As pound improves, Egypt floats customs dollar rate The Egyptian Ministry of Finance recently floated the customs dollar rate, after having imposed a fixed rate in 2017 in an attempt to contain prices after floating the pound. By Hani Sameer
New pipeline in works to transport Iraqi oil to Turkey Iraq and Turkey are building a brand-new pipeline that will transfer Kirkuk oil to Turkey and tie into Iraq's existing pipeline network. By Omar Sattar
Regional, international actors risk making matters worse in Iraq's Sinjar The conflict over controlling the strategic area of Sinjar along Iraq's borders with Turkey and Syria has made the Yazidis' situation worse. By Saad Salloum
Palestinians preparing for their day in court against Israel The Palestinian leadership is preparing briefs to present to the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague to address Israeli violations of the Paris Protocol, which governs their economic and trade relations. By Ahmad Abu Amer
Investors, economists see Egypt’s new mining law as promising Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi approved a new law on mining that would help promote the mineral sector by attracting foreign investors and regularizing the industry. By Menna A. Farouk
Will Jordan yield to teachers’ salary demands? The Jordanian government arrested members of the Jordanian Teachers' Syndicate following a protest for higher wages in front of government headquarters in Amman. By Mohammad Ersan
Corruption, partisan investigations mire electoral process in Tunisia The electoral campaign in Tunisia has been marred by serious accusations and arrests. By Elizia Volkmann
Gaza rockets embarrass Netanyahu, Hamas leadership The Israeli security system has come to the conclusion that the escalation of the past few days on the Gaza border means one thing: It is now the Hamas military wing that is calling the shots, not the Hamas political leadership. By Shlomi Eldar
Netanyahu paves way of radical-right party to enter Knesset By choosing to help Otzma Yehudit pass the voter threshold, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has paved the way for the party to enter the Knesset. By Shlomi Eldar
For Netanyahu, all is fair in elections Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advanced the Camera Bill not solely to reduce the number of Arab voters, but to gain the support of radical-right voters. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Netanyahu wants chaos in Arab polling stations By advancing the Camera Bill and releasing statements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to spread the belief that the Arab population will attempt to "steal the elections." By Afif Abu Much In Baqa al-Gharbiyye, reporting on business and tech
Likud offers vegans a new political home Tal Gilboa, one of the most famous vegan activists in Israel, says only Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “takes account” of animals. By Mordechai Goldman
Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP returns from Erbil with no news on PKK talks A delegation from Turkey’s largest pro-Kurdish party paid a visit to Iraqi Kurdistan that many Kurds hoped would lead to renewed dialogue between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, but nothing concrete seems to have yet emerged. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Iran celebrates Bolton ouster The departure of John Bolton, the US administration's most relentless Iran hawk, at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington was good news across the political spectrum in Iran. By Al-Monitor Staff
Can Turkey escape the fireball in Idlib? Protesters in Idlib are calling Turkey traitorous, but that’s only a small part of the big picture, in which radical jihadi groups emerge as a fireball in all scenarios for Ankara, entertaining menacing ambitions. By Fehim Tastekin In Paris, reporting on Turkish politics
Female officers in IDF aiming higher and higher With more women assuming combat roles in the IDF, it becomes more plausible that a woman will one day command the IDF and that along the way more women will be able to move from the military into high-level national politics. By Noa Stern