Who would broker an Obama-Rouhani encounter in NY? US Deputy National Security Adviser for strategic communications Ben Rhodes said there could be US-Iran "interaction at different levels" at the UN this week. Iran
Kerry and new Iran FM Zarif to meet in NY After meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif will join a P5+1 ministerial meeting where he will meet face to face with US Secretary of State John Kerry. Iran
Turkey's tourism renaissance The number of tourists visiting Turkey has risen from 1.6 million to 39.2 million in three decades, placing it sixth among the world’s most popular destinations. Turkey
Lifestyles of Turkey's new conservative elites Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s "New Turkey" has created an upper-middle class of conservatives whose preferences in travel and other activities differs from traditional conservatives. Turkey
Gaza keeps Israelis glued to the television The war with Gaza has changed Israelis into a people who follow the combat and TV news nonstop, while spending sleepless nights of anguish and days of low economic productivity. Palestine
Palestinian unity part of solving Gaza's crises The situation in Gaza can no longer be ignored, and serious efforts at reaching a long-term solution, including unity between Gaza and the West Bank, must be found. Palestine
Why Israel's blockade of Gaza was a mistake Israel's long-standing Gaza blockade policy, which did not bring Hamas down but only provoked it to further arm itself, should be reassessed. Palestine
Relations with Maliki on edge as Jordan courts Iraq's Sunnis Jordan does not expect Iraq's Nouri al-Maliki to survive as prime minister and is courting Iraq's Sunnis to prepare for a possible successor. Iraq
Why no Obama Rouhani meeting: White House offered, Iran declined A meeting between US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is "too complicated for the Iranians to do at this point" according to senior administration officials. Iran
Rouhani Says Nuclear Issue Can Be Resolved In a discussion with, among others, Al-Monitor's Andrew Parisiliti, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the nuclear concerns can be resolved, maintaining that Iran has nothing to hide as all of its sites are under IAEA inspection. Iran
Iran's Zarif meets Kerry to 'jump start' nuclear talks Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State John Kerry met privately for 30 minutes to discuss the nuclear negotiations in the highest level meeting between the two countries in decades. Iran
Obama calls Iran's Rouhani US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had a 15 minute long phone conversation during which the two leaders discussed the nuclear negotiations in the highest level contact between the two countries since 1979. Iran
Netanyahu meets Obama amid US Iran diplomatic push In a meeting between Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Obama and Vice President Biden, the US stressed diplomacy must be exhausted with Iran. Israel
Kerry’s draft cease-fire a rookie mistake US Secretary of State John Kerry got himself stuck in the Middle Eastern quagmire when he failed to understand that a cease-fire must be accompanied by a comprehensive agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, or else fighting will resume. Palestine
Netanyahu to UN: Keep pressure on Iran Netanyahu urged the United Nations to keep economic pressure on Iran claiming that while the Islamic Republic will not cross Israel's red line, it is positioning itself to build a nuclear bomb as quickly as possible. Israel
Against the grain: Israeli group calls for dialogue with Gaza Members of the Other Voice organization fear the daily rockets from Gaza being fired over their homes, but also worry for the safety of their friends in Gaza, so they have called upon the Israeli leadership to find a long-lasting diplomatic solution. Palestine
