[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
A Film Joins the Fight between the Syrians and Saudis Rania Abouzeid reviews Najdat Anzour’s “The King of the Sand,” a film that negatively portrays King Abdulaziz, founder of the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Philip Hammond ignores the truth about drone atrocities Clive Stafford Smith criticizes the British defense minister for failing to admit the human toll of the US drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen.
Saudi Arabia Will Go It Alone Saudi ambassador to Great Britain Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud vows that the kingdom will continue in the same path with regard to Syria, with or without its allies, in a New York Times op-ed.
Complications of the Saudi Alliance With Israel As’ad AbuKhalil blogs on the state of Saudi-Israeli relations.
Reports and Opinions
Yemen’s women struggle to reap benefits of Arab Spring Shaimaa Khalil reports on the role of women in the 2011 Yemeni uprising and the continued struggle for women’s rights.
Saudi court upholds jail, lashes for Egyptian lawyer A Saudi appeals court upholds the ruling against Ahmed al-Gizawi, who is accused of smuggling anti-anxiety drugs into the kingdom.
UAE pulls out of Eurofighter deal The Gulf state decides not to buy sixty Typhoon jets from British defense contractor BAE Systems.
Kuwait ministers submit resignation to PM Kuwaiti cabinet ministers resign, opening the door for a cabinet reshuffle.
Saudi king appoints son as governor of Mecca The Saudi king appoints Prince Mishaal to the prestigious position of the governor of Mecca.
Saudi security court jails poet Habib al-Maatiq The poet who has been in detention for more than a year is sentenced to one year in prison in connection with anti-regime protests in the Eastern Province.
Saudi digital generation takes on Twitter, YouTube … and authorities Ian Black reflects on young Saudis’ use of social media to express their views and the heavy price they have to pay sometimes for voicing critical perspectives.
Is Saudi Arabia planning to censor YouTube? Heather Saul writes about claims that Saudis may have to obtain permission from the authorities to share videos on YouTube.
Saudi Arabia using arrests ‘to scare online critics’ Matthew Weaver reports on the Saudi regime’s campaign of intimidation that targets online activists.
UAE court convicts eight over ‘spoof documentary video’ Six foreigners and two Emirati nationals are sentenced to up to a year in prison for “defaming” the image of Emirati society.
Crisis in Yemen
Al-Qaeda in Yemen ‘sorry’ for hospital attack The commander of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula issues a rare apology for the attack on a hospital attached to the ministry of defense earlier this month, which left fifty-two people dead.
Yemen Deaths Test Claims for New Drone Policy Mark Mazzetti and Robert Worth examine the Obama administration’s new drone policy in light of the attack on a wedding convoy that left at least twelve people dead a few weeks ago.
Three killed in Yemen secessionists clashes A clash erupted between security forces and southern secessionists yesterday in Daleh when the latter attempted to hoist the flag of the former South Yemen from a governorate building.
Yemen shuts airports amid strike The Yemeni government shuts down its international airport following a strike that civil aviation workers organized.
Plague of locusts destroys crops in Yemen – video Footage of swarms of locusts invading Yemen and destroying crops.
Migrant Workers
Campaigners criticise UAE for failing to tackle exploitation of migrant workers David Batty reports on the ill treatment of foreign workers in the Gulf state.
The dark side of Abu Dhabi’s cultural revolution – video Glenn Carrick visits Saadiyat island, home of the new Guggenheim and Louvre museums, and reports on the condition of migrant workers building these sites.
Saudi expulsions leave broken dreams in Africa and Asia Angus McDowall, Praveen Menon, and Arron Maasho examine the impact of Saudi Arabia’s new labor laws on the one million migrant workers who had to leave the kingdom since March.
Human Rights
UAE- Human rights defender arrested after interview with CNN The Gulf Center for Human Rights expresses concerns over the arrest of Obaid al-Zaabi after appearing on CNN.
Press release: Launching a Committee to Protect Children’s Rights in Bahrain The Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights forms a committee dedicated to documenting violations against children in Bahrain.
Challenging the Red Lines Human Rights Watch releases a report documenting stories of human rights activists in Saudi Arabia.
Arabic
بندر خدع الغرب مجدداً
Fouad Ibrahim argues that Prince Bandar bin Sultan has deceived the West again through asserting that Saudi Arabia can control extremist Islamist militants.
"الحب المستحيل" بين سفن الخليج
Lamis Dhaif examines the obstacles to any meaningful union between the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
مجلس التعاون الخليجي يتصدع من داخله
Said al-Shihabi analyzes the disintegration of the Gulf Cooperation Council from within.
البحرين: دعوة إلى العصيان المدني في "عيد الشهداء"
Bahrain`s opposition movement called for civil disobedience to commemorate Martyrs` Day on the anniversaries of independence day and the coronation of the king.
"ثورة اللؤلؤة": لا حلول في الأفق… في انتظار تسوية إقليمية
Rasha Abi Haidar argues that the Bahraini opposition should expect no compromise until a solution for the regional crisis is reached.
البحرين | المنامة تكسر "الحصار الملكي": فليسقط حمد
Ahmed Youssef reports on the Bahraini opposition`s success in commemorating Martyrs` Day despite the ruling family`s efforts to suppress protests.
المرحلة المقبلة في البحرين: مؤشرات التغيير
Fadhil Abbas maintains that there are indications of change in Bahrain in light of the nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington.
الأبعاد الإقليمية للتحالف الشيعي الخليفي في البحرين
Abbas Bousafwan analyzes the regional consequences of a possible alliance between the ruling family and the Shia majority in Bahrain in the future.
قطر في الضاحية مجدداً… علناً
The Qatari ambassador to Lebanon met with Hezbollah officials during his visit to al-Dahiyya following a Qatari official envoy`s secret visit to the Secretary General of Hezbollah.
البرلمان اليمني يلزم الحكومة بمنع تحليق الطائرات الأمريكية بدون طيار
Zakaria al-Kamali reflects on the Yemeni parliament`s votes against the use of US drones to target al-Qaeda affiliated suspects.
اليمن | "خارطة الطريق" مهددة بالفشل
An article on the unlikely success of Yemen`s road map given the rise of violence and poverty, and of the seeming failure of the national dialogue.
اليمن | توتر أمني يستبق "الهبة الشعبية"
A news report on tensions in Hadramaut ahead of popular protests that tribal leaders called for to expel security forces and northern Yemenis from the southern region.
حضرموت تعلن الكفاح المسلح ورفع علم "اليمن الجنوبي" في مطار عدن.. إنشقاقات وإنفجار أمني
A news report on the scene in Hadramaut, where separatist southern groups are calling for armed resistance against Sanaa.
اليمن: محافظة حضرموت تلتهب ضد الدولة والهبة الشعبية تفشل في تحقيق أهداف الحراك الجنوبي المسلح الداعي إلى احتلال المؤسسات الحكومية
Khalid al-Hamadi reports on the failure of the popular protests in Hadramaut to achieve the goals of the southern separatist movement.
اليمن: نائب برلماني يطالب برفع قضية ضد الرياض في الجنايات الدولية
A Yemeni member of parliament asks his government to file a lawsuit against the Saudi regime for the ill treatment of Yemeni workers in the kingdom.
اليمن: الكتابة على الجدران في صنعاء تثير الشحن الطائفي
Amjad Abdul al-Hafiz reports on the political graffiti on the walls of cemeteries in the Yemeni capital which have exacerbated sectarian tensions.
اليمن: انفجار عبوتين ناسفتين في مبنى حكومي
Two explosions rocked a building belonging to the ministry of public work in Ma`rib in Yemen.
منتدى منظمات مدنية يطالب دول الخليج بالاصلاح
A forum of civil organizations urge the Gulf regimes to implement political reforms.
محاكمة 9 مسؤولين حكوميين وتنفيذيين بسلطنة عمان في قضايا فساد
A news report on the trial of nine Omani state officials on charges of corruption.
تغييرات في قيادة وزارة الداخلية السعودية
A news report on restructuring in Saudi Arabia`s ministry of interior.
متى تتعظ السعودية؟
Mohammed Abeed asserts that Saudi Arabia needs to adopt a different approach to regional issues.
السعودية: سنقاتل في سوريا… ولو وحدنا
The Saudi ambassador to Great Britain publishes an article in The New York Times asserting that the kingdom will continue in the same path with regard to Syria, with or without its allies.
قطر تحتفل بالعيد الوطني تحت شعار `قلوبنا موارد عزنا`
A news report on Qatar`s independence day celebrations last week.