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funds, forcing them to slash “life-saving” programs. Last year, the UN pleaded for $3.85 billion for aid but raised just $1.7 billion.
81 People Executed in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia executed 81 criminals for terror-related crimes, the government said on Saturday.
That number is the biggest mass execution in decades. In fact, 67 people were executed in 2021; twenty-seven were killed in 2020.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), all of those executed had been “found guilty of committing multiple heinous crimes.” Some of the criminals had connections to ISIS, al-Qaeda, the Houthi rebels, or other terrorist organizations.
SPA added that those convicted had been planning attacks on important sites, had smuggled weapons into the country, or had targeted or killed members of the Saudi security forces.
Seventy-three of the group were Saudi citizens, while seven more were Yemeni and one was a Syrian national.
According to SPA, “The accused were provided with the right to an attorney and were guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process, which found them guilty of committing multiple heinous crimes that left a large number of civilians and law enforcement officers dead.
“The kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the entire world.”
Rights groups have accused Saudi Arabia of enforcing restrictive laws on political and religious expression and criticized it for using the death penalty, including for defendants arrested when they were minors.
Saudi Arabia denies accusations of human rights abuses and says it protects its national security according to its laws.
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Herzog: Erdogan “Open to True Dialogue”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed interested in repairing relations between the two countries after meeting with him last week.
In a briefing to Israeli reporters, Herzog said Erdogan has been “open to true dialogue on numerous and varied issues, and we got down to details on matters of importance for both sides,” and added that the new dialogue between Israel and Turkey is being carried out “under no illusions but reflects bilateral interests.”
He added that his meetings were being carried out with “eyes open and in full coordination with all cabinet ministries and other parties.”
Israel should establish a “mechanism” to prevent future crises with Turkey,” Herzog urged, noting that there are mutual interests which are not political.
During his visit to Turkey, Herzog also visited Istanbul’s Neve Shalom synagogue and met with the local community.
After asking them to pray for the Jews of Ukraine, Herzog noted that Turkish Jews “have had a huge role in writing the history of the Jewish people,” with “a long line of rabbis, poets, wise men, traders, entrepreneurs and leaders” coming from the country.
He added, “You are a symbol of solidarity, of tradition, of community that faces up to all the challenges. I know that the Jewish community here in Turkey and also this synagogue, Neve Shalom, has experienced severe terrorist attacks. To my great regret, around the world Jewish schools, synagogues, supermarkets and Jewish businesses were and still are the target of haters.”
Turkey to Return Hebrew Inscription
Turkey has agreed to return an ancient Hebrew inscription from Jerusalem to Israel, an Israeli official said.
The Siloam Inscription, currently housed in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum, is considered to be one of the most important ancient Hebrew inscriptions in existence.
The artifact is thousands of years old. Its six lines of ancient Hebrew text provides concrete historical support for the construction of a tunnel bringing water to the City of David during King Hezekiah’s reign.
According to the official, in return, Israel offered to send Turkey a valuable and historically and religiously significant item currently in an Israeli museum.
The exchange was not discussed during talks between Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Instead, the agreement was reached by senior officials from both countries.
The inscription, which Turkey until now insisted was sovereign Ottoman property, reads, “This is the story of the tunnel, while [the hewers lifted] their axes toward their counterparts, and while three cubits more were to (be hewn?), was heard the voice of a man calling to his counterpart, (for) there was [a crack?] in the rock, on the right and on the left. And on the day of [the final barrier’s] piercing, the stonecutters struck each man towards his counterpart, ax against ax and water flowed from the source to the pool for 1,200 cubits and 100 cubits was the height of the rock, over the head of the stonecutters …”
