Israel 2019, at the mercy of the Chief Rabbinate The Haifa rabbinical court decided to take children out of their mother's custody, because the mother was not keeping a religious lifestyle. Israel
Amid rising protests, PMU prevents confrontation with US The Popular Mobilization Units try to distance themselves from the current confrontation between Iran and US in order to preserve PMU interests in Iraq. Iraq
Iraqi president pledges early elections while protesters call for more radical solutions After a meeting with heads of parliamentary blocs and other top officials, Iraqi President Barham Salih announces a reform plan in response to protester demands. Iraq
Palestinians criticize Hamas’ decision to appoint municipal presidents Hamas is lambasted for appointing municipality presidents without holding elections in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Trump’s amity with Erdogan deepens Turkey’s isolation The double blow the US House dealt Turkey over its military campaign in Syria shows how wrong Erdogan is to rely solely on his personal relationship with Trump to manage ties with the United States. Turkey
Cairo seeks mediation for talks on Ethiopian dam Cairo has decided to seek international mediation for struggling negotiations on Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt
Kurdish self-administration under fire People living to the east of the Euphrates in Syria wonder about the fate of the Kurdish self-administration after the Turkish military attack and the recent Russian, Turkish and US political agreements on the status of this region. Syria
Algeria’s hydrocarbon reform adds fuel to protest movement Algeria’s interim government claims to be undertaking economic reforms of the energy sector, but protesters see the effort as an attempt to shore up economic and diplomatic support heading into December presidential elections. Algeria
How will Hamas participate in upcoming elections? After Hamas announced its readiness to participate in Palestinian elections, the leadership is considering the current circumstances and past experiences in order to come up with an effective way to take part in the polls. Palestine
Kurds in northeast Syria feel abandoned by allies Russian military police began joint patrols with Turkish forces near the Syrian-Turkish border as part of an agreement under which Kurdish fighters would withdraw from the area. Syria
