AMMAN: Israel’s top court has ruled that a Jewish settler group legally purchased property in East Jerusalem from the Greek Orthodox Church. The decision ends a dispute over the buildings in the Old City that has lasted for almost two decades.

The Ateret Cohanim organization, which seeks to “Judaize” Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, bought three buildings from the church in a controversial secret deal struck in 2004. The sale sparked fury among Palestinians and led to the dismissal of Patriarch Irineos I.

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed Thursday that he plans to stand for reelection next year.
Erdogan, 68, made the announcement during a speech in the Aegean coastal city of Izmir, where he challenged the main opposition party’s leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, to announce the candidate who would challenge him on behalf of an alliance of opposition parties.

TUNIS: Tunisian lawyers and judges held a small protest outside the capital’s courts on Wednesday as part of their weeklong strike following the president’s dismissal of 57 judges.

President Kais Saied’s removal of the judges was the latest sign of growing interference in the judiciary as he tightens his grip on power. Critics accused Saied of staging a coup in July 2021 after he sacked the government and took on executive powers.

CAIRO: Talks aiming at ending Sudan’s ongoing political deadlock began Wednesday, the UN said, although the country’s main pro-democracy alliance is boycotting them over a continued police crackdown on those protesting last October’s military coup.

The joint peace effort is brokered by the UN political mission in Sudan, the African Union, and the eight-nation east African regional group Intergovernmental Authority in Development. The effort aims to bring the generals and an array of political and protest groups to the negotiating table.

AMMAN: A Jordanian university professor accused by students of sexual harassment has been suspended from work and referred to the prosecutor general for further investigation.

Officials at the Jordan University of Science and Technology announced on Wednesday that uni President Khaled Salem had decided to suspend the professor pending the outcome of the judicial inquiry.

Students from JUST, in the northern city of Irbid, made the claims against a physics professor in a series of recent social media posts that sparked public outrage throughout the country.