.twitter.com/6M5gvHMc4J
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 27, 2023
The perfect example of Euro-Med Monitor’s anti-Israel obsession is its output following Hamas’ brutal October 7 invasion of southern Israel.
Since that day, the organization has published close to 100 articles on Israel and the war in Gaza, documenting what it deems to be Israel’s transgressions in the coastal enclave.
At the same time, not one article has been published about the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7, the ongoing hostage situation in Gaza, or the persistent rocket fire directed at Israeli civilians since then.
In fact, in less than 20% of these Gaza war-related articles are October 7 or Hamas even mentioned at all. When they are mentioned in passing, it is simply to provide context for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
For an organization that claims to be dedicated to “human rights,” it is clear that the rights of Israelis do not figure into its supposed fight for justice.
Euro-Med Monitor’s troubling agenda is a mirror of the ideology of its staff and leadership.
Founder Ramy Abdu has been accused of being one of Hamas’ “main operatives” in Europe, Chief of Progammes Muhammad Shehada (who was previously profiled by HonestReporting) has a history of whitewashing Palestinian terrorism, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Richard Falk, is a former UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories who has promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories and has compared the Jewish state to Nazi Germany.
Yet, despite Euro-Med Monitor’s clear anti-Israel agenda and questionable leadership, both the organization and its staff have recently been cited in both the mainstream and alternative media.
CNN cited the “NGO” in a report on Israel’s detention of suspected Hamas members in Gaza, while EuroNews and Metro UK both published articles based on claims made by the organization.
EuroNews’ reliance on the “human rights group” is particularly egregious, as it published the organization’s conspiracy theory-driven report on alleged Israeli human trafficking.
In addition, Muhammad Shehada has recently been quoted by the BBC, Metro UK, Middle East Eye, and the anti-Israel outlet Electronic Intifada.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said on that Israeli army forces have been carrying out field executions against civilians, after detaining them from their homeshttps://t.co/8fgkIWFfC7
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 26, 2023
With its flagrant anti-Israel bias (which includes stooping to medieval anti-Jewish tropes) and prejudiced leadership, should mainstream news outlets like CNN and the BBC be relying on Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor as a legitimate source for reporting on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas?
The post CNN & Other Media Give Voice to Anti-Israel ‘Human Rights’ Organization first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Trump Eyes Bringing Azerbaijan, Central Asian Nations into Abraham Accords, Sources Say
US President Donald Trump points a finger as he delivers remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 31, 2025. Photo: Kent Nishimura via Reuters Connect
President Donald Trump’s administration is actively discussing with Azerbaijan the possibility of bringing that nation and some Central Asian allies into the Abraham Accords, hoping to deepen their existing ties with Israel, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter.
As part of the Abraham Accords, inked in 2020 and 2021 during Trump’s first term in office, four Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel after US mediation.
Azerbaijan and every country in Central Asia, by contrast, already have longstanding relations with Israel, meaning that an expansion of the accords to include them would largely be symbolic, focusing on strengthening ties in areas like trade and military cooperation, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Such an expansion would reflect Trump’s openness to pacts that are less ambitious than his administration’s goal to convince regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia to restore ties with Israel while war rages in Gaza.
The kingdom has repeatedly said it would not recognize Israel without steps towards Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state.
Another key sticking point is Azerbaijan’s conflict with its neighbor Armenia, since the Trump administration considers a peace deal between the two Caucasus nations as a precondition to join the Abraham Accords, three sources said.
While Trump officials have publicly floated several potential entrants into the accords, the talks centered on Azerbaijan are among the most structured and serious, the sources said. Two of the sources argued a deal could be reached within months or even weeks.
Trump’s special envoy for peace missions, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, in March to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Aryeh Lightstone, a key Witkoff aide, met Aliyev later in the spring in part to discuss the Abraham Accords, three of the sources said.
As part of the discussions, Azerbaijani officials have contacted officials in Central Asian nations, including in nearby Kazakhstan, to gauge their interest in a broader Abraham Accords expansion, those sources said. It was not clear which other countries in Central Asia – which includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – were contacted.
The State Department, asked for comment, did not discuss specific countries, but said expanding the accords has been one of the key objectives of Trump. “We are working to get more countries to join,” said a US official.
The Azerbaijani government declined to comment.
The White House, the Israeli foreign ministry and the Kazakhstani embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Any new accords would not modify the previous Abraham Accords deals signed by Israel.
OBSTACLES REMAIN
The original Abraham Accords – inked between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan – were centered on restoration of ties. The second round of expansion appears to be morphing into a broader mechanism designed to expand US and Israeli soft power.
Wedged between Russia to the north and Iran to the south, Azerbaijan occupies a critical link in trade flows between Central Asia and the West. The Caucasus and Central Asia are also rich in natural resources, including oil and gas, prompting various major powers to compete for influence in the region.
Expanding the accords to nations that already have diplomatic relations with Israel may also be a means of delivering symbolic wins to a president who is known to talk up even relatively small victories.
Two sources described the discussions involving Central Asia as embryonic – but the discussions with Azerbaijan as relatively advanced.
But challenges remain and there is no guarantee a deal will be reached, particularly with slow progress in talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The two countries, which both won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, have been at loggerheads since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh – an Azerbaijani region that had a mostly ethnic-Armenian population – broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia.
In 2023, Azerbaijan retook Karabakh, prompting about 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia. Both sides have since said they want to sign a treaty on a formal end to the conflict.
Primarily Christian Armenia and the US have close ties, and the Trump administration is wary of taking action that could upset authorities in Yerevan.
Still, US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump himself, have argued that a peace deal between those two nations is near.
“Armenia and Azerbaijan, we worked magic there,” Trump told reporters earlier in July. “And it’s pretty close.”
RSS
Trump Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty Over Western Sahara
A Polisario fighter sits on a rock at a forward base, on the outskirts of Tifariti, Western Sahara, Sept. 9, 2016. Photo: Reuters / Zohra Bensemra / File.
US President Donald Trump has reaffirmed support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, saying a Moroccan autonomy plan for the territory was the sole solution to the disputed region, state news agency MAP said on Saturday.
The long-frozen conflict pits Morocco, which considers the territory as its own, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state there.
Trump at the end of his first term in office recognized the Moroccan claims to Western Sahara, which has phosphate reserves and rich fishing grounds, as part of a deal under which Morocco agreed to normalize its relations with Israel.
His secretary of state, Marco Rubio, made clear in April that support for Morocco on the issue remained US policy, but these were Trump’s first quoted remarks on the dispute during his second term.
“I also reiterate that the United States recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and supports Morocco’s serious, credible and realistic autonomy proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute,” MAP quoted Trump as saying in a message to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
“Together we are advancing shared priorities for peace and security in the region, including by building on the Abraham Accords, combating terrorism and expanding commercial cooperation,” Trump said.
As part of the Abraham Accords signed during Trump’s first term, four Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel after US mediation.
In June this year, Britain became the third permanent member of the U.N. Security Council to back an autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty for the territory after the U.S. and France.
Algeria, which has recognized the self-declared Sahrawi Republic, has refused to take part in roundtables convened by the U.N. envoy to Western Sahara and insists on holding a referendum with independence as an option.
RSS
Israel Says Its Missions in UAE Remain Open Despite Reported Security Threats
President Isaac Herzog meets on Dec. 5, 2022, with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. Photo: GPO/Amos Ben Gershom
i24 News – Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that its missions to the United Arab Emirates are open on Friday and representatives continue to operate at the embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai in cooperation with local authorities.
This includes, the statement underlined, ensuring the protection of Israeli diplomats.
On Thursday, reports appeared in Israeli media that Israel was evacuating most of its diplomatic staff in the UAE after the National Security Council heightened its travel warning for Israelis staying in the Gulf country for fear of an Iranian or Iran-sponsored attacks.
“We are emphasizing this travel warning given our understanding that terrorist organizations (the Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah and Global Jihad) are increasing their efforts to harm Israel,” the NSC said in a statement.
After signing the Abraham Accords with Israel in 2020, the UAE has been among the closest regional allies of the Jewish state.
Israel is concerned about its citizens and diplomats being targeted in retaliatory attacks following its 12-day war against Iran last month.
Earlier this year, the UAE sentenced three citizens of Uzbekistan to death for last year’s murder of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Cohen.