Women, children killed in Gaza as death toll rises Israeli strikes on Gaza have targeted residential homes, killing numerous women and children. Palestine
Hamas readies for Israeli ground offensive with tunnels, traps Hamas has developed a sophisticated network of tunnels in the Gaza Strip in the event of an Israeli ground invasion. Near East
Gaza hospitals ill-equipped for Israeli onslaught Gaza’s hospitals are lacking essential medicines to deal with the anticipated spike in casualties from Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza. Palestine
Syrian refugees aggravate Turkey’s unemployment problem Syrian refugees working illegally at low wages are exacerbating already severe unemployment in Turkey. Syria
Will Erdogan be Turkey’s next Ataturk? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to partly admire, and imitate, the methods Ataturk used to accumulate and consolidate power. Turkey
Congress weighs response to diplomat's expulsion from Bahrain Talk of targeted sanctions on Bahrain bubbles up on Capitol Hill. Bahrain
Obama's 'peaceful' path to security Although US President Barack Obama’s Haaretz article sought to reassure the world of the United States’ support for a two-state solution, the Palestinians would appreciate a more tangible demonstration. Palestine
Sistani signals opposition to renewing Maliki’s term Iraqi Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani has drawn red lines about the candidates for the premiership and demanded that a government quickly be formed, before the scheduled date next month. Iraq
Palestinian press losing media war in current crisis Palestinian media has failed to articulate an alternative narrative to the crisis with Israel, often relying on Israeli sources to write reports, following the killing of three Israeli youths and a Palestinian teen. Palestine
Liberman positions himself as Mr. Security By denouncing Prime Minister Netanyahu for not retaliating against the rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman positioned himself as a responsible political leader who is assertive about security. Israel
Trade, security concerns bring Turkey, Israel closer Turkish-Israeli relations are still far from normalized, but developments in the region are converging the two countries' security and economic interests. Palestine
Shahrestani: Southern oil exports not impacted by crisis In an interview with Al-Monitor, Hussein Shahrestani, Iraq’s deputy prime minister for energy affairs, says that solving the Iraqi political crisis is hindered by a lack of a unified Sunni leadership, combating the terrorist threat is a priority and Iraqi oil fields and international exports are no cause for worry. Iraq
Netanyahu under pressure for a large military operation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces demands by his coalition partners for a strong reaction to the Gaza rocket fire, while the international community will surely refrain from backing him on a large-scale military operation. Palestine
Iranian lawmakers want to restrict Khatami from public Former President Mohammad Khatami is under the spotlight once again, with some conservative parliamentarians asserting he is banned from public engagements, while others deny their claim. Iran
Baath spokesman denies alliance with Islamic State The spokesman of the Baath Party, Khodair al-Morshedi, considers the Islamic State (IS) a terrorist organization and denies having any ties with it. Iraq
Jordan admits to barring entry of Palestinian refugees from Syria Jordan, with half its population already estimated to be Palestinian, is concerned that admitting more Palestinians from Syria will alter its internal demographics and change the balance of power. Palestine
