Egypt’s Crisis Intensifies; More Demonstrations Expected President Mohammed Morsi’s assumption of sweeping executive powers has provoked further confrontations and condemnations, with more demonstrations expected Sunday. Egypt
Egyptians React Angrily To Morsi’s New Powers The assumption of sweeping executive powers by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has provoked massive protests and has further split Egyptian society, Mohannad Sabry reports from Cairo. Egypt
Absolute Power: Morsi Decree Stuns Egyptians President Mohammed Morsi has assumed extensive new powers, testing Egypt’s fragile democracy, Bassem Sabry writes from Cairo. Egypt
Netanyahu and Clausewitz Alon Pinkas invokes Clausewitz to ask whether Israel had a strategy or clear objective in attacking Gaza, as the outcome — strengthening and legitimizing Hamas and weakening the Palestinian Authority — seems detrimental to Israel’s interests. Israel
The Gaza War Was Not Iran's War Iran's role in the Gaza conflict was only that of a weapons provider, writes Meir Javedanfar, despite Tehran's desire to show its power and influence. Palestine
Gaza Crisis Reveals Israel Is Talking Ben Caspit writes that one outcome of the Gaza conflict is that when Israel holds talks with Hamas through Egypt, it is by extension talking with Iran, which is funding Hamas and pulling its strings from afar. Israel
Raid on Egyptian Island Fuels Discontent With Army, Morsi Sarah El Sirgany reports for Al-monitor on the Egyptian military's raid of the Nile island of Qursaya. Residents said the raid seemed like an episode out of former ruler Hosni Mubarak’s era. Egypt
Mahmoud Abbas' Absence Is Noticed In Gaza Crisis Mahmoud Abbas has been praised by the international community for maintaining order in the West Bank. But for Palestinians there, he has neither been able to stop Israeli settlements nor bring Palestinians closer to independence, writes Lena Odgaard. Palestine
New Egypt Confronts an Old Crisis The New Egypt cannot ignore public opinion and seeks to broker a new role, rather than get drawn deeper into an old crisis, Bassem Sabry writes exclusively for Al-Monitor. Egypt
Erdogan Inflames Gaza Conflict Tulin Daloglu reports from Jerusalem that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has chosen inflammatory rhetoric over diplomacy in the Gaza conflict, further worsening Turkish-Israeli ties. Israel
Despite Looser Rules, Medicine Still Not Flowing to Iran From US While the Treasury Department has loosened restrictions on the exports of medicine and medical devices to Iran several seeks ago, significant obstacles to conducting such legal trade with Iran remain, Samuel Cutler and Erich Ferrari write for Al-Monitor. Iran
Morsi’s Popularity Sinks After Crash Kills 51 Children on School Bus A train hit a school bus, killing 51 children in Assiut, Egypt. President Morsi, after a surge in popularity for his response to his reaction to Israel’s attack on Gaza, has been widely criticized for his response to the tragedy, reports Mohannad Sabry in an Al-Monitor exclusive. Egypt
Israel, Now Is the Time to Talk Natasha Mozgovaya writes from Washington that Israel’s attack on Gaza should be a catalyst for dialogue both between Israel and Palestine, and among Israelis themselves about Israel’s strategic interests and objectives. Israel
Palestinians Skeptical Of Abbas UN Bid On Nov. 29, the UN General Assembly will consider a resolution to grant non-state observer status in the UN General Assembly. But the effort by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has generated skepticism and antipathy among many Palestinians. Palestine
Going Small: The Case For ‘Minilateralism’ on Iran Picco, the veteran UN negotiator who helped free 11 Western hostages in Lebanon, argues for a direct US channel with Iran. He writes that the trend in successful conflict resolution is minilateralism, not multilateralism, and understanding the narrative of who you are dealing with. Iran
Crocker Calls for US to Treat Iraq Like an Ally In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, former US ambassador Ryan Crocker said now is a “good time for discussion” between Washington and Tehran about Syria. Iraq
