Syria’s government has spent the past few months putting much diplomatic energy into strengthening its relationships with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members. The leadership in Damascus sees the oil- and gas-rich Gulf Arab states as extremely important to Syria’s future. The high-profile visits paid by President Ahmed al-Sharaa and …

Lining the streets of Jerusalem are pictures of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in the last 18 months, with the words “Until victory” scrawled across the smiling men in uniform. Juxtaposing these signs are posters reading, “Until the last hostage”, next to the faces of those kidnapped by Hamas on …

Set in the hills of the West Bank, The Teacher, written and directed by British-Palestinian filmmaker Farah Nabulsi, tells the riveting story of Bassem (Saleh Bakri), a Palestinian high school English teacher struggling to inspire his students under the pall of Israel’s occupation. What’s it all for–the studying, the scholarship–if …

Preface: Emigre politics When writers go into exile, I read somewhere, they discuss the politics of their former countries more than before they left. I have an image of that in my head – scruffy emigres huddled over coffee and schnapps in a smoke-filled café. Voices are raised, tables are …

President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered an investigation of the incident and sent to the site his interior minister, who said efforts were continuing to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to other areas, read the report. A huge blast probably caused by the explosion of chemical materials killed at …

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose. The commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce of the United States has been weakened by decades of Government neglect, leading to the decline …

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President Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to accept a peace framework granting Russia significant concessions, including sanctions relief and formal U.S. recognition of Moscow’s illegal annexation of Crimea. Congress, however, need not watch from the sidelines. Lawmakers have the power to shape negotiations toward a durable peace by ensuring applicable …

In the aftermath of the short Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Israel is making a new attempt to cut Hamas off from its funding sources. Last month, Israel cut off shipments of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, which anonymous informants allege Hamas militants had been seizing and selling to raise funds. Israel also killed …

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