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
Israelis Divided Over Artists Who Dodge Draft Knesset member and former IDF chief education officer Eliezer Stern explains in an interview with Mazal Mualem why he strongly objects to performers who dodge army service to perform at Memorial and Independence Day official events. Israel
Iraqi Speaker: Maliki Could Resort To Military Force Against Opponents Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi criticizes Baghdad’s support for Syrian President Assad's regime, and notes that Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki could resort to using military force against demonstrators. Iraq
Knesset Member: Israel, Region Must Cooperate on Environment In an interview with Mazal Mualem, Knesset Member Nitzan Horowitz details his vision for regional cooperation with Israel's neighbors. Israel
Drafting Israel's Ultra-Orthodox: Now or Never Former Knesset member Yohanan Plesner paved the way for historic change regarding drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews to the IDF, and expresses hope to see this mission completed in an interview with Mazal Mualem. Israel
Ghazi Hamad: Hamas Agrees To Accept State Within '67 Borders In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, the deputy foreign minister of the Hamas government, Ghazi Hamad, explains the far-reaching change in attitudes under way in his movement and the unchanged approach of not recognizing Israel. Palestine
KRG Minister: Our Problem With Baghdad Lies in the Budget The Kurdistan Regional Government’s reconstruction minister talks about the ministry’s plans to revitalize the housing sector and notes that the region’s problems with Baghdad center on budget allocations, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Is Kuwait Serious About Bedoon Naturalization? Given the history of unfulfilled promises by the Kuwait government, the Bedoon community is skeptical of the country's seriousness in granting them citizenship, Mona Kareem writes. Legacy: Gulf
How Much Real Progress Did Obama Make in Israel? The positive impression US President Barack Obama left in Israel will not last long in a Middle East where goodwill is never enough, warns Nadav Perry. Palestine
Obama Calls for Peace Talks Without Conditions Obama called on Palestinians to begin talks with Israel despite settlement activity; Iraq is on edge; and it's unclear if a Kurdish initiative and Netanyahu’s apology represent new trends in Turkish foreign policy. Palestine
Mixed Reactions in Bethlehem To President Obama's Visit Daoud Kuttab reports on US President Barack Obama’s visit to Bethlehem, and the people's mixed reaction. Palestine
What Begin Would Have Told Obama Shlomi Eldar considers what a meeting between former Prime Minister Menachem Begin and current US president Barack Obama would have looked like, being reminded of Begin’s meetings with President Jimmy Carter, which paved the way for a peace agreement with Egypt. Israel
Obama Connects With Israeli Youth Just as fascinating as the messages Obama conveyed at the Israeli Convention Center in Jerusalem was the way they were received by the young audience, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
