Fact vs. fiction on US-Israel police exchanges Al-Monitor spoke to Israelis and Americans involved in police exchanges between the countries in response to far-left allegations they teach harmful practices. By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
UN Security Council rejects US-sought extension on Iran arms embargo The resolution failed by a 2-2 vote with 11 abstentions. By Al-Monitor Staff
Trump administration goes big with UAE-Israel peace deal Other Gulf states may follow. By Week in Review
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham arrests US citizen Bilal Abdul Kareem in Syria’s Idlib The State Department has yet to publicly acknowledge the activist's disappearance By Al-Monitor Staff
US seizes multi-million-barrel Iranian fuel shipment bound for Venezuela The US government has seized more than a million barrels of Iranian fuel contained in four tanker ships bound for Venezuela. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
What's next for Turkish-Iraqi ties after deadly drone strike? The killing of Iraqi border guards in a Turkish drone strike undermines Baghdad’s traditional flexibility toward Ankara at a time when Turkey’s Arab adversaries are seeking to draw Iraq to their side. By Fehim Tastekin In Paris, reporting on Turkish politics
Iraq again breaks daily COVID-19 record The outbreak is worst in Baghdad, Erbil and Basra. By Al-Monitor Staff
Oman says it supports UAE-Israel normalization of ties Israeli officials told the local press they are in talks with Oman to reach a similar normalization in ties. By Al-Monitor Staff
Turkey threatens to cut ties with UAE over Israel normalization as feud continues Turkey and the UAE disagree on the Turkey-Kurdish conflict, Libya, drilling in the eastern Mediterranean and more. By Al-Monitor Staff
Women in Gaza turn to bodybuilding Despite the fact that bodybuilding is frowned upon in Palestinian society for women, some girls and women in the Gaza Strip have become interested in this sport. By Taghreed Ali
Mossad chief likely to continue advancing Israel, UAE contacts Israel has plenty of professional diplomats specialized in the Arab world, yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is relying on Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to advance ties with Gulf states. By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Israel denies travel to Palestinian newborns To pressure Palestinians and force them to back down from their decision to stop security coordination, Israel is refusing to recognize more than 24,000 Palestinian newborns while preventing their movement through crossings as well as their travel abroad. By Aziza Nofal
Is PA doing enough to stop arms proliferation in West Bank? Chaos prevails in the West Bank amid the proliferation of weapons, which embarrasses the Palestinian Authority that seems unable to curb this spread of arms that upped crime rates. By Ahmad Melhem In Ramallah, reporting on politics
Residents of this Egyptian village forced to leave their homes Forced evacuation and a security campaign targeted the residents of Sayadeen village in Alexandria governorate in northern Egypt. By A correspondent in Egypt
Apathy dominates Senate elections in Egypt While Egyptians voted this week for members of the newly created Senate, many experts say the elections will not bring about change in Egypt’s political sphere as most candidates have the approval of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. By Mohammed Magdy In Berlin, reporting on Egyptian politics
Did Netanyahu find his legacy with UAE deal? The announcement yesterday on normalizing ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates reflects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s realization that he must abandon his annexation plan. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense