Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
For many Gazans, it's another Christmas barred from Bethlehem While most of Gaza's Christians submitted requests to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem, only a small number were granted access by Israel. Palestine
Cairo gallery ends decade on a funny note A gallery in Cairo is exhibiting 220 cartoons that illustrate what has made Egyptians laugh over the past 100 or so years. Egypt
Novy God holiday enchants Israelis with Soviet new year festivities After years of misunderstanding and rejection of the Soviet holiday, Novy God has become as Israeli as any other of the beloved traditions brought to the country by waves immigrants. Israel
Sell-off in Oman reveals privatization with regional characteristics Some Middle East countries in need of cash, such as Oman, are selling assets to Chinese and Malaysian state-owned entities. Oman
Congress forces Trump to restore Palestinian aid Congress has a plan to restore some of the Palestinian aid that President Donald Trump eliminated. Palestine
Intel: Pentagon refuses to put timeline on Syria mission Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to put a timeline on the Pentagon’s scaled-down mission to defeat the Islamic State and guard Syrian oil fields at the agency’s last press briefing of the year. Syria
UAE insists it’s not lobbying for sanctions against Turkey after all Lobbyists for the UAE embassy in Washington have clarified their talking points to Congress. United Arab Emirates
Turkey’s Libya gambit raises stakes in eastern Mediterranean Turkey’s military commitments to Libya’s Tripoli-based government have escalated the conflict in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
Tunisia's Ennahda vacillating over leader's future in the party Ennahda is slated to elect a new leader in May, but some members want the vote moved forward in light of the movement's leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, now also serving as speaker of parliament, but others appear to want bylaws to be changed to allow him to remain as movement head. Tunisia
Inside the US-Iran prisoner swap, and what comes next Can Washington and Tehran build on the success of the Swiss facilitated exchange? United States
Intel: How Congress is putting Saudi fugitives on notice Congress is forcing the Donald Trump administration to disclose Riyadh’s alleged role in whisking Saudi fugitives out of the United States, some of whom are wanted for charges as severe as manslaughter, rape and possession of child pornography. Saudi Arabia
Moroccan YouTubers forced to silence A day after Mohammed Sekkaki recorded a witty rant against the king and uploaded it to YouTube, Moroccan police raided his home and arrested him. Morocco