Israeli universities, tech firms, cities to join strike over Netanyahu’s Gaza takeover plan An increasing number of institutions and businesses are allowing their employees to join the general strike planned for Sunday, in protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take control of Gaza City. Israel
Jordan summons suspects accused of holding Muslim Brotherhood assets: What to know The Hashemite Kingdom has taken a number of legal actions against the Islamist organization since banning them in April. Jordan
What to make of Egypt's removal of Alaa Abdel-Fattah from terror list An Egyptian court has removed a prominent jailed activist from the country's terrorism list amid scrutiny over Egypt’s human rights record under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt
Turkey's opposition elects acting mayor as Imamoglu remains detained, protests persist The Turkish president accuses opposition of sabotaging the economy amid ongoing detentions against protestors over the arrest of the Istanbul mayor. Turkey
Feature Christians in Syria hopeful but wary of Sharaa’s intentions By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis Kuwait's citizenship law changes reflect growing restrictions under new emir By Jennifer Gnana In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics
Israeli legislator promotes new 'Peace Authority' Emilie Moatti, head of the Knesset's subcommittee on foreign affairs, is busily planning meetings on advancing cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. Israel
Learning Arabic becomes political act in Israel All the initiatives and events presented on Arabic language Day in the Knesset cannot hide the fact that the Nationality Law has stripped it from its status as an official language in Israel. Israel
Israeli ultra-Orthodox learn about Holocaust over phone Since ultra-Orthodox schools do not include history classes in their curricula, Israel Goldwasser and his friends came up with the idea of recorded Holocaust-history classes over the phone. Israel
Lapid marks Holocaust Remembrance Day at camp where grandfather killed Foreign Minister Yair Lapid visited the Austrian Mauthausen concentration camp on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, while Knesset Speaker Mickey levy addressed the German Bundestag in Hebrew. Israel
Sudanese public widely rejects new UN initiative A number of Sudan's major civilian groups have shown skepticism toward UN efforts to help. Egypt
Arab-Israeli city takes battle against violence into its own hands Tired of rising violence and police helplessness, the municipality of Umm al-Fahm presents its own plan to combat crime and decrease social tensions. Israel
UN adopts historic Israeli-sponsored resolution to combat Holocaust denial Israeli leaders expressed satisfaction over the UN General Assembly approving an Israeli-initiated resolution against Holocaust denial. Israel
Calls across political spectrum to probe Israel Police Pegasus spyware misuse Knesset members from across the political spectrum are calling for an official probe over publications that police had used the spyware Pegasus to hack phones of citizens without prior court order. Israel
Egyptian rights group suspends operations after 'hostile' targeting of staff The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said the decision to close its doors came after "many strenuous attempts to continue to operate, despite the difficult conditions.” Egypt
Israel greenlights surrogacy for same-sex couples, single men In a historic move, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announced last week that as of Jan. 11, surrogacy procedures will be open for everyone in the country, same-sex couples, single men and transgender people included. Israel
Economic meltdown revives forgotten occupations in Lebanon Occupations that disappeared over time, most notably that of cobbler and tailor, have been revived due to the decline in citizens’ purchasing power. Lebanon
Netherlands cuts funding to Palestinian group blacklisted by Israel The decision came despite the fact that a Dutch government audit determined the Union of Agricultural Work Committees had no "organizational ties" to a Palestinian terrorist group. Israel
