Reports: Iran to adopt countermeasures as US revokes sanctions waivers Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will reportedly announce countermeasures to the US exit from the JCPOA and its reimposition of sanctions. United States
Lebanese LGBT salon brings out beauty in everyone Out, Lebanon's first beauty salon catering to members of the LGBT community, was founded as a place where patrons can feel at home, not simply tolerated. Lebanon
Turkey polishes Iraqi relations, champions Turkmen in politics The Turkish foreign minister's recent visit to Baghdad and Erbil included a push for appointing Turkmens to Cabinet positions in Iraq. Iraq
Israel wants to strengthen, annex West Bank settlements Israel will offer investors grants to build hotels in West Bank settlements, which reflects Israel’s intention to annex more parts of the West Bank. Palestine
Algeria’s protesters vie for uncertain legacy Although weekslong protests in Algeria managed to dislodge the president and regime-linked figures, many challenges lie ahead still. Algeria
Natural history, conservation and politics meet in West Bank museum The Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability bring Israeli and Palestinians together to preserve knowledge about the ecology, environment and cultivation of Palestine. Palestine
Woman heads Palestinian Health Ministry for the first time Only three women have been appointed to ministerial positions in the new Palestinian government, out of 18 ministries in total, raising the ire of activists. Palestine
Different faiths, shared sites explored in Istanbul An exhibition in Istanbul sheds light on religious sites and pilgrimages sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike, a phenomenon that is not widely known but is quite common in the Mediterranean region. Israel
What Russia makes of Hifter's offensive on Tripoli Russia has positioned itself as an impartial middleman in the Libyan crisis, but there's a fine blueprint that defines this position. United Arab Emirates
Kushner rejects calls to delay release of Mideast peace plan Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, said Thursday the Trump administration would issue its Middle East peace plan, though several regional experts have argued that the plan's release would cause more harm. Palestine
Is Israel reconciled to Assad's staying power? Turkish defense minister says the United States has "moved closer to our position" on Syria safe zone. Syria
Deteriorating US-Turkey ties weaken Ankara's hand in other problems Intensive diplomatic traffic between Athens and Washington that emphasizes military cooperation raises the question of whether the United States is seeking an alternative strategic ally to Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
Turkey claims progress on Syria safe zone Despite claims from Ankara that Turkey and the United States are making headway on a safe zone in northern Syria, sources familiar with the talks say no tangible progress had been achieved and that Ankara's positive spin is likely inspired by empty US promises. Syria
Losses of Turkey’s construction sector foisted on taxpayers Turkey has created a special fund to salvage debt-ridden construction companies, many of them government cronies, while relieving banks from bad loans, but the rescue operation is bound to put further burden on public finances and thus taxpayers. Turkey
How Iran's hard-liners aim to sideline traditionalist clerics Iranian hard-liners are establishing parallel entities to train clerics in order to marginalize traditionalist clerics at the Qom seminary. Iran
Abbas needs to dismantle the PA Instead of playing into Benjamin Netanyahu's policy of treating the Oslo Accords like a final agreement, the Palestinian leadership should dismantle the Palestinian Authority and hand the keys back to Israel. Palestine
