Old meets Magic Kingdom: Disneyland-style park comes to Egypt After years of planning, Egypt is finally making progress toward establishing its own Disneyland-style theme park. Egypt
Migration from Libya down but threat of torture, death remains Despite the risks of getting caught and tortured or killed, migrants still chance the route to Europe through Libya, where the volatile security situation can work in their favor. Syria
Turkish-Egyptian war of words in eastern Mediterranean heats up In an official statement, Egypt warned of any violation of its rights in the eastern Mediterranean region in response to the official Turkish position, which refused to recognize the legality of the agreement between Egypt and Cyprus on the exploitation of natural resources of the two countries’ exclusive economic zones. Egypt
Will Israel, Qatar cooperate to save Gaza? US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt called for Israel and Qatar to cooperate in order to save the Gaza Strip from a humanitarian crisis. Qatar
Hamas enters new phase of confrontation with Islamic State Hamas in the Gaza Strip broadcast a video where two Islamic State members confessed to working for IS, which reveals a new phase in the relationship between the two groups. Palestine
Kurdish fighters join Turkey's Afrin operation In its intervention, Turkey is capitalizing on Kurdish fighters affiliated with the Free Syrian Army who want to liberate Afrin from Kurdish rivals. Syria
Egyptians divided over army's foray into culture The Egyptian Ministry of Defense organized a stand at the Cairo International Book Fair to showcase the army’s achievements in the cultural scene, but some critics warned of ulterior motives. Egypt
Israeli education minister prepares for Netanyahu’s succession battle HaBayit HaYehudi leader Naftali Bennett, the only Cabinet minister to criticize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after police recommended indicting him, is preparing for the fight to lead the Israeli right in the post-Netanyahu era. Israel
Sisi ensures shoo-in election, keeps rearranging staff People are questioning the timing of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s appointment of a close associate as acting intelligence director ahead of the presidential election. Egypt
Abbas draws two-year timeline According to Palestinian sources, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has given up on the Americans and is not ruling out an armed intifada. Palestine
Senate rebuffs White House request to water down Palestinian aid cuts The US Senate wants to beef up legislation cutting aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the House passed a watered-down version last year at the insistence of President Donald Trump’s peace envoy. Palestine
Diyarbakir's signature dessert is multicultural tradition Diyarbakir owes its famous dessert, kadaif, to the 18th-century Armenian population, but today, Muslim transports from nearby Bingol have taken over the trade. Turkey
Pentagon seeks massive boost in bomb budget for Iraq, Syria The Defense Department wants $1.8 billion for precision-guided munitions to finish wiping out the Islamic State. Iraq
Real target of Erdogan's Olive Branch could be US clout In the third week of Turkey's frustrating fight against Syrian Kurdish forces in Afrin, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be betting on an even bigger payoff than domestic support: seeing the United States effectively pushed out of Syria. Syria
Turkish public divided over military's alliance with FSA Turkey’s preoccupation with military insignia helps deepen anti-Americanism while also signaling the top echelons’ obsession with the United States. Syria
Turkey eyes Indian weddings to prop up tourism industry The Turkish tourism industry, scrambling to recover from its worst crisis in years, seeks to grab a share from India’s lucrative wedding market. Turkey
