Hamas’ Relationship with Qatar Widens Rift With West Bank Since Qatar has taken the initiative to play a greater regional role, especially regarding the Palestinian cause, many in the West Bank feel it seeks to undermine Fatah’s leadership, writes Hazem Balousha. Qatar
Kurdish Village Guards Face Uncertain Future Turkey’s 80,000 village guards recruited to fight the PKK are edgy as the peace process progresses. They feel they may face a blood feud with the PKK and its sympathizers once the dust settles. Turkey
Israeli 'Deterrence' Strategy in Gaza Unlikely to Bring Stability The recent clash between Israel and Palestinian groups suggests that the conclusions on deterrence drawn from Israel’s 2012 campaign in Gaza were flawed, writes Jean-Loup Samaan. Palestine
Jabhat al-Nusra Declares Allegiance to Al-Qaeda The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq has made a speech declaring the integration of Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra and his own organization, Mushreq Abbas reports. Iraq
Iraqi Speaker: Maliki Could Resort To Military Force Against Opponents Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi criticizes Baghdad’s support for Syrian President Assad's regime, and notes that Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki could resort to using military force against demonstrators. Iraq
Meshaal May Face Resistance In His Move Toward Openness Khaled Meshaal has been re-elected as Hamas’ leader, but as he tries to move toward more openness, he may face resistance from hard-liners inside the movement, writes Adnan Abu Amer. Palestine
Arab Youths Find Their Voices In International Debate Program As young people in the Middle East learn to enjoy the newfound freedom to express themselves, a project called Young Arab Voices is training youths to articulate their opinions and debate on a competitive level. Pan Arab
UNRWA Aid Sustains Palestinian Misery By absolving Israel and the Palestinian governments of responsibility, UNRWA is actually sustaining the sorry state of the Palestinians, Rana Baker writes. Palestine
Israel Continues to IgnoreArab Peace Offer Israel is failing to grasp the changes sweeping the Arab world, and in so doing, risks its own security by ignoring the renewed Arab Peace Initiative, Daoud Kuttab writes. Palestine
Israel and Muslim Brotherhood Face the Same Enemy As Israel prepares to celebrate its 65th Independence Day free of conventional threats, Iran's nuclear threat still looms, writes Alon Ben David. Egypt
Palestinians to UN: Canadian Businesses Profit in Settlements The Palestinian village of Bil’in has filed a complaint with the United Nations against Canada for failing to prevent Canadian-based companies from aiding and benefiting from Israel’s settlement enterprise, writes Jillian Kestler-D’Amours. Palestine
Golan's Druze DividedOn the Syrian Struggle Shlomi Eldar reports from the Golan Heights that Druze there are just as divided about events in Syria as residents of the country. Israel
Reframing Negotiations With Iran To understand the deadlock in negotiations with Iran, the negotiating framework itself needs to be addressed, writes Mohammad Ali Shabani. Iran
Long Way to NormalcyFor Turkey and Israel In Israel, there is a perception that Turks have been provided dubious explanations for events surrounding the Israeli apology for the Mavi Marmara incident, writes Tulin Daloglu from Jerusalem. Turkey
'Saving Israel in Spite of Herself' Failure to pursue the two-state solution can only cause Israel further deterioration of its international image, write Brig. Gen (ret.) Shlomo Brom and Ambassador (ret.) Shimon Stein. Palestine
Exclusive: Davutoglu Says Turkey Seeks 'Democratic System' in Syria Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu discusses regional developments in an exclusive interview with Mustafa Akyol. Palestine
