Islamic extremism on rise in Jordan The Islamists in Jordan are growing stronger, which is linked to the war in Syria. By Jean Aziz (Lebanon Pulse)
Netanyahu focused on stopping Rivlin's bid for president Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to believe that only a new law, guaranteeing that the head of the biggest party is mandated to form the government, will secure his seat next time around. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Saudi invitation a first step with Iran Resolving the problems that mar Saudi-Iran relations remain out of reach for now, but Saudi Arabia’s invitation to the Iranian foreign minister to visit the kingdom is an opportunity to calm tensions. By Abdulmajeed al-Buluwi
Tehran poll: 60% believe media has little or no freedom Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has released the results of a domestic poll of how Tehran residents view television and print media. By Arash Karami
Is Turkish-Israeli normalization on track? All signs point to the beginning of a thaw in Israeli-Turkish relations. By Rasim Ozan Kutahyali
Book by former Iran official looks at Quds Force leader, Saudi king In a new book, former Iranian negotiator Seyed Hossein Mousavian details previously unpublicized Iranian overtures to the United States and Saudi Arabia. By Barbara Slavin
Erdogan under pressure over threat to Tatars in Ukraine Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is boxed in by a looming civil war in Ukraine and an intractable conflict in Syria. By Semih Idiz
Turkey ordered to pay $132 million to Cyprus Europe’s top court awards its largest damages ever against Turkey for the 1974 military intervention in Cyprus. By Tulin Daloglu
Turkey's countdown to nuclear energy When Turkey’s two planned nuclear power plants become fully operational, the country’s annual bill for energy imports will decrease by an estimated $7.2 billion. By Mehmet Cetingulec
Can Erdogan survive Soma mine tragedy? The Soma mine disaster might be the incident to finally damage the prime minister's presidential aspirations. By Cengiz Candar
IDF killing of Palestinians on Nakba Day a warning The failure of diplomatic negotiations undermines the Palestinians' motivation to maintain security coordination with the IDF, as was the case in the shooting at the Bitunia checkpoint, where two Palestinians were killed. By Shlomi Eldar
Gifted Gaza child artist finds inspiration despite hardship Mohammad Qureiqai, 12, has impressed many with his extraordinary drawings and paintings, and hopes to pursue a career in the fine arts. By Hazem Balousha
Poor Tel Aviv neighborhood mourns soccer defeat Impoverished south Tel Aviv residents felt like there had been a death in the family the day after the Bnei Yehuda soccer team suffered a defeat that relegated it to Israel’s second-tier National League. By Daniel Ben Simon
Negotiator: Iran talks 'good but difficult' Both Iran and the P5+1 power are reporting that the process of beginning to draft a final accord on Iran's nuclear program is difficult. By Laura Rozen
Millions will boycott Egypt's elections Sisi expects a comfortable win, while a boycott campaign may hurt Sabahi's chances. By Mohannad Sabry
Turkish governor lays out ISIS threat Celalettin Lekesiz, the governor of Hatay province, is now going public with the threats to Turkey from al-Qaeda and ISIS operations in Turkey and on the Turkey-Syria border. By Fehim Tastekin In Paris, reporting on Turkish politics