PA wants to break free from reliance on Israeli fuel Following the rupture of US-Palestinian ties and Israeli violations to the Paris Protocol, the PA is moving forward with its plan to break free from reliance on Israeli fuel, particularly since the financial crisis requires purchasing fuel at cheaper prices. By Ahmad Abu Amer
Israeli Arab parties pass on Jewish-Arab cooperation Israel's four Arab parties, which split into two Knesset lists before the April elections, are now discussing reunifying to contest September elections with the goal of generating more Arab votes. By Shlomi Eldar
US blames Iran for Gulf tanker attack Secretary of State Mike Pompeo points finger at Iran in Thursday's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. By Jack Detsch
Qatar, Bahrain duck congressional backlash against Gulf arms sales As scrutiny grows over arms transfers to Washington’s Gulf allies, the Senate narrowly voted to allow weapons sales to Qatar and Bahrain. By Bryant Harris In Washington, reporting on Congress
Khamenei to Abe: Iran will not negotiate 'under pressure' Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the United States violated the original 2015 nuclear deal and cannot be trusted for talks on another accord. By Al-Monitor Staff
Intel: How Russia is trying to calm Turkey-Syria tensions Russia announced today that it had helped negotiate a cease-fire in rebel-controlled Idlib province this week as rising tensions between Turkey and Syria threaten to escalate into open conflict. By Al-Monitor Staff
Russia, Turkey broker shaky cease-fire in Syria’s Idlib Within hours of the announcement of a truce, Syrian forces are accused of firing on both rebel targets and a Turkish army outpost, but even a tentative respite is welcome as renewed clashes have displaced hundreds of thousands of people since April. By Ayla Jean Yackley
Beirut lights candle for HIV awareness A memorial event in solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS and to raise public awareness was held for the seventh year in Lebanon, where the rate of HIV infection continues to rise. By Hanan Hamdan
Erdogan’s election machine is rusty and worn out The campaign that Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) are waging for the rerun of the Istanbul mayoral race is far from promising a victory, showing how the AKP — once a formidable election machine — has aged into an exhausted body with waning skills. By Kadri Gürsel
Plenty of fish in Gaza sea, but not for Palestinians Israel has imposed a full naval closure on the Gaza Strip after repeatedly expanding and reducing the fishing zone for the past two months, claiming the measure is in response to incendiary balloons launched from the besieged enclave. By Entsar Abu Jahal
Egyptian ministers’ statements on public budget raise controversy The ministers of education and health have criticized the Egyptian Ministry of Finance for failing to provide the required budget, which prompted the government to ban public statements by some ministers. By Menna A. Farouk
Is Abadi looking to return to prime minister's post? Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi has resigned from the Islamic Dawa Party, raising questions about his possible return to the premiership. By Adnan Abu Zeed
Israel campaigns against Abbas ahead of Bahrain conference Even before the Bahrain conference started, Israel is busy explaining why Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is no partner for a peace process. By Shlomi Eldar
AKP vote share has fallen more than election results show The ruling Justice and Development Party is not as popular as it would like observers and voters to believe going into the rerun of elections in Istanbul. By Jasper Mortimer
Congress opens several new fronts in bid to block Gulf arms sales The House joined Senate efforts to stop the Donald Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. By Bryant Harris In Washington, reporting on Congress