Gulf Crisis Explained, 100 Days after Anti-Qatar Blockade

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain along with Egypt announced an embargo on Qatar on June 5, setting off the Gulf crisis. More than three month blockade has affected families, students and made it difficult for Qatari pilgrims to perform Hajj. So far, Kuwait's mediation efforts have not yielded any results with the blockading nations, who say they will not budge unless Qatar agrees to a list of 13 demands. The demands include cutting ties with Iran and shutting down the Al Jazeera media network.

Qatar Rejects Renewed Calls to Fulfil Neighbours’ Demands

Qatar has rejected renewed calls by four Arab countries to concede to a list of demands to end the Saudi-led blockade and restore diplomatic relations. The US State department is also calling for Gulf nations to resolve their crisis.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt met on Sunday but offered no new plan to move forward. There were also reports that the countries loosened the air blockade on the country, but Qatar says that has not happened. Al Jazeera's David Chater reports from Doha.

Inside Story - Is Anti-Qatar Quartet Spreading Hate Speech in Mosques?

Clerics in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt are praising the isolation of Qatar.

State TV in Saudi Arabia broadcast prayers by cleric Abdelrahman Al-Sudais during the holy month of Ramadan, which included comments about "terrorist funders" and social media activists said he was alluding to Qatar.

Other videos and Twitter feeds of clerics in Saudi Arabia were circulated online in what appears to be a mobilisation campaign against Qatar. Some clerics in Egypt and the UAE have also been heard supporting the blockade on Qatar. What are the long term ramifications of using religion in a political conflict? | Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Youcef Bouandel - professor of international affairs at Qatar University; James Dorsey - senior fellow at Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; Shahid Qureshi - editor of online news website London Post

Inside Story - Can Washington Push for a Dialogue on the Gulf Crisis?

There's a week to go for Qatar to meet a list of 13 demands imposed on it by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. It includes shutting down the Al Jazeera network and aligning Qatar's foreign policy with that of the GCC among many other demands. Qatar has rejected the list, saying it violates its sovereignty.

Meanwhile, the US is calling on all sides to sit down and talk. A statement from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says while some of the measures will be very difficult for Qatar to meet, there are significant areas which provide a basis for ongoing dialogue leading to resolution. So, is dialogue even possible?

Presenter: Hazem Sika | Guests: Abdulaziz Al-Horr - CEO of the Qatar Finance and Business Academy; Ahmed Al Burai - Lecturer at Istanbul Aydin University; Hillary Mann Leverett - Former White House official.

Egyptian Writer: Saudi Arabia Bankrolling Authoritarian Regimes Across the Arab World

In Egypt, dozens of activists have been arrested in a series of sweeping raids in recent days. The arrests came as Egyptians took to the streets to protest an agreement to hand over control of two islands to Saudi Arabia. Critics say the islands belong to Egypt and that their transfer is linked to the billions of dollars the Saudis have given to support Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government. The arrests and raids come amid a nationwide crackdown against human rights activists and press freedom advocates. We speak with Egyptian filmmaker and writer Omar Robert Hamilton, who says Saudi Arabia’s strategy is to counteract democratic movements in countries surrounding it.

Diplomatic Spat: Several Gulf States Cut Ties with Qatar for Allegedly ‘Supporting Terrorism’

The Middle East has descended into a huge diplomatic row. Four Gulf countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. While Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have also closed their borders with the country. They accuse Doha of supporting terrorism and interfering in the internal affairs of Arab states.

GCC Rift: Five Nations Cut Diplomatic Ties with Qatar

The Qatari government says it regrets the unjustified decision by four countries to cut diplomatic ties. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are also imposing an air, sea, and land embargo. The Saudis accuse Qatar of supporting extremism and radicalism as well as media incitement, which Qatar denies. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra explains.

What Can Pope Francis Achieve in Egypt? - Inside Story

The visit by Pope Francis to Egypt is being seen as an opportunity to promote better relations between Christians and Muslims.

Egypt Church Attacks: "The Target Is to Divide Muslims and Christians"

Egypt: Islamic State Group Claims Responsibility for Twin Church Bombings

Editorial: Enabling Egypt’s President Sisi, an Enemy of Human Rights

THE NEW YORK TIMES: American presidents must sometimes deal with unsavory foreign leaders in pursuit of America’s national interest. But that doesn’t require inviting them to the White House and lavishing them with praise and promises of unconditional support.

Yet that’s what President Trump did on Monday in not just welcoming but celebrating one of the most authoritarian leaders in the Middle East, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, a man responsible for killing hundreds of Egyptians, jailing thousands of others and, in the process, running his country and its reputation into the ground. » | The Editorial Board | Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Do Egyptians Still Want Change? – Inside Story

Egypt: Ex-President Hosni Mubarak to Be Freed

Lawyers for former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak say he will be released from a military hospital in the next two days.

Egypt: Ex-President Mubarak Acquitted over Protester Deaths in 2011 Uprising

Inside Story - Egypt Pulls Plug on UN Vote on Israeli Settlements

Cairo comes under pressure from US president-elect Donald Trump and Israel to withdraw resolution. Presenter: Sohail Rahman. Guests: Mustafa Barghouti, Timothy Kaldas, Oded Revivi

Inside Story - Are Christians Being Targeted in Egypt?

After 24 worshippers are killed at Egypt's Orthodox Christian Church, what can be done to prevent further bloodshed?

Egypt: Cairo Coptic Cathedral Attacker Identified, 3 People Arrested

Analysis: Significance of Deadly Church Attack in Cairo

Al Jazeera correspondent Jamal El Shayyal discusses the significance of the recent deadly church attack in Egypt, and how it relates to the general security of the country and why there was an angry backlash.

Blast Hits Near Christian Cathedral in Cairo, Leaving 25 Killed & 49 Wounded

At least 25 people, mostly women and children, were killed, and 49 others injured in an explosion near Cairo’s Coptic Christian Cathedral. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast – the deadliest attack on Egypt's religious minority in years.

Aftermath of Bomb Blast inside Cairo’s Coptic Church

A bomb blast at Egypt’s main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more on Sunday. It is one of the deadliest attacks against Egypt’s beleaguered Christian minority in recent memory. Copts, who make up about 10% of Egypt’s population of 90 million, faced persecution and discrimination during the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak

Read the Guardian article here