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Melanie Swan Profile
Melanie Swan

@melanie_swan_

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Freelance journalist based in Dubai. Currently covering war from Israel/Palestine. Find me in @thetimes @telegraph @btmideast @cnntravel @mailonline

UAE
Joined September 2011
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
6 months
Istanbul March 2022: In his Turkish offices during a rare interview. For @thetimes .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
#UAE leading the way in breaking a regional culture of #holocaust denial. My latest in @Telegraph last week.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Interviewing Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at his base in Turkey: “We are ready for war.” #Hamas #Palestine
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 months
Eid Mubarak from the most magical city in the world. 🌙
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
#UAE ’s growing #Jewish community inaugurates the first synagogue to open in the Arab World since 1935. Part of the iconic Abrahamic House complex on Saadiyat Island, the building sits beside a mosque and church, a symbol of peaceful coexistence.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
“We had a feeling they would come for us eventually. I never felt safe here.” 15-year-old schoolgirl in #Iran 's largest single poisoning attack on a school in Pardis, tells me of their day of horror @thetimes . “When I came to, I thought I had died.”
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Beautiful image from Jerusalem today. #EidMubarak
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Something to give us hope for Jerusalem - today at the holy site. #EidMubarak
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 months
My latest in @Telegraph .
@TelegraphWorld
Telegraph World News
2 months
🔴 Iran is training Hezbollah fighters to carry out drone attacks on northern Israel at a rapidly-expanding top secret base, The Telegraph can reveal. Read more about the base here ⤵️
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
1/5 Other ‘interesting’ lines from my time with Hamas leader, Haniyeh in Istanbul, one of his two bases outside Gaza (which he has due to "business engagements"). Noteworthy: this happened during the historic visit of Israel's president to Turkey. #Palestine #Hamas #Israel
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
#Christmas in #Bethlehem ; a shrinking #Christian community in fear of a rising tide of radical Islam. My latest from #Palestine in @thetimes .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 months
@intellitimes told @Telegraph : “Israel’s strike intended to neutralise #Iran ’s air defence advance systems that cover Natanz and Isfahan’s nuclear sites. This is like a yellow card in football before the red card that is a full strike to destroy them.”
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 month
A secret Israeli plan to persuade a powerful Gazan clan to take power from Hamas was derailed when the terror group executed its leader. My latest @Telegraph . @IntelliTimes
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
My first time travelling on a foreign assignment since 2019. Excited is an understatement. #travelwriter @flydubai
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
US sanctions Hamas individuals and companies it claims is funding group’s military wing from around the Middle East in countries including UAE, Saudi, Turkey, under guise of real estate and property firms. Hamas claims they don’t know them. My latest in @Telegraph . #Hamas
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
Just a few miles from the border with #Iran , exploring the beauty of #Azerbaijan .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
@helenacobban For a supposed 'writer', you write half the story. Man commits attempted murder and dies as a consequence; hardly a tale of 'innocent man leaves jail and is murdered for no reason by Israeli forces'.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Exciting to see @BBCArabic following up my story in @Telegraph on the international rabbi internship now in Dubai under @RabbiUae . @IsraelArabic
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 months
“It was like Top Gun meets Star Wars”: the fascinating story of the fighter pilots battling Iran’s aerial bombardment Saturday night. My latest for @Telegraph .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Just to clarify: when I say the meeting was at Ismail Haniyeh's "base" in Turkey, this is an office in a business park, not to be misconstrued as a base in any military sense of the word.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Good afternoon from this magical, if not somewhat crazy, city. #Jerusalem
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
10 years
My awesome coach and friend @mirellaclark preparing for @wbff worlds looking amazing @TBconditioning http://t.co/RAQPx7sUE5 #fitspo #fitness
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
@HSajwanization @Abdulkhaleq_UAE This is exactly what makes Dr Abdulkhaleq so credible and why he continues to be a well respected and trusted voice internationally. Not everyone has to welcome or agree with his opinions, but his honesty is his integrity.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
For the wider context of the Hamas remarks, please read the excerpt from my article in yesterday's @thetimes here. For the full article, there is the "subscribe" button (the best way to support quality journalism). #Palestine #Israel #Hamas
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
2/5 * Kids military camps with 50,000+ recruits are “just games”, he denies using child soldiers.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
The Abraham Accords anniversary: my report from Dubai for @i24NEWS_EN on what the accords mean for a changing region. #UAE #Israel
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
5/5 * Arab support for the Palestinian cause has not waned in the wake of the Abraham Accords.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
Great to see the world finally paying attention to this story which first ran in November in @Telegraph . It’s a huge move and one which can help overcome a region-wide culture of #holocaust denial. #UAE
@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
#UAE leading the way in breaking a regional culture of #holocaust denial. My latest in @Telegraph last week.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
#Israel has been operating with impunity inside Iran for months, if not years,” Schanzer said. “The leadership is clearly trying to convey a modicum of progress to the population.” @JSchanzer in my latest for @thetimes .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
7 months
Sarit Zehavi, the founder of @Alma , on how concrete flooding of #Hezbollah tunnels in rocky north won't work in Hamas's labyrinth in coastal #Gaza Strip, and why seawater will. Our latest on the #Gaza war in @thetimes with @RichardJSpencer .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
4/5 * There is no way for a two-state solution - 'peaceful diplomacy has failed'.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Abu Dhabi is slowly reopening but only to the vaccinated. Experiencing the full force of the green pass system in the UAE capital this weekend.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
The race to open the first Israeli restaurant in Dubai is officially over - two young 25-year-olds in the right place at the right time. Mul Hayam pips about 100 others to the spot, certified kosher by @RabbiUae . @Jerusalem_Post @IsraelArabic
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
#Saudi colonel says he will no longer be part of a regime which systematically carries out #humanrights abuses. Now in exile in London, he has constant threats on his life and a bounty has been put on his head. My latest, in @thetimes .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
3/5 * UK's designating Hamas a terror group is a bid for the Home Secretary to become next British PM (**Home Office refused to comment.)
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
Paid less than a school teacher and less than a quarter of their counterparts in Hezbollah, #Iran ’s revolutionary guard are feeling the fatigue of almost five months of protests.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
"The UAE may have only just celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence but Abu Dhabi has a centuries-old past." My latest in @CNN . #AbuDhabi #UAE
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Georgia: the Tuscany of the East. Exploring this incredible place where East meets West. How amazing is this?
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
England in summer. The best time to be here. Happy weekend. #England
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
#Iran continues to to use oppression to silence the voices who dare. My latest in @thetimes .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
4 years
The little known town of Khorfakkan, a hidden gem on the UAE's East coast ... From hiking to street art, there is much to explore. My latest in @HadaraMagazine . #UAE #travel
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
11 months
Police have said they were acting in self-defence after being attacked by demonstrators, but lawyer Daniel Hacklai said: “What I see is only the opposite. The police, especially in Tel Aviv, have become more brutal." My latest in @thetimes on #Israel .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Sunset across the magical city #Jerusalem . A view that never gets old.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
King Charles to be first monarch to visit #Israel . #Exclusive for Mail on Sunday.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Israeli presidential visit went ahead in spite of attempted Houthi attack on #UAE . People feel safe and are unperturbed. My report from #Israel ’s pavilion at #Expo #Dubai for @i24NEWS_EN .
@i24NEWS_EN
i24NEWS English
2 years
Israel's president Isaac Herzog visits Israeli pavilion at #Expo2020 Journalist Melanie Swan reports from Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
It’s never easy to do these assignments but Yemenis need us to remember they still desperately need our help. #Yemen
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
Saudi's US ambassador @rbalsaud : “Vision 2030 talks about a unified, integrated, thriving Middle East, and last I checked, Israel was there ... we want to see a thriving Israel. We want to see a thriving Palestine.”
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
The politicization of the #Holocaust is unacceptable, fueling both #antisemitism and Holocaust denial. The systematic annihilation of a race is incomparable.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
10 years
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
After breaking this in @thetimes some months ago to calls of 'fake news', I am even more satisfied to see this made public now. Four (point five) day working week, Monday to Thursday, as of Jan 1 in the #UAE . You saw it here first. #news
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Reporting from the edge of the Bosphorus this week. I love this city. #Istanbul #Turkey
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Talking captagon smuggling with @laura_i24 for @i24NEWS_EN . Investments in technology paying off for @DubaiPoliceHQ .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
4 years
My first piece in @Jerusalem_Post - the young Rabbi leading the #UAE 's Jewish community out of the shadows. #IsraelUAE #ISRAELUAEPEACEDEAL #israel
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Qatari women's rights activist forced into psychiatric hospital under false claims. My latest in @thetimes . #WhereisNoof @hrw
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Views from the coast in #Yemen en route to a mobile clinic: a deceptive view which does not show the devastation this country is suffering. So much potential, so much corruption.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
My #Iran latest with @RichardJSpencer for @thetimes . “Students have received text warnings on their mobile phones and their families were threatened, to discourage their children from protesting, or they would face consequences.” #IranRevolution
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
@the112000 I was there - it was Turkey, I can assure you.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
A trip to the #UAE isn't complete without visiting the Middle East's adventure capital, Ras Al Khaimah. Here's my top ten things to do in the most northern emirate in @TheNationalNews . #travel @RAKTourism
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Dubai to host tens of thousands of #WorldCup2022 fans for spillover with host country Qatar unable to meet room capacity. My latest on @i24NEWS_EN with @laura_i24 .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
10 years
When your passion becomes your #career ; the young #business #women turning dreams into reality: http://t.co/ELvY7EDik4 #yoga #entrepreneur
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
7 months
Returning this morning after 24 hours with the @mofauae to bring cancer patients back from #Gaza . The #UAE mission will bring 1,000 patients from the strip for treatment. Patients I met had been treated in #Israel before war broke out, and treatment stopped as borders closed.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Larnaka making waves in Cyprus: My latest in @btmideast .
@LarnakaRegion
Larnaka Tourism
3 years
Great to be featured @btmideast in their November issue and here's to Larnaka making waves from 2021 through to 2022 and beyond! #TravelTuesday 1/1
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Armenia: rugged beauty and maybe Europe’s best kept secret. #travel
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Picturesque is an understatement. Georgia has stolen my heart. It won’t be easy to write this feature as I simply have so much to say. #georgia
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
10 years
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
How a pandemic and peace accords made Dubai the global rough diamond capital. My latest in @TheNationalNews . @ahmedbinsulayem @alexpeterfreund @DavidZabinsky
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
The death of a 22-year-old woman murdered by morality police in Iran for not wearing her headscarf correctly is nothing but state sanctioned terror in the name of God. #Iran @thetimes
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
First direct flight from Dubai to AlUla, Saudi’s ancient treasure. Today’s assignment is a destination I certainly didn’t expect but am excited to explore. #SaudiArabia #travel
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
1/2 On the back of my story in @thetimes , Hamas spokesman tells me: “At this time we are not eager to raise the tensions here. We are not looking for escalation or confrontation … #Hamas #Palestine #Israel #Peace
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
A beautiful piece on the true meaning of coexistence, from one of the #UAE 's pioneers of peace, @Dralnoaimi . #middleeast #peace #abrahamaccords @DrAlsarrah @Thani75 @Jerusalem_Post
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
2 years
Today’s interview location took me to the lowest place on earth and one of the most beautiful. This salt formation goes down 28 meters. #Israel #DeadSea
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
Regime cracks down on illegal (unmarried) abortions in #Iran in latest move to quash women's reproductive rights. My latest in @Telegraph with excellent commentary from @KZiabari .
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
9 years
The uptake of #crossfit in the #uae : study says lack of understanding, price and cliquey community deters people. http://t.co/6Ob4fivhbU
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
1 year
The beauty of #Azerbaijan just a few miles from #Iran but a world apart in so many ways.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
3 years
Sunset from day 1 in Georgia. I witnessed two extremes: protests led by orthodox Christian priests and right-wing extremists against the weekend’s Pride celebrations while in the old town, mosques, synagogues and churches are side by side in a living model of coexistence. Peace.
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@melanie_swan_
Melanie Swan
8 years
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