Surf Arab States

Arab States Weekly Review 14th – 20th May 2011

At least 14 Palestinians were shot when they sought to cross Israel’s border with Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza. The demonstrators were marking the day of naqba, the term Palestinians use for Israel’s birth in 1948.

Shokri Ghanem, oil minister of Libya, was reported to have defected. He is the highest-ranking official to abandon Colonel Qaddafi since the foreign minister fled in March.

Yemen’s government and an opposition coalition came close to striking a deal that would end the three-month long crisis. Under the plan, brokered by the GCC, President Saleh would step down within 30 days and a unity government would be formed.

Nabil el-Araby, Egypt’s foreign minister, was elected secretary-general of the Arab League, thereby replacing his fellow countryman Amr Moussa.