Gendarmerie operation sparks controversy in Petra, Jordan Petra’s tribal entrepreneurs react to a security operation carried out inside Jordan’s most-visited UNESCO World Heritage Site with criticism and concern for their livelihoods. Jordan
Despite war, thousands of Israeli Hasidim make pilgrimage to Ukraine Much like the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine won’t stop thousands of Hasidim from reaching the city of Uman and the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov just before the Jewish New Year. Israel
Middle East airlines to suffer losses again in 2022 The International Air Transport Association said that airlines in the region will fare somewhat better financially due to the return of long-haul flights. Gulf
Israel expects post-COVID tourism rebound this summer Israeli experts do not expect tourism to reach this summer the record level of 2019, but they certainly notice a trend of increase on both outbound and incoming tourism. Israel
Iran denies 'US sabotage' against homemade vaccine project The denial added to the chaos and confusion surrounding Iran's piecemeal rollout, which has reached only 2.3% of its population. Iran
Israel records highest daily coronavirus cases in three months The number of COVID-19 infections in Israel, which includes those of the delta variant, is still relatively low in the country. News Brief
Turkey's virus-related curfew ends Turkey's COVID-19 cases have dropped considerably, and the percentage of people who have received a vaccine dose more than doubled in June. News Brief
Iran approves second Iranian-made COVID-19 vaccine Iran's vaccine rollout has been marked by delays as the virus continues to spread rapidly across the country. Iran
Turkey stops flights from six countries due to virus variants Turkey is in the process of opening up amid lower COVID-19 cases and vaccine progress. News Brief
Israel renews indoor mask mandate amid COVID-19 surge After registering its highest daily caseload in more than two months, Israel has reimposed a mandate on mask usage indoors. News Brief
Iran's supreme leader gets jab of Iranian-made COVID-19 vaccine Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he turned down foreign-made vaccines because receiving Iran's own vaccine is a source of "national honor." Iran
Congress discusses 'strategic opportunity' for US vaccines in MidEast The House Foreign Affairs Committee's hearing Wednesday focused in part on the reputation of American COVID-19 vaccines in the Middle East versus Russian and Chinese ones. News Brief
Abu Dhabi offers tourists free coronavirus vaccines The capital of the United Arab Emirates is also set to remove quarantine requirements on travelers from certain countries deemed low-risk. United Arab Emirates
Turkey to lift curfews, relax virus restrictions July 1 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday that restrictions on public transportation will also be lifted. News Brief
Qatar to require World Cup spectators be fully vaccinated The four-week World Cup tournament will hold all of its matches in full stadiums. Qatar
Palestinian Authority calls off vaccine deal with Israel The PA said Friday that it wouldn't accept the Pfizer vaccines provided by Israel because the doses were too close to expiring. Israel
