Iran-Saudi ties
Iran’s relations with Saudi Arabia are on the right track. That’s according to the Iranian foreign minister who met with his Saudi counterpart in Riyadh. In a joint presser in the Saudi capital, Amir-Abdollahian pointed to the regional issues as well. He denounced the Israeli regime for seeking to spread division and hostility in West Asia. The top Iranian diplomat added that Tehran will continue to monitor the regime’s maneuverings in the region. The Saudi Foreign minister, for his part, touched upon the significance of the meeting with Amir-Abdollahian.
Bahraini prisoners on strike
People in Bahrain have taken to the streets in solidarity with hundreds of prisoners who have been on hunger strike for about two weeks. The protests were held in several Bahraini towns. A similar protest was held outside Bahrain’s embassy in Berlin on Thursday. The prisoners in the notorious Jau prison say they have been deprived of adequate healthcare, among other issues. A number of hunger-striking detainees have lost consciousness as the strike drags on. The al-Wefaq National Islamic Society has called on people to answer the prisoners’ call for a sit-in in support of them on Friday. During the past decade, Bahrain has been ratcheting up crackdown on the country’s Shia majority that only demands more political freedom. Massive street protests first started in 2011 but were suppressed with the help of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Israeli atrocities
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has condemned the latest Israeli violence against Palestinian inmates in the Negev prison. The movement has called the attack by Israeli prison service forces a serious crime that will not go unanswered. In its statement, Hamas reiterated support for the Palestinian prisoners. The Islamic Jihad resistance movement condemned the attack too and echoed similar comments. Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 Palestinian inmates at different Israeli jails have launched an open-ended hunger strike to protest growing Israeli violence. On Thursday morning, IPS forces attacked Palestinian inmates at two units of Negev jail. Tensions have been running high over the transfer of various prisoners and other limitations on their living conditions. Palestinians are also furious at the Wednesday visit by far-right Israeli minister Ben Gvir to another prison, Ofer. They see it as provocative. Ben Gvir has repeatedly called for exerting pressure on Palestinian detainees.