Turkey inks $5.1B in climate loans at COP31: What to know Ankara can count 10 loan deals worth $5.1 billion with four multilateral development banks so far at the UN climate summit, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said Thursday. Turkey
Explainer Bilal Erdogan, floated as father’s possible successor, visits Lebanon: What to know Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is in Lebanon for a three-day visit that will include meetings with officials and religious leaders, as well as stops in Sunni-majority cities. Lebanon
Turkey hosts Libya’s Hifter, Erdogan meets Tripoli PM as unity push gains pace Ankara is expanding ties with Libya’s eastern leadership while seeking to protect its agreements with Tripoli under a potential power-sharing arrangement. Turkey
Watchdog urges Turkey to tighten digital asset rules for $144B crypto economy A review of Turkey’s crypto-asset regulations by the Financial Stability Board acknowledged significant progress made by local authorities but called for further measures to address potential risks. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran war shadows Turkey’s COP31 summit By Gabrielle Debinski In New York City, reporting on the Middle East
Newsletter: FutureVerse Does Middle East have Nvidia problem? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Israel: The Politics Behind The Armenian Genocide On the eve of the 98th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Israel continues denying the event in favor of having better political relations with Turkey, writes Akiva Eldar. Israel
Is Turkey Overcoming The Armenian Taboo? Turkey is changing from a country where the phrase "Armenian question" was never mentioned to one where groups are marching in the street using the term "Armenian genocide," writes Orhan Kemal Cengiz. Turkey
US Not Considering Arms To Syrian Rebels The Obama administration resists congressional pressure for military aid to the Syrian rebels; Al-Monitor writers take on the case of Fazil Say and the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Palestine
Turkey’s New 'Sunni Islam' Taboo The 10-month suspended prison sentence of pianist Fazil Say on grounds of his (re)tweets is the signal for an introduction of a new taboo called “Sunni Islam” in Turkey, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Erdogan Asks 'Wise People' To Make Case for Peace Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has chosen a delegation of "Wise People" to convince Turkish citizens about the benefits of his Kurdish peace plan, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Turkey’s Kurdish Initiative May Affect Syria's Kurds Cengiz Candar writes on the relationship between Turkey's peace initiative and its policies in Syria. Syria
Israel and Muslim Brotherhood Face the Same Enemy As Israel prepares to celebrate its 65th Independence Day free of conventional threats, Iran's nuclear threat still looms, writes Alon Ben David. Egypt
Israeli Apology Pushes Hamas Away From Turkey Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s apology to Turkish counterpart Erdogan over the Mavi Marmara incident has brought Turkey closer to Israel but pushed Hamas away, writes Adnan Abu Amer. Palestine
Is There a New 'Jordan Option'? A meeting in Jordan between King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, soon after the visit of US President Barack Obama to Jordan, may signal a new role for Jordan, writes Akiva Eldar. Palestine
Should the Turkish Government Break The Law For Peace? Although Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan insists that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) should withdraw from Turkey without their weapons, this is not likely to happen, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Turkey Seeks Ottoman Sphere Of Influence Normalization of ties with the Kurds and Israel are part of a broader strategy for an Ottoman sphere of influence and confrontation with the "Shiite axis," writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Did Erdogan Really Accept Netanyahu's Apology? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accepted the Israeli apology for the Mavi Marmara incident, but sticks to the same anti-Israeli rhetoric as before, writes Arad Nir. Israel