Matthew Bell
@matthewjbell.bsky.social
International desk editor, Christian Science Monitor (CSMonitor.com). Irrational Boston Celtics fan. And yes to funk, soul, R&B, jazz and other American roots music, esp rhythm guitar.
Syria’s new parliament has limited power, but expectations are high — by @taylorluck.bsky.social abr.ge/7dlpd4
Syria’s new parliament has limited power, but expectations are high
Syria’s national legislature has reopened and some have high hopes for what lawmakers can accomplish.
abr.ge
On 23 July, more than 2,000 Israelis from the religious right – mostly settlers led by the national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir – stormed the area, known to Jews as the Temple Mount. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Jerusalem’s most important Muslim religious site facing ‘imminent’ threat of Israeli takeover, says Jordan
Country convenes emergency meeting of ministers from Arab and Islamic world, fearing such a move could ‘trigger a religious conflict’
theguardian.com
Teams of contractors now scour the internet using sophisticated surveillance tools to find commentary that the agency (DHS) regards as potentially dangerous. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics
The agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements.
wsj.com
India has changed the process for how individuals identify their gender, sparking protests. The government says this amendment is about ensuring that benefits reach the right people, while LGBTQ+ rights activists call the law regressive. #india #transgender #lgbt www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-S...
A rollback of rights, or an imperfect step forward? India amends transgender rights act.
India has changed the process for how individuals identify their gender, sparking protests and court challenges. The government says this amendment is about ensuring that benefits reach the right peop...
csmonitor.com
Israeli far-right isn’t impressed with Trump’s “peace plan” for Gaza. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Israel’s far right urges Benjamin Netanyahu to reject Trump’s Gaza plan
Prime minister has not commented on the US president’s claim that Hamas has agreed to disarm
giftarticle.ft.com
“It would appear that HHS is in violation of the law, and the whole situation comes across as the agency trying to hide something,”... by @aglantz.bsky.social & @sarahmatusek.bsky.social – www.csmonitor.com/USA/2026/072...
A US agency listed an AI immigration tool online. The disclosure vanished after our inquiry.
Information about an AI tool the U.S. government was developing to help vet immigrant children’s sponsors disappeared from an agency’s registry after the Monitor asked about it.
csmonitor.com
Netanyahu torpedoes Trump's deal within hours of Hamas accepting decommissioning its weapons @jacobmagid.bsky.social www.timesofisrael.com/trump-will-b...
Trump will be ‘very disappointed’ if Israel obstructs his Gaza plan, US official warns
Comments come after Netanyahu's office says Israel can't accept disarmament proposal approved by Hamas, which official says triggered 14-day sprint to set implementation timeline
timesofisrael.com
In Modi’s India, many felt dissent didn’t matter. Then came the ‘cockroaches.’ abr.ge/5g9r7r
In Modi’s India, many felt dissent didn’t matter. Then came the ‘cockroaches.’
The success of India’s “Cockroach” protests reveals cracks in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strongman politics.
abr.ge
Nine months later, the US brokered truce for Gaza may be moving past phase one. apnews.com/article/hama...
Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza, but many hurdles and uncertainty remain
President Donald Trump says a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza.
apnews.com
Hamas has apparently agreed to put its heavy weapons into storage. www.bbc.com/news/article...
If Hamas disarmament plan holds, it could mark first credible step to ending Gaza war
The plan - if successful - potentially removes the most significant obstacle to advancing the Trump-backed peace initiative in Gaza.
bbc.com
The State Department said it takes "full responsibility" for "hastily" altering and then presenting a map of Africa at a global AIDS conference that mislabeled every single country it highlighted. An analysis by Reuters found a watermark in the map image that suggests it was made with OpenAI.
“We didn’t say disarmament, we didn’t say handing over the weapons, and we didn’t agree on any Israeli involvement,” Hamad said, adding that the plan is contingent on Israel ending military operations in Gaza and allowing humanitarian aid in. www.wsj.com/world/middle...
U.S. Says Hamas Has Agreed to Broad Plan to Disarm
If the multiphase process succeeds, Palestinian militant groups would lose power in Gaza, and Israel would withdraw from the enclave.
wsj.com
“Everyone is trying make sense of something that is increasingly senseless,” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
US-Saudi strikes in Iraq push region into ‘uncharted territory’, analysts warn
Riyadh’s decision to join US in strikes on Iran-backed militia further complicates widening and ‘unpredictable’ war
theguardian.com
Some Jordanians Dare to Speak Out Against U.S. Troop Presence www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/w...
Some Jordanians Dare to Speak Out Against U.S. Troop Presence (Gift Article)
Hundreds of political, legal and other figures signed a public letter warning that Jordan’s close alliance with the United States poses a risk.
nytimes.com
“this book clearly explains how American militarists, Middle Eastern autocrats, and Israeli extremists drive the pain and dislocation we have endured for three-quarters of a century. It is a pain that grows only more intense with each passing year.” - Rami Khouri arabcenterdc.org/resource/mar...
Marc Lynch, America’s Middle East: The Ruination of a Region
For decades, Marc Lynch has been a pioneer among US political scientists working on the Middle East. This book attests not only to his expertise, knowledge, and analytical skills, but also to his appr...
arabcenterdc.org
Wildfire season in Europe has been rough. And they're only about halfway through it. www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe...
How improved fire suppression may be fueling Europe’s megafires
In parts of Europe this summer, wildfires have been burning out of control. And the season is only about halfway finished so far.
csmonitor.com
Targeted by Iran, this Gulf nation emerges stronger — by @taylorluck.bsky.social abr.ge/1g3t39b
Targeted by Iran, this Gulf nation emerges stronger
Outsiders might view the United Arab Emirates as a place for tourists and expats. But the UAE is developing a new sense of national pride.
abr.ge
How improved fire suppression may be fueling Europe’s megafires abr.ge/piiazm
How improved fire suppression may be fueling Europe’s megafires
In parts of Europe this summer, wildfires have been burning out of control. And the season is only about halfway finished so far.
abr.ge
It’s not just Hormuz. Red Sea shipping lanes are now under threat, too. By @taylorluck.bsky.social – www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle...
It’s not just Hormuz. Red Sea shipping lanes are now under threat, too.
The stalemate between the U.S. and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz has created a global economic shock. Now, the conflict is threatening to disrupt international shipping through the Red Sea...
csmonitor.com
In the South Hebron Hills is a Palestinian village with a new settler outpost in the middle of it, making life burdensome in the extreme. Villagers say the tactic, part of a struggle for control of the West Bank, seeks to make them give up and leave. www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle...
Planted in the heart of this West Bank village, a settler outpost disrupts life
The plight of Palestinian villagers in one West Bank village tells a larger story of how Jewish settlers, and the Israeli military, are making their lives almost impossible.
csmonitor.com
“The war continuing in the manner that it is playing out right now is their worst-case scenario,”… www.wsj.com/world/middle...
Exclusive | Bahrain, Kuwait Warplanes Struck Iran in Rare Gulf Retaliation
The strikes earlier this month reflect Arab reckoning with a lengthy war that threatens to draw them in even more deeply.
wsj.com
I think the Jaylen Brown trade just got dumber. apnews.com/article/lebr...
LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers, saying it will be his 'last decision'
LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers. James made the announcement on social media, saying it will be his “last decision” and that it comes after he strongly considered retirement.
apnews.com
Angst, Love and a Longing to Return Home From War www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/u...
A Fallen Soldier’s Angst, Love and Longing to Return Home From the Iran War (Gift Article)
Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton was killed in recent days, one of 18 U.S. soldiers who have lost their lives since the beginning of the war in Iran.
nytimes.com
China’s Xi pursues AI diplomacy to woo global south www.ft.com/content/fd3e...
China’s Xi pursues AI diplomacy to woo global south
Beijing makes most ambitious offer yet to build alternative global order
ft.com
very fun to see people just straight up ignore stop signs as if they don’t exist. it is especially cool when they are also doing 50 in a 25
Our new nuclear age. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/u...
Saudis Reach Deal With U.S. That Could Let Them Enrich Nuclear Fuel (Gift Article)
U.S. lawmakers and Israeli officials have expressed opposition to such a plan, to be announced Wednesday, fearing that the kingdom could use a civilian nuclear project to develop nuclear weapons.
nytimes.com
