Israel, Greece agree on 'green passports' for citizens vaccinated for COVID-19 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed Feb. 9 to adopt a mutual tourism pact, which will enable those already vaccinated against the coronavirus to travel between the two countries freely. By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Netanyahu’s fate to be determined by COVID-19, not corruption trial Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears failure in dealing with Israel's coronavirus pandemic even more than his corruption trial. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Netanyahu pushes for evidentiary stage to be postponed until after election The legal defense team of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries postponing the evidentiary stage of his trial until after the March 23 election. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Meet Egypt’s Christian soccer team As Christian football players continue to be rejected from clubs playing in the Egyptian league, the Je Suis team opened the door for these talents to continue doing what they are passionate about. By Nada Shaker In Cairo, reporting on culture
Will Sudan-Ethiopia border conflict affect GERD talks? Border tensions have escalated between Sudan and Ethiopia in the past few days, coupled with Ethiopian threats to Sudan if it does not respond to peaceful solutions, which has triggered questions about the impact of such developments on the GERD issue. By Hagar Hosny
Syrian regime scrambles to defuse tensions after insult to Druze leader The people of Suwayda in southern Syria were outraged when a Syrian army officer insulted the spiritual leader of the Druze community in the governorate, and high-ranking officials are trying to defuse the tension by offering apologies to the community. By Khaled al-Khateb
Hundreds left homeless as Egyptian authorities demolish random constructions As the Egyptian authorities embark on removing dozens of residential buildings in the historic Sayeda Aisha area as part of a development plan, lawyers are working to provide legal support to residents and owners of the removed properties. By A correspondent in Egypt
Iran’s foreign minister discusses ending war in Yemen with UN envoy Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Martin Griffiths in Tehran on Monday as the US renews a push to end Yemen's war By Al-Monitor Staff
Autopsy of slain Lebanese intellectual Lokman Slim shows no torture Slim's wife said an independent autopsy was necessary and is also calling for an international investigation, as opposed to leaving it up to the Lebanese government. By Al-Monitor Staff
US to continue defensive intelligence support to Saudi Arabia on Yemen 'We are not a party to Yemen's civil war,' CENTCOM commander says By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Mysterious metal monolith appears at ancient temple site in Turkey Similar structures have appeared around the world since late 2020. By Al-Monitor Staff
Erdogan seizes on student protests to further polarize Turkey The protests rocking Turkish university campuses are the biggest since the Gezi demonstrations and like them are the product of the president's stubborn refusal to consider popular sentiment. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Saudi Arabia commutes death sentences of young Shiites The sentences of Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon, who were arrested as teenagers in 2012, were reduced to 10 years in prison. By Al-Monitor Staff
New page for US, Turkey reads like fantasy Hope for a reset in Turkish-American ties under the Biden administration will remain unrealistic until Ankara addresses its democratic issues and human rights record. By Cengiz Candar
US calls on Yemen's Houthis to halt attacks on Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia said it intercepted four armed drones launched toward the kingdom by the Yemeni rebels. By Al-Monitor Staff
Palestinian factions meet in Cairo ahead of elections Fatah, Hamas and several other Palestinian political parties participated in talks in the Egyptian capital about the upcoming elections in the Palestinian territories. By Al-Monitor Staff