Egypt's Leaders, Cairo Protesters Condemn Israel's Gaza Response Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Qandil visited the Gaza Strip to declare support for Hamas and the Palestinian people while thousands of Cairo protesters marched out of Al-Azhar Mosque after Friday prayer to demonstrate against the Israeli strikes with calls to “liberate Gaza.” Egypt
In Jordan's Tafilah, Demands Escalate for King’s Downfall Tafilah, a small tribal mountain city south of Jordan's capital of Amman, would not seem to be a vanguard for change in Jordan — but it is. Jordan
Yemen's Minister of Human Rights Says Country Is 'Collapsing' Hooria Mashhour, Yemen’s minister of human rights, calls for new strategies to combat terrorism and an end to drone strikes. Yemen
Palestinian Village Faces Demolition for Third Time Al-Monitor’s Lena Odgaard and Raed Khoury present video coverage of the conflict over a small Palestinian village and herding community in the West Bank. Israel
Salafist Movements Threaten World Cultural Heritage Radical Islamism threatens its own cultural heritage along with that of others, writes Hedieh Mirahmadi. The international community has a vested interest in empowering moderate Muslim civil-society organizations and networks to protect the world’s cultural and historical legacies. Regional
Iranian Diaspora Worries About War, Sanctions and Human Rights Many Iranians living in the US oppose broad economic sanctions against Iran, writes Roxana Saberi. Iranian Americans hope that the dispute over Iran's nuclear program won’t obscure Tehran’s human rights violations and the plight of ordinary Iranians. Iran
Turkey's Failed PKK Policy By continuing to engage PKK Leader Abdulla Ocalan, the government of Prime Minister Erdogan has failed in both its efforts to combat PKK terrorism and to resolve broader issues about Kurdish rights in Turkey, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
US Considers Offering 'More for More' to Iran Al-Monitor's Barbara Slavin and Laura Rozen have confirmed that the Obama administration is looking for a solid bilateral channel with Iran that will augment multilateral talks and enable the two sides to bargain without five other parties in the room. Iran
Egypt to Enact New 'Night Law,' Braces for Economic Impact A proposed law to shut down businesses early has infuriated not only shop owners, but also tourism workers, cab drivers, multimillion-dollar businesses and their customers, Mohannad Sabry writes. They're braced for severe economic effects, including drastically reduced revenues and layoffs. Egypt
Deteriorating Security in Sinai Destroys Trade, Livelihoods The worsening security conditions in the Sinai and crackdowns on either side of the Egypt-Gaza border have made life worse on both sides. Palestine
Iran’s Hard-Liners Ready to Talk Iran’s hard-line leaders may be ready to deal with the US, but that does not mean Tehran will compromise on all of Washington’s demands. A former political adviser to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Al-Monitor: “We’ve learned from experience the best approach with the Americans is to hold our ground.” Iran
Gadhafi Was a Serial Rapist, Claims French Author Annick Cojean of Le Monde describes former Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi's use of rape in her new book, “Les Proies, Dans le Harem de Kadhafi" ("The Prey, Inside Gadhafi’s Harem"), which will be available in Arabic this month and English next year. Libya
Massive Rally for Shariah Law Divides Egypt’s Islamists Mohannad Sabry reports from Tahrir Square, where thousands gathered to demand the implementation of Shariah law. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and the Salafist Nour Party boycotted the protest, revealing divisions among Egypt’s Islamic parties. Egypt
Iran Seeks to Exploit Grievances Of Saudi Arabian Shiites Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Institution explains Iran’s role in exploiting legitimate grievances among Saudi Shiites to promote terrorism and instability in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Obama Wins 70% of Jewish Vote Al-Monitor's Laura Rozen reports on how President Obama overwhelmingly won the Jewish vote despite Mitt Romney’s campaign claim that he was a better friend to Israel. Israel
Former Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril: Libya Is a 'Stateless Society' In an exclusive interview in Washington with Al-Monitor's Barbara Slavin, former interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril describes Libya as a "stateless society" requiring assistance from the United States and other Western nations to begin a national dialogue among its disparate factions and to stabilize the country. Libya
