Rafah crossing used as a bargaining chip in Gaza crisis The economic and humanitarian interests of the people of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula are relegated to the political game that will determine whether the Rafah crossing is reopened or not. Palestine
Palestinians, Europeans support reopening Rafah crossing Palestinian factions, including Hamas, and the European Union have expressed support for reopening the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border with the return of the Palestinian Presidential Guard and EU observers to oversee the movement of people and goods. Palestine
How Sisi won the Gaza-Israel conflict Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appears to be achieving his objectives out of the Gaza-Israel war as Cairo steers cease-fire talks according to its interests. Palestine
Turkish-German relations strained following spying revelations Revelations about Germany spying on Turkey have heightened tensions between the two NATO allies. Turkey
Gaza cease-fire talks hit snag over sea, air ports Egypt has proposed that discussions of sea and air ports for Gaza be postponed until September, a move that is unlikely to receive a warm response from Hamas. Palestine
Gul's return to Turkish politics may not be so easy Abdullah Gul wants to return to politics, but dynamics are working against his taking over the chairmanship and the premiership of the party he helped found. Turkey
Erekat hits back at Indyk’s 'unfair' criticism Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat tells Al-Monitor that former US peace envoy Martin Indyk’s criticism of Mahmoud Abbas’ conduct during the failed nine-month peace talks was “unfair.” Palestine
Egypt should engage global community on Rabia Egypt’s international reputation will continue to sink if it fails to uphold accountability for the bloody dispersal of pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo last August that resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people. Egypt
The Islamic State's social media strategy The Islamic State is using social and other media to recruit followers and scare its enemies into submission. Iraq
Stuck in the '90s: Israel’s peace camp is losing public interest After weeks of rocket fire, the Israeli public, including many in the left, feel that the peace camp has no adequate proposals and can offer no updated paradigm for a diplomatic solution. Palestine
Will Davutoglu be Turkey's next prime minister? Sources say that Ahmet Davutoglu is guaranteed to be Turkey's new prime minister, and that intelligence chief Hakan Fidan is a strong candidate for the Foreign Ministry. Turkey
Iran's atomic chief wants detonator issue closed The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran complained that the number of questions regarding Iran's nuclear program were increasing, despite Iran's cooperation and previous understandings. Iran
What do Iraqis want from their leaders? What do Iraqis look for in a leader? Unsurprisingly, security, low corruption and development top many people's lists. Iraq
Turkish left’s most pressing problem: the Kurds An intraparty conflict has become inevitable in Turkey’s center-left opposition as the amnesia-stricken Republican People's Party refuses to discuss the actual reasons behind its failure in the wake of another election defeat. Turkey
Turkey’s only Greek-language newspaper faces closure Turkey's only Greek-language newspaper is threatened with closure due to declining revenue following the financial crisis in Greece. Turkey
Could Maliki's departure spur Lebanon’s presidential election? Many Lebanese are looking for signs that the departure of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq will lead to progress in Lebanon's presidential race, but diplomatic sources are quick to downplay any such hopes. Saudi Arabia
