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
Egypt's Musicians: Revolutionaries Or Opportunists? As Egyptians prepare for massive protests on June 30, the nation's musicians debate their role in the revolution. Egypt
Can June 30 End Well for Egypt? Expected mass protests on June 30 could lead to a variety of scenarios for Egypt. Egypt
Syrians Add to Yemen Refugee Crisis As with a previous wave of refugees that fled from Syria to Yemen during former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad's reign in the 1980s, Syrian refugees arriving there today find political, economic and security instability. Yemen
Gaza Students Prepare for Finals Without Electricity High schools students in Gaza are struggling to study for their finals exams due to continued electricity outages and sweltering heat. Palestine
Kuwait’s Liberal Bloc Welcomes Court Ruling on Parliament Kuwait’s liberal bloc is seizing the opportunity to restore its political voice with the dissolution of parliament. Legacy: Gulf
Likud's Miri Regev Challenges Netanyahu's Grip on the Party Knesset member Miri Regev prepares to take over one of the Likud institutions' key roles and confronts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the two-state solution. Palestine
Israeli Foreign Ministry Pushed To Sidelines on Policymaking Ronen Hoffman, chairman of the Knesset's Foreign and Defense Affairs Subcommittee on Public Diplomacy, discusses Israeli foreign policy with Al-Monitor. Israel
Erdogan Not Yielding to Protesters Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is determined to go ahead with his plan of building the Ottoman Artillery Barracks at Taksim Square. Turkey
Abdullah Gul Steps Up During Turkish Crisis Turkey’s president may emerge as the new face of the ruling AKP. Turkey
Kuwaiti Parliament is Failing Women Citizens A new proposal to increase unemployment payments to jobless Kuwaiti women will ensure more women stay at home and out of the workforce. Legacy: Gulf
