Jerusalem construction plan rattles Israeli government The government of Naftali Bennett would like to shelve plans for constructing the Atarot Jerusalem neighborhood on the other side of the Green Line, yet it is facing a hard-core Jerusalem municipality that is adamant to advance the plan. Israel
New Egyptian-Ethiopian escalation over Nile dam Ethiopia has announced that it will soon finish construction work on the GERD, while Egypt has warned of the consequences of not reaching an agreement in the latest escalation between the two countries. Egypt
Life returns to 1800s palace in Egypt The Egyptian authorities are preparing to reopen the palace of Mohammed Ali Pasha in the Shubra area, north of Cairo, after extensive restoration works. Culture
Idlib’s children become breadwinners amidst rising poverty Worsening living conditions and soaring poverty rates in Idlib force more and more children to drop out of school and start working to help their families meet their basic needs. Syria
Gaming offers livelihood for some young Syrians Video games have recently become a way to earn money for young Syrians amid scarce job opportunities in all fields and financial hardships. Syria
Egyptians breathe easy in first open-air gym Egypt has opened its first open-air gym to encourage citizens to work out in open spaces. Egypt
Hamas student group hosts military exhibition in Gaza The Islamic Bloc, Hamas' student wing, held an exhibition in the Gaza Strip to showcase Hamas' history and military prowess. Palestine
Islamic State down but not out in Syria and Iraq: Pentagon report Also, Al-Monitor’s on-the-ground reporting on the security situations in Syria and Iraq, including the impact of the Turkish lira crisis on Idlib. Syria
Turkish police detain opposition figure Metin Gurcan, a founding member of Turkey's Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), has been detained by the Turkish police, joining a number of political opponents and critics who have been accused of “political espionage” in recent years. Turkey
Gantz says Israel, Morocco ‘leap together’ in historic agreement Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed this week in Rabat a landmark cooperation agreement with Morocco — the first such agreement signed by Israel with an Arab state. Israel
Iran riot police 'forcibly' sweep water protest site During the pre-dawn raid in the city of Esfahan, baton-wielding security forces set protest tents on fire and pushed farmers out of the dried river basin, the site of more than two weeks of public demonstrations. Iran
Egypt gears up to host next climate summit Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2022 amid international human rights objections. Egypt
Head of UN Iraq mission tells Security Council no evidence of election fraud In her briefing to the UN Security Council, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert confirmed that there is no evidence for election fraud as claimed by some of the political parties that lost the parliamentary elections and warned of dire consequences if crucial reforms are not implemented. Iraq
Jordanian public unhappy with Israeli water deal The sudden decision by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to sign a declaration of intent to trade clean electricity for water has produced public opposition despite the fact that Jordan badly needs to add to its water supply due to the increase in population from the regional violence. Jordan
Egypt's dispute with Chinese company stalls electric car production The manufacture of the first-ever locally made electric car in Egypt has hit a bump due to failed negotiations between the Egyptian Ministry of Trade and Industry and Dongfeng Motor Corporation regarding the agreement to manufacture the E70 electric car. Egypt
Jordan to support US Navy unmanned drone task force in Red Sea The Royal Jordanian Naval Base at Aqaba will host the US 5th Fleet's Task Force 59 to test unmanned surface craft in the coming weeks. Jordan
