| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: Karabakh Armenians Say No Deal Yet With Azerbaijan on Security Guarantees A look at political meetings, ceasefires, and more news in this week’s bulletin. CMEP’s Bulletin is a weekly round-up of news from the Middle East and represents an array of perspectives on the issues we cover. CMEP does not necessarily agree with all the views expressed in the articles, and they do not speak on CMEP’s behalf. | | | |  | Image: Law enforcement officers stand guard outside the government building during a rally to demand the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan following Nagorno-Karabakh surrender, in Yerevan, Armenia, September 21, 2023. (Hayk Baghdasaryan/Reuters) | | | Karabakh Armenians say no deal yet with Azerbaijan on security guarantees Reuters “The ethnic Armenian leadership of breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh said on Friday (Sep 22) that there was no agreement yet with Azerbaijan on security guarantees or an amnesty after a lightning Azeri offensive forced them into a humiliating ceasefire deal. The future of Karabakh and its 120,000 ethnic Armenians hangs in the balance: Azerbaijan wants to integrate the long-contested region, but ethnic Armenians say they fear they will be persecuted and have accused the world of abandoning them.” | | | | | |  | Image: The Houthis have been at war against a Saudi-led military alliance since 2015 (Hani Mohammed/AP Photo) | | | Houthis leave Saudi Arabia after talks on potential Yemen ceasefire deal Al-Jazeera “Houthi negotiators left Riyadh after a five-day round of talks with Saudi officials on a potential agreement that could pave the way to ending the conflict in Yemen, sources familiar with the meeting and Houthi media have said. The Houthi delegation and Omani mediators landed in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Tuesday (Sep 20) after a round of negotiations in Saudi Arabia, the Houthis’ Al Masirah TV said.” | | | | | |  | Image: This handout picture released by Iraq's Prime Minister's Media Office shows Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani holding a press conference… on September 2, 2023. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Press Office/ AFP) | | | Iraqi PM said to get White House invitation from Biden Times of Israel “Biden hasn’t yet met the Iraqi leader, who was appointed last year by a predominantly pro-Iran group of parties and has been treading a fine line of maintaining friendly relations with both Tehran and Washington. The development came as a similar White House invitation has eluded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also in New York for the General Assembly.” | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Armenia at War: the Survival of the Church in the Oldest Christian State Join us again on September 27th for this mini-course about Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This three-week course will address several issues. On September 27th, we willl discuss the political dynamics in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Then join for our final session on October 4th for a prayer gathering, including Christian ministries in Armenia, and the opportunity to pray together for an end to the ongoing war and the sustainability of the church in the region. | | | | |  | Meet Assyrian Christians with the Assyrian Aid Society: Learn about the Indigenous Assyrians and one of the earliest Christians from Mesopotamia from our friends at the Assyrian Aid Society. CMEP's Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Relations, Kyle Cristofalo, will be joined by Karmella Borashan, Outreach Director at the Assyrian Aid Society of America, and Younan Markhail, Head of the Assyrian Aid Society-Iraq. Hear about the Assyrians' struggle for survival and the people working to elevate the voices of the Christians still living in the region by joining us via Zoom on October 26th, at 1-2pm Eastern (9-10am Pacific) for this hour-long informative webinar. | | | | | | | | | | | | Educate, Elevate, Advocate Our work in educating, elevating, and advocating for peace is only possible with your help! Please consider supporting CMEP through a Donor Advised Fund today. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got his long-coveted meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, their first since Netanyahu took office at the helm of his country’s far-right government late last year. (Screenshot, APN) | | | Biden warns Netanyahu about the health of Israel’s democracy and urges compromise on court overhaul AP News “President Joe Biden raised ‘hard issues,’ including protecting the ‘checks and balances’ in a democracy, in a Wednesday (Sep 20) meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, pushing the Israeli leader to find a compromise on a judicial overhaul that has set off months of mass protests in Israel and concerns in Washington. Biden also raised concerns about the far-right Israeli government’s treatment of the Palestinians, urging Netanyahu to take steps to improve conditions in the West Bank at a time of heightened violence in the occupied territory.” | | | | | |  | Image: Joe Biden meets Isaac Herzog, Israel's president, in the Oval Office on July 18. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images) | | | Americans question whether Israel shares U.S. values, poll finds Axios “State of play: About four in 10 Americans said Israel is a partner the U.S. should cooperate with, but doesn't share the U.S.' ‘interests and values.’ The results revealed a partisan split, with more than half (53%) of Democrats saying Israel is a partner that doesn't share U.S. values and interests but should be cooperated with, compared to 32% of Republicans who said the same. Overall, only about one-third of respondents said Israel is an ally that shares U.S. values and interests, with Republicans (44%) more likely than Democrats (25%) to feel this way.” | | | | | |  | Image: The bloodshed in Jenin was the latest in an upsurge in violence in the West Bank. (EPA) | | | Six Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in West Bank and Gaza BBC “Six Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, medics say. The funerals have taken place for three of the four killed in a late-night military raid of Jenin refugee camp, in which some 30 people were also injured. Another young Palestinian man was killed during an Israeli raid in Jericho on Wednesday (Sep 20) morning. The sixth was killed during violent demonstrations on Tuesday (Sep 19) evening near the Gaza-Israel separation fence.” | | | | | | | | | | CMEP's Bulletin is a weekly round-up of news from the Middle East and represents an array of perspectives on the issues we cover. CMEP does not necessarily agree with all the views expressed in the articles, and they do not speak on CMEP's behalf. | | | | Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
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