Palestinians eager to welcome UN Security Council mission Palestinians hope that a UN Security Council visiting mission will make the trip to Gaza and the West Bank to experience their reality firsthand, but the United States might veto any such plans. By Adnan Abu Amer
Gaza’s first maritime emergency service attends to protesters The Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip launched the first maritime emergency service in Gaza in order to provide medical assistance to demonstrators injured by Israeli fire while protesting at sea. By Ahmad Abu Amer
Young Egyptian engineers race ahead in electric vehicles Nine teams of Egyptian engineering students qualified for a mentorship program and funding to build their own designs and compete in Egypt's first electric vehicle competition. By Marc Español
Liberman pushes for Hebron construction as party numbers flag Yisrael Beitenu's grim polling is prodding Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman further into dangerous militancy and allegiance to far-right nationalist interests. By Akiva Eldar
Turkish-Saudi team begins Khashoggi investigation The joint Turkish-Saudi investigation into the disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi seems to have started, though details are elusive and doubts about its seriousness persist. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Will Nadia Murad’s Nobel Prize help Iraqi minorities? The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad has raised expectations and hopes for Iraqi minorities, and Yazidis in particular, to prevent suppression against them and to win their rights. By Saad Salloum
Pentagon looks to thwart Russian tech attacks in Syria The Pentagon’s in-house tech incubator is developing protected radio communications to thwart potential Russian interception of US airstrike and artillery data. By Jack Detsch
Iranian papers ask US outlets to condemn sanctions Four of Iran's biggest newspapers ran a joint editorial asking their Western counterparts to speak up about the impact of US sanctions on Iran. By Al-Monitor Staff
Iran hedges bets on EU, China with focus on trade with neighbors Beyond engaging with Europe and major global trading partners such as China, Iran is looking to its neighbors to blunt the impact of US sanctions. By Mohsen Shariatinia
Opposition to US consulting firm reveals Erdogan’s weak spots Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears as the savior of the Turkish economy after revoking the decision to work with McKinsey and thereby preventing American involvement — all at the expense of his son-in-law’s professional reputation. By Pinar Tremblay
Ongoing blockade will cause Gaza to explode in the face of Israel, Hamas warns Employees are being laid off and shops are closing down in the cash-strapped Gaza Strip, while the World Bank warns that the economy is collapsing after a decadelong blockade. By Hana Salah
Has Iran's influence increased in Palestinian arena? Shortly after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad named Ziyad al-Nakhalah to be its new secretary-general and elected member of the political bureau, Nakhalah threatened Israel and launched an intra-Palestinian initiative in his first political discourse. By Ahmad Abu Amer
Tunisia’s bold move to end racial discrimination Activists hailed the Tunisian parliament’s recent approval of a law criminalizing racial discrimination, although they believe the road is still long to completely eliminate racism that is deeply rooted in Tunisian society. By Stephen Quillen