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
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa 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
Israeli 'New Politics' Unwilling To Deal With Corruption Labor Knesset member Moshe Mizrahi was surprised by the lack of support in the Knesset for the lobby he is heading against public corruption. Israel
Kuwait Youth Movement Reignites Opposition Frustrated with the lack of progress by the parliamentary opposition, a Kuwaiti youth group is seeking to revitalize the protest movement. Kuwait
Yemen’s Brotherhood: Early Losses and an Unknown Future Following the Yemeni revolution, the local Muslim Brotherhood has worked to expand alliances, but often at the expense of their revolutionary partners, which could cost them vital public support. Saudi Arabia
Turkish Muezzin Who Couldn’t Lie Is Exiled The muezzin of a mosque in central Istanbul lost his position after he denied Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s assertions that alcohol was consumed inside the mosque during the Gezi Park protests. Turkey
Coalition Boss Warns Netanyahu Against Settlement Evacuation Yariv Levin, chairman of the governing coalition, has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the political price he would pay for striking a historic peace agreement with the Palestinians. Palestine
Abu Dhabi’s Foreign Assistance Steals Spotlight While Abu Dhabi has developed a reputation for its generous foreign aid, little attention is paid its significant internal aid, which keeps the other emirates afloat. United Arab Emirates
Rouhani Heads to New York, Offers Help On Syria Talks Al-Monitor’s analysis and coverage of what to expect at the UN General Assembly this week. Israel
Lebanon Support Group Deserves Support The International Support Group for Lebanon, a critical initiative by President Michel Suleiman, will meet at the UN General Assembly on Sept. 25. Jordan
Russia Rescues Turkey From Syrian Chemical Threat The accord to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons has marginalized Ankara’s Syria policy while removing the threat against Turkey. Syria
Turkey’s Syria Nightmare Goes From Bad to Worse Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups fighting the Syrian government are setting up camp on Syria’s border. Syria
US-Russia Syria Deal Affects Saudi Regional Strategy The US-Russia deal on Syria chemical weapons gives momentum to possible settlement and may mean changes for regional players. Saudi Arabia
Vedrine: Threat of Force Key To US-Russia Initiative on Syria Hubert Vedrine, a former French minister for foreign affairs, talks to Al-Monitor about the Syrian crisis. Syria
