Hamas makes release of detainees condition for negotiations Hamas is making the release of the detainees of the 2011 prisoner exchange deal a condition for any future negotiations, saying that Israel did not abide by the agreements. By Ahmad Melhem In Ramallah, reporting on politics
Iranian writers welcome decline of censorship After eight difficult years of strict censorship under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian writers say that literary freedom is increasing under the new administration. By Arash Azizi
Bibi-Obama duel continues US and Israeli experts say that an agreement with Iran is not imminent, yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on going ahead with his planned Congress speech, while damaging Israel's strategic relations with the United States. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Anti-Arab racism becomes tool in Israeli elections With elections around the corner, conservative Israeli politicians are feeding racism against Israeli Arabs, hoping to increase support at the ballot box. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Hezbollah fears being squeezed from Syrian-Israeli borders With Jabhat al-Nusra controlling the southern border area of Syria and reports on cooperation between the group and Israel, the Syrian-Israeli border has become an area of concern for Hezbollah and Iran. By Jean Aziz (Lebanon Pulse)
Former Knesset speaker declares Zionism over Former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg has said that Zionism "expired" with the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948, and that society should move toward citizenship rather than nationalism. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
Learning from history with Iran As the extended deadline set for nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 approaches, the P5+1 needs to embrace Iran as a reliable partner, leaving behind the mentality of pressure and coercion. By Behzad Saberi
Dust pollution shuts down major cities in Iran Poor air quality has reached dangerous levels in Iran's Khouzestan province, where some parliament members say the people are left “breathing dust.” By Arash Karami
Shiite militias mixed blessing in Iraq, Syria US experts warn about the “Hezbollization” of Iraq and Syria but there is little alternative now to Iranian-backed Shiite militias to push back the group that calls itself the Islamic State. By Barbara Slavin
Erdogan's 'facts' muddle Turkey's economic reality For his supporters, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is an unquestionable leader who, not being limited by reality, is able to create his own facts. By Mustafa Akyol
Why did Turkey seize Bank Asya? A Turkish government agency made the unprecedented move of taking control of the management of the financially sound Bank Asya. By Mehmet Cetingulec
Turkey offers cash rewards for marrying early The Justice and Development Party government is offering incentives to encourage university students to get married before graduation and to have more than three children. By Zulfikar Dogan
Israeli right ditches effort to topple Netanyahu Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, former Minister Moshe Kahlon and others are positioning themselves to join a possible right-wing coalition government after accepting the impossibility of toppling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with votes from the center. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Labor candidate calls for coalition with Arab parties In an interview with Al-Monitor, Labor Party candidate Zuhair Bahloul calls upon the Arab parties to adopt a different strategy and demonstrate willingness to join a Labor-led coalition after the elections. By Shlomi Eldar
Unity government a recipe for diplomatic disaster Zionist Camp co-chair Isaac Herzog has refused to reject joining a unity government with the Likud, although the leftist parties in such governments typically end up serving as "defense attorney" for right-wing policies. By Akiva Eldar
Turkey's intelligence czar resigns to run for office The resignation of intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to run for parliament becomes the center of debate in Turkey. By Pinar Tremblay