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Arabic press review: Israeli settler raises the Saudi flag in Jerusalem

Meanwhile, Yemeni separatists loot the presidential palace in Aden and a Palestinian ministry lashes out at Israeli plans to support emigration of Gaza residents
An Israeli man holding the Saudi flag in Jerusalem's Old City in a promotional video posted by the Arabic-language Twitter of Israel's foreign ministry (Screengrab)

The Israeli foreign ministry's verified Arabic-language Twitter account, "Israel in Arabic", posted a video of an Israeli settler waving the Saudi flag in occupied East Jerusalem.

"I really hope that there will be peace with Saudi Arabia, and I could come over to Saudi Arabia to visit, and the people from Saudi Arabia can come over to Israel and visit," he said in English, with Arabic subtitles. 

"We are really looking for peace between the two countries."

The video was recorded in front of the Citadel tower inside the Hebron Gate in the northwestern part of Jerusalem's Old City. The man appearing in the video describes himself on his Twitter account as "an independent international journalist who does not represent any other party". 

Presidential palace in Aden looted

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The presidential palace in the southern Yemeni city of Aden was looted by separatists supported by the United Arab Emirates after clashes with loyalist soldiers on Wednesday, two sources told the electronic newspaper Arabi 21.

The sources, who spoke to Arabi 21 on condition of anonymity, said separatist gunmen attacked al-Maashiq presidential palace and clashed with members of the presidential guard. Shortly after the guards withdrew from the front gates, the separatist fighters raided the palace.

One source said the looting "might have occurred following instructions from the president of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidarus al-Zubaidi", who arrived in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Tuesday.

The sources pointed out that Saudi officials told Zubaidi that it was necessary to withdraw from all institutions they have seized in Aden since 10 August.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government announced its refusal to hold any dialogue with the STC before it withdraws from the public institutions its forces occupied earlier this month.

PA condemns Israeli plan to 'displace' Gaza residents

The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has expressed its concern regarding reports that Israel has been working to encourage the emigration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to other countries, according to Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

The ministry cited a report published by the Jerusalem Post on Monday, in which an Israeli official says that his government is actively encouraging the emigration of Palestinians from Gaza, and that it has been working on a plan for the past year to find host countries for potential migrants.

The ministry condemned the reports as a "serious development" and a potential policy of "displacement of Palestinians" from the besieged coastal enclave. 

The reports are based on comments by an unnamed Israeli official who accompanied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his trip to Ukraine earlier this week.

The official said Israel is not only ready to pay for the travel expenses of Gaza residents, but is also considering allowing them to use an Israeli airport near Gaza for departure, referring to Israeli military air bases.

The Israeli official explained how his country had already approached countries in the Middle East, as well as European countries, in search of destinations to receive Palestinians, but no country has so far responded positively to the requests.

* Arabic press review is a digest of reports that are not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.

Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.