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
Brotherhood’s Scorched-Earth Strategy Provokes More Bloodshed The conflict in Egypt is not about who rules, it's about “what to rule” — the state of Egypt or the Brotherhood’s Islamic state? Egypt
Saudi Arabia and The Illusory Counterrevolution Washington and Riyadh no longer share the same assessment of the threat and the need for reform in the region. Saudi Arabia
Former Israeli Minister Blasts Palestinian Prisoners Release Former Labor Minister Moshe Shahal, who chaired the Prisoner Release Committee in the Rabin government, criticizes the decision to release prisoners instead of freezing the construction in the West Bank. Palestine
Saudi Arabia Keeps Tight Grip on Yemen Saudi Arabia is treading carefully in Yemen, especially following the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi in Egypt. Saudi Arabia
US Rep. Keith Ellison Calls For Obama-Rouhani Summit In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ellison says, “If the United States had direct negotiations with Iran, the first item should be stopping the bloodshed in Syria.” Palestine
Are Gul, Erdogan Playing 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' With Egypt? It appears Turkey’s president and prime minister are playing a "good cop, bad cop" routine on Egypt, but their differences are real. Turkey
America Loses Yemeni People In Drone War US drone attacks on Yemeni villages have tarnished America’s image. Yemen
Israel’s Labor Party Splits Again Knesset member Eitan Cabel says Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich must go. Israel
Burden on Brotherhood To End Egypt’s Crisis For the Muslim Brotherhood to be brought into the political process, it must first accept the basic principles of Egyptian nationhood, sovereignty and identity. Egypt
Ultra-Orthodox Shas Party Flourishes in Opposition The chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Aryeh Deri, is working closely with left-wing and Arab parties, creating an unexpected but efficient opposition. Israel
Syria’s Prime Minister Expects Elections in 2014 An exclusive interview with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki. Syria
Knesset Member: Netanyahu Ready For Agreement With Palestinians Israeli Knesset member Tzachi Hanegbi claims that Israel is ready for concessions with the Palestinians, enabling the government to deal with its real threat, Iran. Israel
