US, Israeli, Palestinian leaders more hawkish than their peoples On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinian leadership’s stance is more extreme than that of its public, the Israeli leadership’s stance is more extreme than that of the Israeli public and the Trump administration’s stance is far from the American public's position. Palestine
Iraqi official denies Bahaism as religion An Iraqi official's statement against the Baha'i religion raises concerns of Baha'is and other religious minorities in Iraq. Iraq
Egypt eyes bigger exports to Arab, African markets Egypt has announced the imminent launch of a free zone in Nuweiba, the first in the Sinai Peninsula, and experts believe such a project will boost economic ties with Saudi Arabia and increase Egyptian exports. Saudi Arabia
UNESCO registers Aragoz as Egypt's intangible cultural heritage Called Aragoz, Karagoz or Karagiozis, the puppet with the red cap and acid tongue has satirized politics and social life for centuries. UNESCO has registered the puppet play as Egypt’s historical heritage. Egypt
Why is Israel forging secret ties with Sudan? Hamas condemns the current normalization of ties between several Arab countries and Israel, at a time the Israeli media is talking about efforts to stop arms reaching the Gaza Strip through Libya and Sudan. United Arab Emirates
Israel won’t apologize for killing daughters of Gaza doctor Ten years after the tragedy, an Israeli court has dismissed a lawsuit by a Palestinian doctor whose three daughters and niece were killed during Operation Cast Lead. Palestine
Iraqi Kurdish party pushes PKK aside The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan has placed restrictions on the activities of the Kurdistan Workers Party in the areas it controls. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Senate puzzles out how to punish Saudi Arabia ahead of unprecedented vote An overwhelming majority of senators want to punish Riyadh for murdering Jamal Khashoggi and because of the Yemen war. The question is how. Saudi Arabia
US ices Iran out of Yemen talks Iranian efforts to send a high-level official to Sweden talks with the Houthis have been rebuffed. Saudi Arabia
Iran says special channel for trade with Europe almost set up Iranian officials have said that the European Union is in the final stages of implementing a special channel of trade with Iran. U.S.
US sanctions accelerate Iran’s blockchain drive Iran is accelerating work on its blockchain-enabled projects, which could potentially include a multilateral replacement for SWIFT, in light of the reimposed US sanctions. Iran
US Syria envoy heads to Turkey after criticizing peace initiative Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed a call by President Donald Trump’s representative to “pull the plug” on negotiations with Russia and Iran, arguing it’s Syria’s best shot at a political resolution. Syria
Israel rejects international immigration pact In rejecting the United Nations new convention on migration, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made common cause with right-wing governments in the West but appears to remain at a loss about how to handle illegal immigrants in Israel. Israel
Voters elect first woman to local council in Aleppo, Syria Local elections were held recently in the Free Syrian Army-held town of Ain Jara, where more women voted than men and a female candidate was elected to the local council. Syria
Price changes for cooking gas puts heat on Gaza distributors The Ministry of Finance in the Gaza Strip unilaterally decided to float the price of cooking gas, setting a new economic precedent. Palestine
UAE, Yemen’s Islah Party try to tolerate each other The Islah Party in Yemen and the United Arab Emirates recognize they have a common enemy, but that doesn't make them friends. Saudi Arabia