[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
Obama Killed a 16-Year-Old American in Yemen. Trump Just Killed His 8-Year-Old Sister. “Few events pulled the mask off Obama officials like this one. It highlighted how the Obama administration was ravaging Yemen.”
Activists try to stop warplanes leaving UK bound for Saudi Arabia “Methodist minister arrested at BAE Systems’ Warton Aerodrome says he was trying to prevent war crimes in Yemen.”
Washington Announces $1B in Proposed Military Sales to KSA, Kuwait The United States would sell Saudi Arabia and Kuwait defence equipment in a bid to enhance US-Gulf alliances.
Amid Muslim ban outcry, Trump to call Arab allies Arab countries of the Gulf region, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are yet to issue a condemnation of the Muslim ban that was signed by Trump.
Bahraini forces critically wound protester with live ammunition in attack on Diraz protests Bahraini security forces shot Mustafa Ahmed Hamdan in the head and he is currently receiving urgent medical care.
Yemen War Room: ITV News granted unprecedented access The Stars and Stripes flies inside “Mission Control” for the Saudi-led coalition that is bombing Yemen.
Saudi Arabia Buys Airships from the US to Spy on Houthis in Yemen “The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Saudi Arabia bought ‘aerostat’ surveillance systems in a deal worth $525 million.”
Trump’s Muslim Ban Is Culmination of War on Terror Mentality but Still Uniquely Shameful “The sole ostensible rationale for this ban—it is necessary to keep out Muslim extremists—collapses upon the most minimal scrutiny.”
Yemen rebel authority slams Trump's Muslim ban Authorities in Sanaa condemned Donald Trump's controversial ban on the entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries to the United States including Yemen.
Worry and Disbelief in Yemeni-American Community in Brooklyn Yemeni-Americans gathered to share news about friends and relatives detained at airports and to try to understand Trump’s recent decisions.
Ottawa releases redacted report on human rights in Saudi Arabia Canada’s government has come under criticism for defending "as a matter of principle" its fifteen billion dollar sale of armoured vehicles to Saudi.
Reports and Opinions
The Drone Papers “The Intercept has obtained a cache of secret documents detailing the inner workings of the U.S. military’s assassination program in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia.”
British navy to lead Gulf 'war games' amid Iran tensions “Rear Admiral Alex Burton, Commander of UK Maritime Forces, revealed that HMS Daring has already spent 100 hours at ‘action stations’ and 39 days at heightened state of readiness since it deployed to the region in October.”
Yemeni civilians killed in first US raid under Trump “Her grandfather Nasser al-Awlaki, a former minister of agriculture said: ‘she was hit with a bullet in her neck and suffered for two hours.’”
Yemen says Trump's travel ban on Muslims supports extremists “The impoverished and war-damaged country on the southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula is one of seven Muslim-majority countries whose citizens face a 90-day ban on entering the United States.”
Trump, Saudi Arabia agree on safe-zones in Syria, Yemen “While not many details were given regarding these safe-zones, it appears Trump is attempting to take a more active role in both Syria and Yemen, despite his inexperience in Middle Eastern affairs.”
UK arms to sales to Saudi are 'breeding a new generation of terrorists' “Andrew Mitchell has warned that Britain is heightening the risk of terror attacks at home by assisting Saudi Arabia in its bombing and blockade of Yemen.”
Commando dies in U.S. raid in Yemen, first military op OK'd by Trump “Medics at the scene…said around 30 people, including 10 women and children, were killed.”
Reuters: Off-duty Bahrain Policeman Killed in “Terrorist Act” “The shooting follows increased unrest in the Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdom after the execution this month of three Shi'ites convicted of killing three policemen in a bomb attack in 2014.”
In the age of YouTube, what's the point in Saudi Arabia's cinema ban? “Along with the issue of women driving, opening movie theaters in Saudi Arabia remains an ‘all or nothing’ symbolic issue.”
Crisis in Yemen
Yemen: Healthcare under siege in Taiz MSF’s new report looks at both the direct and deadly impact of the war on the civilian population of Taiz and the collapse of health services in the divided city.
The sniper: How a Yemeni shopkeeper kills to 'liberate my city from invaders' “He admits that some of his friends regard him as a killer—but then says he has persuaded them that he is only killing Houthis, not civilians.”
UAE Relocates SAMs In Yemen “Satellite imagery confirms that UAE Patriots departed from at least two of their three known deployment locations within the country.”
UN Panel: Saudi Strikes in Yemen May Amount to War Crimes The panel finds violations associated with air strikes are sufficiently widespread to reflect either an ineffective targeting process or a broader policy of attrition against civilian infrastructure.
Saudi aggression fighter jets wage 13 strikes on Sana'a Saudi airstrikes targeted Al-Sawad area causing damage to houses and public sites.
Saudi enemy's warplanes launch 3 strikes on Serwah Two airstrikes targeted Makhdra and Najd areas and another hit Al Hajlan area in Serwah.
A no-strike list may shield Yemen’s ancient treasures from war Structures such as the Great Dam of Marib, the pre-Islamic walled town of Baraqish, and the old cities of Sanaa and Zabid have been damaged.
Women protest rally condemns Saudi aggression crimes Protesters called for boycotting pro-Saudi media that they argue targets the unity of the Yemeni social fabric.
Yemen could face famine in 2017: UN "If there is no immediate action, famine is now a possible scenario for 2017."
U.N. office in Saudi Arabia hit by Yemen rockets - Al-Arabiya TV “The glass entrance of the U.N. building in Dhahran al-Janoub province, along the border with Yemen, was damaged by a Katyusha rocket.”
Trump Ban Leaves 12-Year-Old Girl Facing Return to War-Torn Yemen The girl, whose parents are US citizens, was barred from boarding a plane yesterday and is now in limbo in Djibouti.
Human Rights
Kuwait executions part of worrying trend: Rights group The latest executions were the first in Kuwait since 2013.
Activist faces prison for saying journalists are banned from Bahrain “The accusation was made at a court hearing on Monday, from which Rajab and his lawyer were excluded.”
NGOs Condemn Death Penalty Sentence of Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Ali Moosa A Bahraini court sentenced Mohammed Ramadan and Husain Ali Moosa to death for their supposed involvement in a bomb explosion.
Amnesty International: Fate and Whereabouts of Bahraini Alawi Moussawi Unknown Amnesty noted that his family have not heard from him since 14 December or received any information about his whereabouts or well-being.
Kuwait: Fix Laws That Violate Privacy, Free Speech Dozens of people were prosecuted for violating rules against protected speech, including many cases initiated by private parties.
UAE: Authorities Enhance Surveillance of Critics The government deployed expensive surveillance software to target a leading human rights activist and put an Emirati academic on trial.