Arabic press review: Dahlan, Sisi and shock for pilgrims

Hamas is not talking to Dahlan

Hamas is no longer communicating nor meeting with exiled former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, according to Arabi21. Dahlan, currently in the United Arab Emirates, is working as an adviser to the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

A Palestinian source told the news site that Hamas will remain in contact with the National Islamic Committee for Development and Social Solidarity (Takaful), which includes reformist Fatah leaders supported and funded by Dahlan.

The decision comes after a meeting between Yahiya al-Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, and Dahlan in Cairo two months ago.

Pilgrims' Hajj shock

Algerian pilgrims cried and fainted after they were banned from travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj, according to the Algerian daily newspaper Echorouk.

The pilgrims had visas and had completed all the necessary paperwork before being told of the last-minute ban.

The undisclosed number of pilgrims was stopped at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers by Algerian authorities.

Sharp rise in poverty in Jordan

One third of people in Jordan face poverty in the coming year, according to a World Bank document.

The proportion of poor, currently at 14 percent, is expected to rise to one third in the next 12 months due to rising energy costs and travel expenses, according to Jordan’s al-Ghad newspaper.

The bank said the Syrian refugee crisis will only worsen in Jordan, which is hosting more than 1 million who have fled from the war. Some 34 percent of the country’s children, including many Syrian refugees, find the government is unable to meet their needs when they reach adolescence.

The bank plans to provide Jordan with $2.8m to support an “Integrated Social Services for Vulnerable Youth” project.

Sisi the jetsetter

Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi has travelled 69 times outside Egypt during the last three years – the equivalent of twice a month, according to the Egyptian al-Masryoon newspaper.

Jamal Sultan wrote that "al-Sisi is the world's most travelled ruler for the past three years".

The news has drawn attention due to the high cost of presidential globetrotting amid Egypt’s current economic crisis.