Drug Use Spreads Among Iraqi Youth There is a growing drug problem among Iraqi youth, who deflect criticism of their drug use by offering social and economic justifications. Iraq
Netanyahu Loses Control Over Likud Convention Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saw the extreme right infiltrate his party, but instead of putting up a fight, he demonstrated apathy and flaccidity. Israel
Egypt's Salafists Are Hoping To Capitalize on Morsi's Failure The Salafist al-Nour Party is in a prime position to benefit the most from the Muslim Brotherhood's declining popularity. Egypt
Erdogan Doesn't Have Luxury of Suspending PKK Negotiations Although the Gezi protests led to debate on the position of the Kurds between the government and the protesters, they helped the government to refocus on the peace process with the Kurds. Turkey
Sinai Continues to Simmer, Threatens to Boil Over Tensions are running high in the Sinai between supporters of President Mohammed Morsi and Islamist forces disillusioned by his failure to implement sharia. Egypt
Iraqi Defense Ministry Asks KRG To Return Saddam-Era Weapons The Iraqi Ministry of Defense has filed a lawsuit against the Kurdistan Regional Government, claiming that the latter has failed to return Saddam-era weapons and military equipment. Iraq
Can Israel's Settlers Be Persuaded To Exit the Occupied Territories? Yedidia Stern, a religious Jew, believes that Israelis are finally ready to make a democratic decision on the fate of the territories. Palestine
Israel Cancels East Jerusalem Puppet Festival Israeli Minister of Internal Security Yitzhak Aharonovitch canceled the Jerusalem puppet festival, a major cultural event enjoyed by underprivileged Palestinian children of east Jerusalem. Israel
Turkey Protest Violence All Too Familiar to Kurds Media coverage of police brutality in the Istanbul protests presents an opportunity for the country to address the violence Kurds have faced for decades. Turkey
Alicia Keys Going Ahead with Performance in Israel The singer joined the ranks of Madonna, Alanis Morissette and Macy Gray by going ahead with her planned performance in Israel on July 4. Palestine
'Arab Idol' Star Takes Jerusalem, Without Being There Mohammed Assaf has won the accolades of the Palestinian leadership and people, who are searching for a role model. Palestine
Why Kerry Wants a Fast Reboot Of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks US Secretary of State John Kerry wants a quick resumption of Mideast peace talks, hoping to elicit some flexibility from Israel and to head off UN countermeasures by the Palestinians. Palestine
Will Erdogan Go to Gaza? Despite Hamas' statement that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to Gaza on July 5, questions remain as to whether the trip will actually take place. Turkey
Who Will Be in Rouhani’s Cabinet? Tehran is abuzz with speculation about who will be in the next Iranian government. Iran
Exclusive: Hamas Official Discusses Decline of Iranian Support Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya discusses the party’s loss of Iranian support and the possibility of its truce with Israel unravelling. Palestine
Iraqis React to Lynchings in Egypt The lynching of Shiites in Egypt demonstrates just how far-reaching sectarian tensions in the Middle East and the Arab world have become. Egypt
