Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
US Navy plans for smaller fleet amid spending caps despite Middle East crisis Facing budget caps and new procurement delays, the Navy is poised to reduce the overall size of its fleet even as attacks by Iran and its proxies in Yemen have led to unprecedented disruptions of commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Washington Pulse
Exclusive US government employees plan walkout over Biden’s Gaza policies By Joyce Karam , Elizabeth Hagedorn
New York synagogue becomes scene of latest attack amid Israel-Hamas war Jewish religious institutions in the United States, Canada and Germany have been attacked since the war began as antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents continue to rise across the West. Washington Pulse
US military aid to Egypt under scrutiny amid Menendez bribery charges The federal corruption indictment against the New Jersey Democrat comes just over a week after the Biden administration said it would release restricted military aid to Egypt. Egypt
Israeli-Saudi normalization still elusive despite US push The Biden administration is seeking full diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but Riyadh is unlikely to embrace normalization without significant concessions. Saudi Arabia
US Congresswoman Tlaib holds event for Palestinian Nakba Day in Senate The top Republican in the House tried to cancel the event to commemorate the Palestinian displacement of 1948, but Senator Bernie Sanders stepped in to help the outspoken congresswoman. Palestine
Senate panel advances US ambassador nominees to UAE, Kuwait The Foreign Relations Committee cleared the nominations for Karen Sasahara and Martina Anna Tkadlec Strong as US ambassadors to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. Washington Pulse
US repatriates Algerian prisoner from Guantanamo Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush was first detained in Pakistan in 2002. Washington Pulse
CENTCOM hires first-ever AI adviser as it fields new tech in Middle East US CENTCOM became the first combatant command to appoint an AI, machine learning and robotics adviser this week as the Pentagon looks to keep ahead of China’s technological advances. Washington Pulse
US transfers Pakistani brothers from Guantanamo Bay Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani and Mohammed Ahmed Ghulam Rabbani are being repatriated after nearly two decades in the US military prison. Their departure brings the remaining number of detainees at Guantanamo Bay to 32. Washington Pulse
US bolsters human rights criteria for arms sales The arms transfer policy takes into account how US weapons sales could be used to commit rights abuses. Washington Pulse
Biden announces release of oil reserves following Saudi-backed oil cut One analyst said the move will not elicit a reaction from Saudi Arabia, which is in a dispute with the Biden administration over the recent OPEC+ oil production decision. Saudi Arabia
Turkey protests US, Greece over ‘violating non-military status’ of Aegean Greek islands Eastern Mediterranean conflict is steadily turning into a fresh strain in already-troubled US-Turkey ties, as Erdogan lashes out at Washington and Athens over the military buildup in the Dodecanese islands. Turkey
US approves Sweden, Finland NATO bid as Turkey warns of conditions Turkey's President Erdogan warned again this week that his government would block the two Nordic countries' bid to join NATO unless they take action against Kurdish leftist groups. Washington Pulse
