Pope Leo gets rock star's reception in Lebanon, drawing cheers, celebrations Pope Leo began his second day in crisis-hit Lebanon with visits to notable Christian shrines in the country and an interfaith meeting in the capital, Beirut. Lebanon
Lebanon celebrates Pope Leo’s visit as Israel escalates attacks The pontiff's visit to Lebanon comes as many in the country fear a potential restart of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon
In first foreign visit, Pope Leo meets Erdogan, urges Turkey to uphold pluralism On his inaugural foreign visit to Turkey, Pope Leo called for respect for pluralism after meeting with the Turkish president. Turkey
Analysis Pope Leo in Turkey, navigating faith, politics and Orthodox tensions The visit will bolster Turkey’s image on religious tolerance and shared positions with the Vatican while Ankara navigates sensitive issues surrounding the Halki Seminary and the Greek Patriarchate’s ecumenical status. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis Israel scrambles for strategy as Mamdani’s NYC victory sparks alarm By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Analysis As Trump hosts Sharaa, Israel cautiously seeks Syria security deal By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Israeli Arab parties pass on Jewish-Arab cooperation Israel's four Arab parties, which split into two Knesset lists before the April elections, are now discussing reunifying to contest September elections with the goal of generating more Arab votes. Israel
Meet Iraq's human rights advocate who lived through two genocides Dr. Widad Akreyi, who lived through the 1980s Anfal genocide and the 2014 Yazidi genocide, has become one of the major defenders of human rights in Iraq and beyond. Iraq
Will Arabs in Israel revive Joint List for new elections? Palestinian citizens in Israel lost three seats in the April 10 elections due in large part to the low turnout, which came as a result of apathy and unhappiness about the fact that the united list was divided into two. Israel
Iranian public outrage forces 'correction' of kindergarten directive Amid widespread public outrage, Iranian authorities had to revise an official order that sought to ban religious minorities from teaching at government-run kindergartens. Iran
Will Israeli Arabs come out to vote in September? The numbers make clear that a change of regime and victory for the Blue and White in September elections can only be achieved by boosting voter turnout among Arabs, who represent double the vote potential than the ultra-Orthodox parties, which garnered 16 Knesset seats in the April vote. Israel
Blue and White gets rare second chance in politics New elections present a credible opportunity for the Blue and White to form the next government if it changes its attitude toward working with Israel's Arab minority. Israel
Iranian MPs move to grant citizenship to children of foreign fathers Iranian lawmakers passed a bill that would grant citizenship to children in Iran born to Iranian mothers and foreign fathers. If approved by the Guardian Council, the bill would put an end to years of discrimination against women in the country’s nationality law. Iran
Ankara backs some Turkmens in Iraqi politics, shuns others By ostracizing Turkmen politicians who supported the 2017 independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey could be shooting itself in the foot. Iraq
Ultra-Orthodox set sights on Housing, Welfare portfolios The ultra-Orthodox population is poor and faces a housing crisis, which has led their elected representatives to demand welfare and housing portfolios as conditions for joining the next government. Israel
Tunisia's indigenous Amazighs launch their first political party The Akal civil movement, which defends the rights of Amazighs in Tunisia, is entering the political arena. Tunisia
Israeli-Arabs key to returning the center-left to power Comparing Israel’s demographic profile with the results of the recent election show that large numbers of Israeli Arabs not voting, some due to intimidation, had a dramatic impact on the political map. Israel
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
