Lizzie Porter

Come and edit my work! As well as that of great colleagues around the region.

Job is based in the UAE

www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...

Israeli government official, asked if #Trump administration has pressured Israel to allow Turkish role in #Gaza stabilisation force:"PM Netanyahu has made it clear & insisted that there will be no #Turkish boots on the ground inside of the Gaza Strip." Source - my ? during on record press briefing)

Shabana Mahmood: ‘Illegal migration is tearing Britain apart’ The home secretary is planning to introduce a 20-year wait for permanent stay to end a ‘golden ticket’ for asylum seekers

"The home secretary argued that for too long those being granted asylum have ended up spending a lifetime in Britain."

Enriching and diversifying our society, now darn, we mustn't have any more of that, must we 🤦‍♀️

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

😬

New UN draft on way for Gaza stabilisation force, says Egypt's Foreign Minister | The National Badr Abdelatty reveals latest talks at meeting with Turkey

The second phase of Trump's ceasefire plan for Gaza is hinging on a UN Security Council resolution that would provide a mandate for an international stabilization force. Contours of that draft seem complicated.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

Turkey wants its people to have more children but they either aren't convinced - or can't afford them | The National With the rising cost of living, limited childcare options and a general sense of insecurity, can Ankara's incentives to encourage larger families bear fruit?

Re-upping my long read from earlier this year about why few couples have more than 1-2 children (like in many other countries: money, uncertainty about the world, freedom of choice)

www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

#Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long called on women to have 3 children. The country's actual fertility rate is well below 2.1 replacement level.

Now he says, "Why not at least four, or five?"
www.iletisim.gov.tr/turkce/haber...

Revealed: UK embassy worker in Tel Aviv owns property in settlement built by movement sanctioned by Britain | The National Government described Amana organisation as ‘funding Israeli settlers involved in perpetrating acts of violence against Palestinian communities’

Cracking (and alarming) story by my colleague Thomas Helm on how a British embassy employee owns property in an illegal West Bank settlement built by an organisation sanctioned by the UK government
www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

J’ai parlé des situations dans le Moyen-Orient et de nos objectifs dans les régions affligées par les conflits, les obligations morales et l’importance de la planification pendant mes expériences en Syrie, en Irak, au Liban et en Turquie. Merci aux participants pour leurs questions pertinentes !

C’était un vrai plaisir de partager mes expériences en tant que correspondante dans le Moyen-Orient avec des journalistes de pays africains (le Tchad, Niger, Sénégal, etc) et des journalistes turcs. 1/2

Kazakhstan to join Abraham Accords, Donald Trump says | The National US leader hosts call between country's President and Israeli Prime Minister and declares there are 'many more countries trying to join this club of strength'

This is completely symbolic. Kazakhstan already has v. good diplomatic relations with Israel. When I went to Astana & interviewed senior Kazakh officials in May, none were willing to criticise Israel. Trade between the 2 countries is pretty robust too.

www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2025...

Hamas ready to hand over power in Gaza, Turkey says | The National Ministers from Arab and Muslim nations gather in Istanbul to advance Gaza ceasefire

Now both Turkey and Qatar, Hamas' main interlocutors, seem to have assurances from the group that they are willing to cede governance of Gaza. But pledge to disarm still elusive. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

Pro-Kurdish party to meet Erdogan to advance PKK dissolution | The National Talks come after PKK announces withdrawal from Turkey

Senior members of Turkey's largest pro-Kurdish party are expected to meet with President Erdoganon Thursday evening in an attempt to advance the dissolution of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

can't deal with the red and orange strip

Turkey names 150 referees in football betting scandal | The National Officials accused of placing tens of thousands of bets are referred for disciplinary action

You couldn't make it up:

#Turkey's football federation has named 150+ match officials accused of collectively placing tens of thousands of bets on matches.
1 referee placed 18, 227 bets alone.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

Cumhuriyet bayramınız kutlu olsun, Türkiye! 🇹🇷

Benim hayatım burada teșekkur ederim, güzelliğiniz için teșekkur ederim.

Europe has lost moral high ground over Gaza, Turkish official says | The National Turkish contractors 'very capable' of rebuilding war-torn strip

Insan haklarından konuşurken, #Avrupa'nın güvenilirligi kaybetti, #İsrail'e verdigi destek nedenliye, Fatih Tuna, AK Parti İstanbul İl Başkan Yardımcısı Dış İlişkiler Başkanı bana dedi. Röportajımız @thenationalnews.com için
www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

Europe has lost moral high ground over Gaza, Turkish official says | The National Turkish contractors 'very capable' of rebuilding war-torn strip

Europe has lost its credibility when it speaks about human rights because of its support for Israel during the war on Gaza,
a senior AKP official tells me www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

After 40 years, can Turkey find peace with the PKK? | The National The Kurdish militant group is laying down its weapons. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering expanding minority rights. But some people say they cannot forgive and forget…

As PKK says it is withdrawing fighters from Turkey (tho this seems quite symbolic to me), re-upping my long read on the group's dissolution from earlier this month

www.thenationalnews.com/news/2025/10...

PKK withdraws all forces from Turkey to advance peace process with Ankara | The National Kurdish group says fighters being pulled back to Iraq amid disarmament

The #PKK says it's withdrawing forces from #Turkey to Iraq's Kurdistan region as part of dissolution process.
Fighters' future remains unclear. Legal changes to poss. allow them amnesty not materialised.
Sinan Mahmoud in Baghdad
www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

Israel faces ‘dire future’ unless it addresses past crimes, says leading genocide scholar | The National Omer Bartov calls for acknowledgment of the past and a truth and reconciliation-style process to break the cycle of denial

I had a fascinating conversation with @omerbartov.bsky.social & could have asked him questions for hours. Israel is trapped with the “ghosts and demons” of crimes it has committed since 1948. Unless it is forced to admit them, it will only become more violent
www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

JD Vance lashes out at ‘very stupid’ Israeli vote to annex West Bank Move by parliament prompts heated exchanges between US, Arab allies and Israeli far right

My sense is harsh US rhetoric on Israel West Bank annexation vote is in part bcos Trump knows he needs backing of Muslim & Arab nations to make his peace plan work. Supporting Israel progressing annexation would anger them & jeopardize his rep as a peace maker
www.ft.com/content/5dac...

Going home in Gaza, after the war How do you start again when there’s nothing left to start from?

"In #Gaza, when you come home you face a broader question: How do you start again, when there’s nothing left to start from?.... Gaza is trapped in a life that barely resembles one at all."
Husam Maarouf @prospectmagazine.co.uk www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/israel...

Does Diyarbakir serve the best breakfast in Turkey? | The National The nation may be a republic, but it takes the adage 'breakfast like a king' very seriously - especially here in the Fertile Crescent where farming first developed

“What makes breakfast in Diyarbakir special is that we use traditional products that are special to this region,” Ibrahim Polat, 43, owner of the Palace Gate cafe, tells @lcmporter.bsky.social “We have sun-dried tomatoes, local cheeses and scrambled eggs with chili pepper and kavurma.”

Turkey and Qatar seek permanent Gaza ceasefire in Doha talks | The National President Erdogan on three-country Gulf tour as he seeks closer regional ties

Turkish President Erdogan is in Doha as part of Gulf tour. #Turkey & #Qatar pushed #Hamas to accept #Gaza ceasefire as mediators in ongoing process.
Spy chief Ibrahim Kalin and FM Fidan met with Hamas officials in Doha last night.
www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

YouTube video by The National News 'I was shocked to see her on TV': As PKK disarms, will fighters ever come home?

The video version of our story on the #PKK’s dissolution. Different groups in #Turkey have very different views about how the process should work. Can they find any common ground ?

youtu.be/9PQEZyrQ3h0?...

The Vanishing Act: How Assad’s Top Henchmen Fled Syria, and Justice

Incredible indepth reporting by Erika Solomon, Christiaan Triebert, Danny Makki et al on how Assad's inner circle fled Syria www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/w...

The Afghanistan-Pakistan violence could spiral into a regional conflict | The National Deep-rooted nature of problems afflicting this relationship make current ceasefire fragile

Useful context on the recent conflict along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border
www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/2025...

Thanks for sharing !

After 40 years, can Turkey find peace with the PKK? | The National The Kurdish militant group is laying down its weapons. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is considering expanding minority rights. But some people say they cannot forgive and forget…

I’ve spent the past month reporting on the #PKK dissolution. Most people want the process to work: they’ve had enough war. But hope isn’t always joined by belief that it will. Thank you to Ali Harisi & Juman Jarallah for space to report such complex stories
www.thenationalnews.com/news/2025/10...