Civil Society

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Lebanon becomes first Arab country to abolish death penalty

Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc walked out of Tuesday’s session in protest of the measure.

US President Donald Trump (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they arrive to speak to journalists during a joint press conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 29, 2025.

As Trump casts doubt on Netanyahu's future, Likud rushes to reaffirm support

By questioning whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will run in the next Knesset elections, President Donald Trump may have dented one of the Israeli leader's key political assets ahead of the vote.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto during a reception at the State House ahead of the Africa Forward summit in Nairobi on May 10, 2026.

Analysis

Pushed out of Sahel, Macron turns to Egypt and Africa's anglophone countries

Following the French retreat from the Sahel amid growing Russian influence, President Emmanuel Macron is turning to anglophone Africa to rebuild France's diplomatic and economic footprint on the continent.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist , Rosaleen Carroll

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) listens to a speech by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Jerusalem, Feb. 25, 2026.

Could Israel-US war on Iran save Netanyahu’s political future?

It remains unclear whether the Israeli prime minister will get a "victory photo" to rescue his image after the security debacle and Hamas attack in October 2023.

Latest News

Interview

Treated as 'enemies’: Ahmad Tibi accuses Netanyahu government of indifference to Arab Israeli lives

Arab-Israeli parliament member Ahmad Tibi poses for a picture during an interview with AFP at his office at the Knesset (Israeli parliament) building in Jerusalem on June 25, 2024. The 65-year-old leader of an Arab-majority party told AFP that after October 7, "hundreds of Arab citizens were hunted down, chased by the Israeli police for writing a post or a story empathising with the children of Gaza or saying no to the war." (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Ahmad Tibi

Ahmad Tibi

Knesset member and Ta'al Party leader

Arab Israeli leaders call for state of emergency after 5 killed in 12-hour crime wave

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Washington Post cuts 30% of staff, guts foreign desk, Mideast team: What to know

A man exits the Washington Post office building in Washington, DC, on Feb. 4, 2026.

‘Save the Post’: Washington Post journalists urge Bezos to protect foreign desk

The Washington Post building at One Franklin Square on June 5, 2024, in Washington.

A policeman sprays tear gas at protesters during a demonstration along Habib Bourguiba Avenue, against their president and the upcoming July 25 constitutional referendum, Tunis, Tunisia, July 22, 2022.

Tunisian police unions clash with president's plan to unify security forces

Human rights organizations in Tunisia are increasingly concerned about the police unions’ encroachment on politics.

A photographer takes pictures of a newly wedded couple in a classic car, in front of the Saint Estephan Maronite Church at the fishermen's port in Batroun, Lebanon, Aug. 6, 2022.

Culture

Cash-strapped Lebanese turn to online civil marriages

Najwa Sbeity and Omar Abdel Baki's civil wedding ceremony that they held online went viral, enticing more people to opt for this option despite the religious backlash and bureaucratic difficulties.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi.

Iranian government intensifies crackdown

Iran has arrested three of its most prominent filmmakers.

Tel Aviv bakery

Israeli government retreats on bread-price controls

The global rise in prices of flour and other products havs affected the cost of bread in Israel, some of which has long been regulated.

Kholoud Sukkarieh (R) and Nidal Darwish, who got married in defiance of the ban on civil unions, walk past Pigeon Rock, Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 25, 2013.

Culture

Newly elected MPs bring back debate about civil marriage in Lebanon

The positions of some new legislators in favor of civil unions to be performed in the Mediterranean country have outraged religious authorities.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to his supporters on June 7, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ghosts of Gezi protests still haunt Erdogan

The timing of President Erdogan’s recent outbursts targeting the 2013 Gezi protests hints that the protests will play a central role in his campaigning ahead of the June 2023 elections.

Light Your Street

Culture

Rebirth Beirut brings nightlife back to Lebanon’s iconic Gemmayzeh

NGO Rebirth Beirut has brought 24-hour power back to Lebanon’s beloved nightlife district, hoping to encourage visitors and businesses to return.

Sudanese demonstrators barricade Al-Sahafa street during ongoing protests against a military coup, Khartoum, Sudan, Jan. 18, 2022.

Can Egyptian civil society contribute to solving Sudanese crisis?

An Egyptian civil society delegation visited Khartoum where it met with various political parties, as part of efforts to boost relations and dialogue at the popular level.

People hold a giant rainbow flag during a parade on Istiklal Street.

Culture

Turkey’s Alevis to open their houses of worship to LGBTQ funerals

Turkey’s major Alevi organizations announce they will open their houses of worship to LGBTQ individuals in support of equal funeral rights.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech.

Has Ukraine war given Erdogan free hand at home?

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might be aiming to tighten his grip on the domestic front, taking advantage of Ankara’s rising profile amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A man places a copy of the Tunisian Constitution atop a Tunisian national flag.

Tunisian president grants himself power to appoint election authority

The presidential decree to revise the law of the Independent High Authority for Elections in Tunisia and change its composition is facing widespread criticism from opposition parties and organizations that accuse Tunisian President Kais Saied of granting himself wide powers that may affect the course of democracy.

UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinians Francesca Albanese.

Interview

Israel’s occupation has crossed the ‘red line of legality,’ says new UN rapporteur

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the newly appointed UN special rapporteur for the Palestinians, Francesca Albanese, speaks about her plans to address human rights violations in the Palestinian territories, while fending off a smear campaign launched against her by Israel.

Francesca Albanese

Francesca Albanese

UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories