[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 Affairs
Saudi Arabia leans on Gulf states to close ranks as region boils William MacLean and Amena Bakr report on Saudi Arabia’s efforts to reconcile differences among the Gulf states.
Analysis: Qatar's foreign policy - the old and the new Jamal Abdullah argues that though regional events have shaped Qatari foreign policy, they have not affected its fundamentals.
Bahraini king congratulates Mubarak on favourable court verdict King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifah congratulates the former Egyptian president on his acquittal in a phone call.
Can Vladimir Putin save Saudi Arabia's sheikhs from the glut of oil? Debbie Carlson argues that Saudi Arabia needs Russia in its efforts to trim oil production.
Saudis block OPEC output cut, sending oil price plunging Alex Lawler, David Sheppard, and Rania El Gamal write on Saudi Arabia’s refusal to cut production of oil.
UAE sees oil price stabilizing, steps up pressure on non-OPEC The United Arab Emirates joins Saudi Arabia in asserting that OPEC should not panic as oil prices will stabilize soon.
Abu Dhabi crown prince in Qatar to seal reconciliation before summit Abu Dhabi’s crown prince pays a brief visit to Qatar ahead of a regional summit to be held in Doha this month.
GCC foreign ministers to meet in Doha The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council met in Doha in preparation for the Doha summit this month.
Qatar ends naturalisation of Bahrainis: official Qatar stops the naturalization of Bahraini nationals, a key point of contention between Qatar and Bahrain.
Egypt welcomes Saudi king’s call on Gulf accord The Egyptian presidency welcomes the Saudi king’s initiative to end the rift between Qatar and Egypt.
Qatar runs covert desert training camp for Syrian rebels Amena Bakr writes on Qatar’s training of moderate Syrian rebels.
Saudi man released from Guantánamo in rebuke of Republican opposition Spencer Ackerman reports on the release of Muhammad al-Zahrani from Guantanamo.
Denmark citizen shot in Saudi Arabia A Danish citizen is shot in the shoulder from “an unknown source” in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia probes motives behind an attack on Canadian Saudi investigators are probing the motives behind an attack on a Canadian national in Dhahran.
Reports and Opinions
Saudi Arabia says Islamic State ordered attack on Shi'ites in al-Ahsa The Saudi interior minister announces that the four arrested suspects in the attacks in al-Ahsa last month received the order from the Islamic State.
Saudi Arabia: Why succession could become a princely tussle Gerald Butt examines the thorny issue of succession in Saudi Arabia.
Wahhabism at the heart of the controversy Hanan al-Hashemi argues that any hint of criticism of Wahhabism is still a red line in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia beheads Turk for drug trafficking The Saudi authorities execute a Turkish national, bringing the number of people beheaded in the kingdom this year to seventy.
Oman considers life after Qaboos Jillian Kestler-D’Amours writes on the implication of the failure of Sultan Qaboos to attend the Omani national day due to his ill health.
Sepp Blatter insists that the 2022 World Cup will be staged in Qatar FIFA president asserts that the World Cup will be held in Qatar in 2022, ignoring serious concerns over the bidding process.
Repression in Bahrain
Bahrain releases pro-democracy activist awaiting trial The Bahraini regime released Zainab al-Khawaja, who was arrested after publically tearing apart a picture of the king.
Bahraini police raid house of top Shiite cleric The Bahraini authorities raid the house of Shaykh Eisa Qasem in Diraz.
Bahrain gears up for run-off elections Ismaeel Naar writes on the upcoming parliamentary and municipal elections in Bahrain.
Bahrain holds disputed election amid Shia boycott calls A news report on the legislative and municipal elections in Bahrain, which took place two weeks ago.
Bahrain election: What's behind the boycott? A news report on the implication of the opposition’s boycott of the elections.
In remarkable shift, Bahrain voters may support independents Habib Toumi analyzes the results of the parliamentary and municipal elections in Bahrain.
Bahrain ‘open to dialogue with opposition’ The Bahraini minister of information says that the Bahraini regime is open to dialogue with the opposition.
Bahrainis vote in second round of parliamentary election Bahrainis voted in the second round of parliamentary elections last Saturday.
Bahrain cabinet resigns The Bahraini cabinet resigns following the announcement of the results of the second round of the elections.
Bahrain jails three activists, strips them of nationality A Bahraini court strips three activists of their nationality on suspicion of planning an attack on the police.
Two policemen injured by bomb at Shi'ite village in Bahrain A bomb injured two policemen last week in the village of Deraz.
Crisis in Yemen
Al-Qaeda in Yemen claims 'Houthi killings' Al-Qa‘ida in the Arabian Peninsula claims that it killed twelve Houthi fighters in Radaa.
Yemen's Houthis accused of rights violations Hashem Ahelbarra analyzes a report issued by Human Rights Watch on human rights violations committed by Houthi fighters.
Al-Islah politician killed in Yemen's Taiz Al-Islah’s assistant secretary-general died in an explosion in Taiz.
The rise of the Houthis Martin Reardon analyzes the increasing power of the Houthis.
Yemen troops free al-Qaeda hostages US and Yemeni security forces free seven Yemeni hostages and a foreigner from al-Qa‘ida.
Al-Qaida escapes with British and American hostages before US special forces raid in Yemen A news report on the failure of US and Yemeni troops, who freed the eight hostages, to find other Western hostages.
Five killed in clashes between Houthis, Sunnis in Yemen capital Five people die in clashes between Houthi fighters and tribesmen in Sanaa.
Yemen rival groups seek to de-escalate tensions Delegates of al-Islah party and the Houthi movement meet to reach an agreement to end their hostilities.
Al-Qaeda claims bombings on US embassy in Yemeni capital Al-Qa‘ida claims that its fighters set off explosive devices at the entrance of the US embassy.
Southern Yemenis rally in Aden for secession Thousands of Yemenis demanded the end of Yemeni unity on the anniversary of South Yemen's independence.
Migrant Workers
GCC, Asian labour ministers agree on new measures to protect workers Gulf and Asian labor ministers approve initiatives aiming to improve the work conditions of foreign workers.
Unified GCC maid contract approved Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council agree on the provisions of a unified Gulf contract for domestic workers.
5-year residency permits for expats in Saudi Arabia The Directorate General of Passports intends to start renewing foreign workers’ permits for five years, instead of one.
Human Rights
Dispatches: The Ugly Truth Behind the UAE’s Gleam Rothna Begum, from Human Rights Watch, documents the working conditions of construction workers in the United Arab Emirates.
UAE: Protect Migrant Domestic Worker’s Rights Human Rights Watch addresses a letter to the Emirati minister of state for foreign affairs, urging him to end the exploitation of domestic workers in the Gulf state.
Saudi Arabia: Assault on Online Expression Human Rights Watch deplores the Saudi regime’s harassment of people who post critical views online.
Yemen: Civilian Toll of Fighting in Capital Human Rights Watch accuses the Houthi fighters of committing human rights violations during the fighting in Sanaa.
Bahrain: Maryam Al-Khawaja remains defiant after in absentia prison sentence Maryam al-Khawaja tells Amnesty International that she will continue to expose abuses in Bahrain even though the regime sentenced her to one year in jail in absentia.
UAE: Man tortured and jailed after defending imprisoned father on Twitter Amnesty International describes the trial of Osama al-Najjar, who was convicted of “instigating hatred" against the state, as a charade.
UAE: Ruthless crackdown on dissent exposes 'ugly reality' beneath façade of glitz and glamour Amnesty International reports on the ongoing harassment of activists in the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia: Human rights defender Fawzan Al-Harbi imprisoned for ten years The Gulf Center for Human Rights condemns al-Harbi’s jail sentence.
Bahrain: Women’s rights defender Ghada Jamsheer released and immediately re-arrested The Gulf Center for Human Rights expresses its concern over the arrest of Jamsheer.
Qatar: Anniversary of sentenced poet recalls the need for the promotion and protection of freedom of expression and all human rights The Gulf Center for Human Rights urges the Qatari regime to respect freedom of expression and freedom of speech.
Bahrain: Statement by Maryam Al-Khawaja on the Decision to Boycott Bahrain Court The Gulf Center for Human Rights publishes Maryam al-Khawaja’s statement on her decision to boycott her court hearing yesterday.
Bahrain: Update in relation to human rights defenders Zainab Al-Khawaja and Maryam Al-Khawaja, daughters of imprisoned Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja The Gulf Center for Human Rights deplores the ongoing harassment of the two sisters.
Bahraini Security Forces Attack and Intimidate Boycotters of Parliamentary Elections The Bahrain Center for Human Rights documents the attacks on peaceful protests against the parliamentary elections in Bahrain.
Bahrain Security Forces Weaponize Tear Gas Canisters The Bahrain Center for Human Rights condemns the use of tear gas against peaceful protesters.
Stateless in Bahrain: 52 Nationalities Revoked The Bahrain Center for Human Rights, along with another two organizations, condemns the recent denaturalization of three Bahraini citizens.
Joint Statement: Bahrain elections must not be used to cover human rights violations The Bahrain Center for Human Rights, along with another twenty-five local and international organizations, argue that the Bahraini regime should not use the recent elections to cover human rights abuses.
Bahrain: Mother and Her Child Detained On Freedom of Assembly Charges The Bahrain Center for Human Rights calls upon the Bahrain regime to immediately release Zahra al-Shaikh and her son.
Media
Al-Jazeera case: Egypt president says pardons ‘discussed’ The Egyptian president asserts that he is considering the possibility of pardoning two of the three jailed Al Jazeera journalists.
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