middle east

Riyadh Welcomes US-Ukraine Meeting in Jeddah Next Week

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Friday the planned meeting between the United States and Ukraine, to be held in Jeddah next week, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry underlined the Kingdom's “unrelenting efforts to achieve lasting peace and put an end to the Ukrainian crisis, which have been pursued over the ...

How the Center for a New Middle East Is Rethinking Regional Integration

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) convened a high-level gathering in Washington, D.C., bringing together Trump Administration officials, diplomats, and thought leaders to launch the AJC Center for a New Middle East. The event underscored the organization's vision for fostering greater regional cooperation in the wake of the October 7 attacks and ...

The Arab League: Striving for Unity Amidst De Facto Divisions

Countering the plans of Trump and Israel regarding the future of the Gaza Strip was the backdrop for the Arab League leaders’ gathering on Tuesday at the organization's headquarters in Cairo. At the end of the summit, they adopted a new reconstruction plan for the enclave, presented by Egypt, valued at $53 billion. This marked a rare moment of ...

The Druze: Riding the Tide in a Turbulent Middle East

The Druze question has reemerged at the forefront of the current regional scene, following the regime change in Syria and Israel’s incursion into Syrian territory through the demilitarized zone in the occupied Golan Heights. All this is compounded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning that Israel would intervene in Syria to ...

Belarus President Proposes Hosting Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko offered in an interview published on Wednesday to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks that could involve US officials. "Tell (US President Donald) Trump that I expect him here with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky," Lukashenko proposed in a video interview with ...

Saudi Aramco Profits Drop 12%

Oil giant Saudi Aramco posted a drop in annual profits on Tuesday as lower prices and volumes hit the linchpin of the Kingdom's ambitious economic reform plans. The world's biggest crude exporter said profits were down more than 12% to $106.25 billion in 2024, the second annual drop following a surge in oil prices in 2022. Expected dividends for ...

Zelensky, the Antihero

The debate between US President Donald Trump and his vice president on one side and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the other is far from customary in diplomatic norms or political traditions. But isn’t Trump a unique figure, unlike anything we have seen in past years, or even decades, in terms of his approach to politics? Trump sat ...

Lebanon Embraces Change as Aoun Presses for Hezbollah’s Inescapable Disarmament

There is no longer any doubt that the dramatic developments in Lebanon and the broader region have fundamentally shifted the balance of power, with no possibility of turning back. The wind of change is blowing softly, and those who wish to be part of the path to peace and stability in the Middle East must act quickly before it’s too ...

PKK Declares Ceasefire with Turkey after 40 Years of Armed Struggle

Outlawed Kurdish militants on Saturday declared a ceasefire with Turkey following a landmark call by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan asking the group to disband and end more than four decades of armed struggle. It was the first reaction from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) after Ocalan this week called for the dissolution of the group ...

Witkoff: Lebanon and Syria Could Potentially Join Abraham Accords

Steve Witkoff, appointed by President Donald Trump as the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, has been playing a pivotal role in advancing peace initiatives in the region. His strategic insights and diplomatic skills have solidified his reputation as a key figure in advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives. After voicing optimism at efforts to ...

LACC to Hold Meetings in D.C. to Advocate Lebanon’s Sovereignty and Reform

In a press release on Tuesday, the Lebanese American Coordinating Committee (LACC) announced that it will hold meetings at the White House, the State Department, the House of Representatives and the Senate as part of its efforts to advocate sovereignty and reform in Lebanon. The committee will present a paper outlining Lebanon’s key challenges ...

Nicolas Hénin on the ISIS Defendants’ Denial: “A disturbing dual role”

The trial opened on Monday, February 17, 2025. Nicolas Hénin, a former hostage of Daesh, faced his jailer Mehdi Nemmouche in a French court. Nemmouche, already convicted for the attack on the Jewish Museum of Brussels, is now on trial for the kidnapping and detention of 27 Westerners in Syria between 2013 and 2014. Among them, four French ...