As Gulf aid dries up, Egypt struggles The government’s task of reducing the deficit and turning the Egyptian economy around has grown more difficult with the predicted decline in Gulf aid. Egypt
Kurdish Sinjar offensive too late for some Yazidis Whatever the outcome of the battle of Sinjar, it will take a while for Yazidis to regain confidence in the peshmerga, whom they blame for abandoning the town to the Islamic State. Iraq
Europe, US to offer Israel, Palestine economic benefits The French-British peace initiative will be formally launched after the Israeli elections, offering both sides economic benefits. Palestine
Scabies, lice ravage Aleppo neighborhoods The residents of rebel-held Aleppo are suffering from outbreaks of communicable diseases as garbage piles up in neighborhoods lacking water and electricity. Syria
Larijani offers Iran's support in visit to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq Head of Iran's parliament Ali Larijani traveled to Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, where he met with top religious and political officials. Iraq
Santa trumps Islamic State in Baghdad Iraqi security officials are on high alert against Islamic State attacks during the holidays, but Iraqis appear to be going about business as usual. Iraq
Planned Armenian genocide memorial ruffles Ankara Turkey seems to have the upper hand in the political struggle against an Armenian genocide monument proposed for Geneva. Turkey
Foreigners put brakes on investment in Turkey Foreigners invested only $9.1 billion in Turkey in the first nine months of the year, dashing hopes for a year-end total of $16 billion, while Turks invested $4.2 billion abroad. Turkey
The massacre Turkey hopes Alevis will forget The government is obstructing memorial observances for the 1978 anti-Alevi massacre in Maras, hoping it will be forgotten. Turkey
Challenges ahead for Fatah Fatah is preparing for its seventh congress to be held in January, which will provide it with an opportunity to clearly spell out its strategy to end Israel’s occupation and reinvigorate the movement with new blood. Palestine
Russia's South Stream move empowers Turkey By redirecting the South Stream pipeline toward Turkey, Moscow has “outsourced” the project to Ankara, a much tougher negotiator to face the Europeans. Turkey
Iranian students face dangerous schools Despite promises by government officials to improve school safety, the heating systems in some 130,000 Iranian schools remain dangerous. Iran
Is Palestinian state only guarantee against Hamas? The Israeli right fears the campaign has moved from the “Iran nuke danger” to “Hamas’ takeover of the West Bank,” ignoring regional concerns for Israel’s security and aligning with their wish to avoid Hamas empowerment. Palestine
Israeli expert: 'cyberspace has become a battlefield' In an interview with Al-Monitor, the head of the INSS Cyber Security Program, Gabi Siboni, states that after the recent hacking of Sony Pictures, Western countries should consider cyberattacks as a real threat to their sovereignty. Israel
Egyptians criticize government's response to epidemics Lack of vaccines and slow response time has prompted many to accuse the Ministry of Health of not doing enough. Egypt
IS, Assad, Iran dominated 2014 on Capitol Hill A look back at the Middle East issues Congress tackled over the past year. Palestine
