Palestinians doubt Israeli narrative of murdered teens Some Palestinians believe Israel orchestrated the kidnapping and murder of the three settlers to facilitate an assault on the Palestinians. Palestine
Egypt cautiously optimistic on coming Renaissance Dam talks With tripartite talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan concerning the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam scheduled for later in July, Cairo is hopeful that some of the dam’s technical specifications will be modified. Egypt
Push for Kurdish independence divides Iraqi Kurds Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani's call for independence from Iraq has drawn criticism from Iraqi Kurdish politicians who fear a Kurdish state would become a Turkish vassal state. Iraq
Video technology exposing Israeli violations in the West Bank The widespread use of audio and video devices is making it harder for Israel to justify its human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. Palestine
Friendship, Obama-style On the occasion of the 2014 Israel Conference on Peace, US President Barack Obama calls on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to compromise, but does the United States not bear any responsibility for the negotiation crisis? Israel
Did nostalgia for Islamic caliphate become a reality? The Islamic State has exploited ideological tendencies of Salafist jihadists to establish its "Islamic caliphate." Iraq
Israel’s soft stance on incitement creates tragedy Hate of Israeli Arabs has reached a peak with the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, reflecting the tolerance of Israeli society toward words and deeds of extreme-right activists. Palestine
With Kurdistan in its name, this political party won't back down Breaking taboo with the mention of Kurdistan in the Kurdistan Democratic Party's name is a sign that Kurdish politics in Turkey are changing. Iraq
Israel's police face another scandal With the backdrop of recent scandals, the Israeli public no longer trusts the police, while its senior officers, including the chief of police, Yohanan Danino, continue to ignore criticism. Israel
Violence in Lebanon threatens religious coexistence While Lebanon has always been known as a country where Christians and Muslims coexist peacefully, recent developments show that some are trying to sow discord among Lebanese of all religions. Lebanon
Erdogan as Turkey's next president? Not so fast Selahattin Demirtas, the People's Democracy Party's candidate for president, may challenge Erdogan and push the election to a second round. Turkey
Gaza’s armed factions coordinate response to Israeli attacks The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has launched rockets into Israel over the past few days while Hamas turns a blind eye. Palestine
Israeli settlers continue attacks on Palestinians Israeli settlers are still carrying out gang assaults on Palestinians in the West Bank, with Christian clergy among their latest victims. Palestine
Lebanese Hezbollah unlikely to intervene in Iraq crisis Although some have expressed concerns that Hezbollah could intervene in Iraq to protect Shiite holy sites from Islamic State militants, a number of Lebanese politicians and sources close to Hezbollah dismiss this possibility. Iraq
Jordanian jihadist leader condemns ISIS caliphate Prominent jihadist and al-Qaeda figure Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi has called the Islamic State's new caliphate a "rush job" and "illegitimate." Iraq
Rafsanjani calls for Iran-Saudi cooperation against terror Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has close a personal relationship with Saudi officials, has called on Saudi Arabia and Iran to confront terrorism together despite their rivalry. Saudi Arabia
