Why women in the Middle East find little to celebrate on March 8

From Beirut to Khartoum, women in the Middle East held demonstrations calling for the elimination of discriminatory laws and improvement of their situation.

Saudi Arabia

Is France irked by Erdogan’s passion for Africa?

Erdogan’s efforts to boost Turkey’s economic role in Africa have been marked by outbursts maligning France’s colonial past, but there is more to Turkey’s Africa opening that fuels the bilateral spats.

Turkey

Israel's Gantz choosing wrong battles against Netanyahu

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz should continue focusing his campaign on the charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, instead of falling into the trap of a diplomatic battle.

Palestine

Netanyahu’s Africa blitz includes photo ops, pleasing US

Israeli diplomats fear that the drive for cooperation projects with African countries is being replaced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s desire for photo-ops and by hints that relations with Jerusalem would open the door to Washington.

Israel

Libya is only small part of Turkey’s ambitious Africa overture

Although Turkey’s moves in Libya capture a lot of headlines these days, Ankara has been busy on other fronts in Africa.

Egypt

Dubai ports giant hires ex-Israeli intelligence official to land US support for Sudan bid

DP World has hired controversial lobbyist Ari Ben-Menashe to get a US grant to develop Sudan’s most important cargo terminal.

United Arab Emirates

Egypt moves into position as regional energy hub

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced Egypt is ready to export electricity to Africa at low prices.

Egypt

Intel: How this week’s US-sponsored Nile talks buoy Egypt

The US administration deepened its involvement in trilateral talks between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the filling of a massive new dam on the Nile River this week, to Cairo’s relief.

Egypt

Israel’s soft power victim of Netanyahu’s policies

The absence of Israel from the Paris Peace Forum reflects the spirit of its leadership, belittling multinational initiatives and neglecting soft power tools.

Israel

Egypt tries to get new Sudan government to its side

Egypt has recently hosted a meeting of Sudan’s revolutionary forces and armed opposition to help advance negotiations and peace talks, as Cairo believes security in Sudan is linked to its own internal stability.

Egypt

Ethiopia again rejects Egypt’s vision for Renaissance Dam

After more than a year of stalled negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Egypt’s diplomatic moves at the regional and international levels seem to have led nowhere.

Egypt

Egypt’s new high-tech border security system in place

The Egyptian armed forces completed a high-tech border security system that will boost the Border Guard Forces’ performance and allow better security and response to incidents on the inflamed border.

Palestine