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
Ethiopia’s worsening crisis threatens regional, Mideast security With the Horn of Africa increasingly becoming an integral part of the Middle East’s security landscape, the fallout from Ethiopia's current crisis will have a significant impact on states of the region. Egypt
Islamic scholars, activists call for ban on British film about prophet’s daughter The film about Fatima al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, has already been banned in Pakistan. Egypt
Egypt thaws relations with Qatar after long-running feud Egypt signed a reconciliation agreement with Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, aimed at ending the Gulf blockade imposed on Doha since 2017, but it seems pending issues remain, including the Muslim Brotherhood, preventing full restoration of ties between Cairo and Doha. Qatar
How Egypt plans to excavate antiquities submerged under Alexandria waters Alexandria University launched a new project to excavate and preserve underwater artifacts, in a bid to revive tourism and protect Egypt's underwater heritage. Egypt
Egypt’s intelligence chief heads to Sudan amid stalled Nile dam talks Egypt’s head of the General Intelligence Service Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel visited Sudan at a time when Khartoum boycotted the recent Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations. Egypt
Egypt approves Pharaonic exhibition in 5 US, European cities Despite the outbreak of the coronavirus around the world, Egypt is trying to revive the tourism sector by planning to take remarkable archaeological pieces on a tour around five prominent cities in Europe and the United States. Egypt
Turkey draws road map with Egypt, but will Cairo follow it? Turkey is once again hinting at openness for dialogue with Egypt, but real progress remains elusive. Egypt
Egypt’s first female MMA fighter blazes trail for more women Aya Saeid has become Egypt’s first MMA fighter by breaking stereotypes in the patriarchal society. Egypt
Egypt, Ethiopia escalate war of words over stalled Nile dam talks Ethiopia is accusing Egypt of deliberate hostility amid stalled negotiations on the controversial dam and tension between Addis Ababa and Khartoum. Egypt
Egypt's former MPs coming back to political stage with big dreams A group of former parliament members is reorganizing within Egypt’s opposition parties, but it remains unclear whether their efforts can threaten Sisi's grip on power, given the popularity of the Egyptian president and the very thin margin left for the political parties to communicate with the public. Egypt
Egyptians in exile fear losing citizenship The Egyptian government has revoked the citizenship of leading Egyptian activist Ghada Naguib, who has been living in self-exile in Turkey since 2016, raising concerns among human rights activists about the issuance of similar decisions against dozens of activists abroad. Egypt
Egypt to become major regional hub for plasma collection In partnership with the South Korean company SK Plasma and with the issuance of a draft bill, Egypt is preparing to collect plasma and its derivatives in a first-of-its-kind operation in Cairo. Egypt