Is Ankara’s religious education drive stumbling? Despite Ankara’s unrelenting drive to expand religious education, enrollment in religious schools has remained below the government’s targets. Turkey
Turkey’s WomanTV offers new voice on women’s issues A new TV station is taking on femicide, glass ceilings and violence, as well as sharing success stories of women in Turkey. Turkey
Did Iran ever stop funding Hamas? Iran has reportedly resumed its aid to the Palestinian Hamas movement, after years of estrangement over regional issues. Palestine
Women break their silence at Lebanon's monodrama festival The Lebanon International Women Monodrama Festival, which opens on International Women's Day, provides a platform for female voices to be heard without interruption or suppression. Lebanon
Gaza aid cannot wait while Israel holds elections On the backdrop of the growing crisis in the Gaza Strip, Israel, Qatar and Egypt are discussing the idea of humanitarian aid supplies financed by Qatar. Qatar
Is Israel headed for national unity government? According to current polls, neither Likud nor Blue and White alliance would be able to assemble a governing coalition after elections, raising a number of even more unlikely scenarios for doing so. Israel
Why is two-state solution absent from Blue and White party charter? The charter of the new Blue and White party veers to the right, thus offering Zionist left-wing Labor and Meretz parties an opportunity to reattract voters who support the two-state solution. Israel
Egypt’s first sovereign wealth fund to tap unused assets Egypt recently announced the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund aimed at managing the state’s unused assets to promote development and investment projects. Egypt
What was Hamas’ Haniyeh doing in Egypt for 25 days? Although Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s long visit to Egypt achieved positive results, including the release of four Hamas members abducted in 2015, many pending issues remain unresolved. Palestine
How did Lavrov do on his Gulf tour? During his tour of the Gulf, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov treaded carefully around politics, opting to speak publicly about a safer topic, economics. Legacy: Gulf
Turkish economy faces grim outlook for 2019 THE OECD forecasts that the Turkish economy, after contracting this year, should grow again next year; Erdogan goes after former presidential candidate Meral Aksener. Turkey
Mired in recriminations, Turkish-Egyptian ties remain stagnant Prospects for improved relations between Ankara and Cairo appear dimmer than ever following recent executions in Egypt. Egypt
Turkey becoming minefield for foreign journalists Three foreign reporters in Turkey have seen their accreditations terminated, while the renewal applications of 50 others remain unanswered since December, fueling concern that Ankara is seeking to drive the foreign media out. Turkey
Khatami: Lost Reformist votes will go to regime changers Former Iranian Reformist President Mohammad Khatami said it is unlikely that Iranians will turn out to vote in large numbers unless there are reforms within the next year. Iran
What was behind Abbas’ visit to Iraq? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ rare visit to Iraq raised questions about its purpose, as no agreements were announced. Palestine
Lebanese architect blazes new path For Beirut-born architect Amale Andraos, it is still surprisingly difficult to operate as a woman in architecture. Lebanon
