After meeting Netanyahu, Kushner agrees Hamas disarmament precedes Israel's withdrawal Israel and the Gaza Board of Peace have agreed that the Israeli military will begin withdrawing from the Gaza Strip after Hamas disarms. Israel
Analysis How Israel's rivalry, defense deals prompted Turkey to join Mecca pact Turkey’s growing rivalry with Israel and mounting regional instability are driving its defense alignment with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, despite risks of strategic entanglement and friction with NATO partners. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel moves against West Bank settlers after Huckabee criticism Who benefits from Lebanon’s amnesty law; Turkey's Fidan heads to Egypt amid questions over Saudi-led defense pact; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis Fidan heads to Egypt amid questions over Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan pact Conflicting accounts of why Egypt stayed out of the agreement have exposed the competing interests shaping the region’s emerging defense architecture. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Newsletter: FutureVerse Red Sea tech risks resurface By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran denies negotiations with US after Trump calls off strikes By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Why the sudden shift in Sudan’s position in Nile dam dossier? Sudan has recently shifted its position in the negotiations on Addis Ababa’s controversial dam on the Nile River, as Khartoum grows more concerned about the dam’s impact on its own dams and agriculture. Egypt
UAE steps in to ease Nile dam crisis Sudanese reports recently revealed that the United Arab Emirates is seeking an initiative to bring the views of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia closer so as to break the deadlock in the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. United Arab Emirates
Egypt dodges Trump’s ire as White House orders massive last-minute aid cuts The outgoing president briefly sought to freeze all US military aid to Egypt over its purchase of Russian military hardware, but the White House revised the decision before notifying Congress, Al-Monitor's sources said. Egypt
Egyptian who ruled in favor of ceding key islands to Saudi Arabia voted parliament speaker Egypt’s parliament elected Hanafy Ali el-Gebaly as its new speaker, raising controversy as Gebaly chaired the Supreme Constitutional Court that validated an agreement under which Egypt agreed to transfer the strategic Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Egypt’s Nubians get second chance at requesting compensation On the occasion of the anniversary of laying the foundation stone of the Aswan dam, the Egyptian state opened the door to the second phase of the compensation paid for the Nubians who were displaced from their lands. Egypt
Ethiopia lays foundation stone of new dam amid stalled GERD talks As yet another round of negotiations falters between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Addis Ababa announced the beginning of construction of a new smaller dam on the Blue Nile Basin. Egypt
How delays at Sudan’s largest port could actually boost trade with Egypt Analysts expect the four-month suspension in Port Sudan to accelerate the launch of the Transit Trade Agreement between Egypt and Sudan and eventually bring economic and political benefits to Egypt. Egypt
Egypt resumes trade at Sinai port as Islamic State threat regresses Egypt has recently reopened the Al-Arish port in North Sinai as part of efforts to revive the economy in the area that has struggled under years of Islamist insurgency. Egypt
Animal activists outraged over Egyptian government killing of stray dogs Egypt’s State Council is currently looking into a lawsuit against the government’s killing of stray animals, which officials say is necessary to protect citizens. Egypt
Egypt reopening airspace to Qatar after 3½-year row Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have already announced the end of their bans on flights from Qatar. Legacy: Gulf
Nile dam talks hit yet another snarl The latest round of talks between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the controversial Nile River dam again collapsed amid Sudanese objections and calls for African Union experts to take on a greater role in resolving the dispute. Egypt
Egypt seeks to bypass Turkish presence in Senegal In an attempt to counter Turkey’s expansion in West Africa, Egypt and the UAE seek to consolidate their ties with Senegal, the gateway to West Africa, by pushing forward new investments in the African country. Egypt