The Media Line

Voices from the Arab press: Turkey’s strategic bet on energy

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

A TURKISH petroleum engineer poses on the helipad of Turkish drilling vessel ‘Yavuz’ in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Cyprus.
The aftermath of an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, June 15, 2025

WATCH: Bat Yam residents reflect on another Iran conflict after devastating missile impact in 2025

PAKISTAN FINANCE Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst sign a Memorandum of Understanding between Pakistan and the US, February 19, 2026.

Pakistan, US launch partnership to redevelop Roosevelt Hotel in New York

A Turkish police officer and armored vehicle outside Istanbul Courthouse, March 26, 2019; illustrative.

Turkey detains 88 in nationwide raids over alleged links to group accused of 2016 coup attempt


Canada faces questions after closing Holocaust, antisemitism envoy office

The dissolution of Canada's Office of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism has raised concerns among local Jewish groups.

Protesters march in support of Palestine, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada June 5, 2025.

Pakistan working with regional states to ease US-Iran tensions, PM says

For Pakistan, the stakes are practical as well as political: avoiding a broader conflict near its borders, protecting trade routes and energy flows, and limiting instability.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif grimaces prior to a bilateral meeting, on December 12, 2025 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Putin arrived in Turkmenistan to participate in the Forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust

IMTM 2026 draws bigger crowds as Israel tests the first steps of tourism’s return

At the International Mediterranean Tourism Market (IMTM) 2026, the change was evident from the outset.There was a steady current of visitors moving between booths, and the exchanges felt purposeful.

People visit a tourism conference at the Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center in Tel Aviv, on February 3, 2026.

Why does Hamas’ mandatory disarmament remain so elusive? 

Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, say they will not release billions in rebuilding aid until Hamas disarms and enforceable security guarantees are in place.

Hamas members stand at the funeral of Marwan Issa, a senior Hamas deputy military commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict between Israel and Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, February 7, 2025.

US President Trump signs budget with $4 billion for Israel, ban on UNRWA funding

The measure includes provisions restricting US funding to several international institutions. It bars financial support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees,

US President Donald Trump looks on as he signs executive orders and proclamations in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, DC, US, May 5, 2025

I traveled from Israel to Spain to convert new Jews. A single ‘Sababa’ made me feel safer - opinion

No matter how unjustly countries treat Israel and their local Jewish populations, we traveling mohalim must make the journey to ensure our most sacred tradition continues, even on the hardest days.

A Spanish flag flutters in the air as the capital of Spain is seen from the observatory deck of Madrid's city hall August 7, 2013.

An African bishop’s warning: America is funding its own enemies in Somalia - opinion

You are not building a state in Somalia – you are funding a syndicate that mocks you and fuels the war against your allies.

Somalia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdisalam Abdi Ali, attends an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers called by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the OIC General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah on January 10, 2026.

UAE urges Iran talks as US deploys warships and Tehran signals openness to negotiations

Anwar Gargash, advisor to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said the Gulf state does not want to see another regional confrontation.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser of UAE's President, speaks during a joint news conference with Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, Greece's Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Paphos, Cyprus April 16, 2021.

NGO Monitor says Hamas deeply embedded in humanitarian structures due to lack of legislation

Gerald Steinberg, NGO Monitor’s president, said seized files and photos show Hamas embedded liaisons inside aid groups, and had ties to hospitals and doctors.

HAMAS TERRORISTS secure the area as Egyptian workers accompanied by members of the Red Cross search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages -an Israeli soldier and a Thai national- from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern of Gaza Strip on December 1, 2025.

The world is growing numb to death, bad actors are counting on it - opinion

The public has to find a middle ground between awareness and overload of bad news, oppressive rulers, and radicals rely on the “blind eye” reflex.

Iranians protest on a main street in Tehran, December 30, 2025