Syrian Kurdish mother killed at Turkish border The killing of Saadet Dervis of Rojava by Turkish soldiers in front of her children while trying to cross the border into Syria has led to new scrutiny of Turkey’s Syria policy. Syria
Rafsanjani offers road map for Iran-Saudi ties Iran's former president may be the decisive broker in Iran-Saudi relations. Saudi Arabia
Turning to Talmud, young Israelis find a 'Game of Thrones' The secular yeshiva offers young Israelis the opportunity to search and interpret Judaism and tradition, while defining a Jewish secular identity. Israel
Israel pushes West Bank toward economic disaster Turning the West Bank into the economic twin of the Gaza Strip will provoke new threats to Israel's security, which is why the US administration leans toward cooperating with the new Palestinian unity government. Palestine
Is Israel's 'startup nation' a mirage? In an interview with Al-Monitor, economist Dan Ben-David warns that despite Israel's world-leading high-tech, its productivity remains among the lowest in the developed world, threatening rate of growth and quality of life. Israel
Tensions remain between Iraqi government, religious authorities The attack on schools in Najaf, during which foreign students were arrested, shows the imbalance in the relation between politics and religion in Iraq. Iraq
German leaders wary of Erdogan visit Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s critical remarks about German's President Joachim Gauck last month have German leaders worried that Erdogan will export Turkey’s political divisions to Germany. Turkey
S&P dashes Turkey’s hopes, again Standard & Poor's defies expectations for a positive revision of Turkey’s economic outlook, adding fresh chill to its troubled relations with Ankara. Turkey
Iran official cites 'intense disagreements' between Iran, P5+1 As nuclear negotiations resume, the spokesman for Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has revealed that major differences remain between Iran and the P5+1. Iran
Shopping for guns in Sadr City In Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, a weapons market opens its doors every night to tribesmen who buy all kinds of arms, while the government claims to be unaware of the situation. Iraq
Lebanon's three crucial days With less than 72 hours to go before the deadline for Lebanon to elect a new president, the parliament is still no closer to a consensus. Lebanon
Egypt's Salafist party plays neutral amid anti-Islamist wave The Nour Party, the last major Islamist party in Egypt, is sticking to pragmatic neutrality in an attempt to keep the Islamist current alive in Egyptian politics. Egypt
Algeria considers Egypt alliance to confront Libyan terror threat Algeria is alarmed at the rising security threat posed by radical jihadist groups in Libya. Egypt
Gaza Salafists expect pressure from unity government Gaza’s Salafists do not expect any change from a unity Palestinian government, noting that Hamas will remain in control of security in the Gaza Strip and will keep up the pressure on their movements. Palestine
Democrats seek to move Israel bill without Iran language Sen. Barbara Boxer wants to take the US-Israel Strategic Partnership Act straight to the Senate floor to avoid Republican amendments. Israel
US, Iran cannot afford another missed opportunity In his new book, Seyed Hossein Mousavian recounts new details of how the chances for US-Iran engagement after 9/11 and the 2003-2005 nuclear negotiations were wasted, at great cost. Iran
