Palestinian Olive Season Puts Focus on Israeli Settlements Olive trees are a Palestinian national symbol, a fact acknowledged by Israeli settlers who continually seek to destroy them. Palestine
Gulf Cities Have Long Way to Go Before Leading Arab World The author takes issue with Sultan Al Qassemi's article calling the Gulf cities the new centers of the Arab world. United Arab Emirates
Islamist, Christian Differences On Display at Conference A conference held in Amman, Jordan, about Christians and the Arab Spring revealed the many differences between Islamists and Christians over minority rights. Lebanon
Has Egypt Lost the Plot? Egyptians seem to have forgotten the initial goals that fueled uprisings against the Muslim Brotherhood and the denial of human rights. Egypt
Erdogan Uses Christian Seminary As Chip in Talks With Greece Is Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan trying to impose authority over Muslim leaders in Greece? Turkey
The Iranian Trend And Geneva Nuclear Talks Al-Monitor’s coverage of Iran as negotiations commence this week in Geneva with expectations of progress on the nuclear file, and implications for Syria and the region. Israel
Crimes With a View In Istanbul Neighborhood Gulsuyu, a run-down Istanbul neighborhood with spectacular views and rampant crime, was neglected by the authorities until a recent murder. Turkey
Nour Party: Don't Blame Islamists For Brotherhood's Mistakes In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, the head of the Egyptian Salafist Al-Nour Party, discusses the mistakes of the Muslim Brotherhood and the upcoming elections. Egypt
Syrian Arab Village Welcomes Kurdish Fighters Villagers consider arrival of Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) forces a liberation in light of the presence of al-Qaeda-affiliated groups. Syria
Iran: US Has Time, Rouhani Doesn’t If the Iranian president makes the United States a decent offer in the Geneva negotiations, it should take it — and build on it to deal with regional issues and Iran’s support for terrorist groups. Iran
Will Bishops Be Included in Deal To Release Lebanese Detainees? New information suggests that a deal is near to secure the release of nine Lebanese citizens detained in Syria in March, but questions remain about two kidnapped bishops' fate. Lebanon
Egyptian-Israeli Peace Dilemma For United States Egypt's peace agreement with Israel has stood in the way of a lasting solution for Palestinians. Palestine
Meshaal to Tehran: Return of the Prodigal Son? News outlets report that Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, will soon visit Iran to rebuild ties strained over Syria. Palestine
Kidnapping of Prime Minister A Sign Libya Needs Help The kidnapping of Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan should give urgency to US, EU support for a regional plan to rebuild Libya’s security forces. Originals
UN Body Led by Ahmet Uzumcu Wins Nobel Peace Prize Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed deep pride for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, led by a Turk, Ahmet Uzumcu. Syria
Israel's Rabbis Keep Lock On Jewish Marriage Growing numbers of Israelis demand the institutionalization of civil marriage in Israel, but even with a secular coalition in power this change is not in the offing. Israel
