Palestinians see no reason to negotiate as Israeli settlements continue As international efforts intensify to resume the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Palestinians feel that discussions will go nowhere as long as the Israeli government sticks to its policy of settlement expansion. Palestine
US suspends aid to Yemen for one year USAID has put $12 million in development aid on ice while Congress punts on future funding. Yemen
Bombshell book exposes Gul's differences with Erdogan The recent memoir of an aide to former Turkish President Abdullah Gul could be a harbinger of his return to politics. Turkey
Iran’s Basij concedes confiscating satellite dishes not working The head of Iran's Basij organization said that instead of confiscating satellite dishes from homes, authorities should speak to homeowners to persuade them to give up the satellite dishes, which he believes are part of a cultural invasion of Iran's enemies. Iran
MK Jelin: Gaza Strip is a 'ticking time bomb' Yesh Atid Knesset member Haim Jelin argues that following Operation Protective Edge, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have been part of a regional diplomatic initiative fighting radical Islam. Palestine
Hanan Ashrawi: US must act quickly to save two-state solution In this interview with Al-Monitor, PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi speaks about the controversy surrounding Israel’s upcoming report on Gaza, current negotiations and potential solutions. Palestine
MK Frej hopes to build bridges through Arabic prose Arab-Israeli Knesset member Issawi Frej aspires to make Arabic literature accessible to the Israeli public and promotes an initiative for an annual public prize, to be given to Israeli authors writing in Arabic. Israel
US ambassador’s visit to LGBT event sparks outrage in Jordan The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Jordan has been trying to speak up, but it looks like their efforts are not sitting well with those less sympathetic to the cause. Jordan
Will Abdullah Gul return to politics? Following the Justice and Development Party's loss of its parliamentary majority, eyes and ears have turned to the former president and AKP co-founder amid speculation about his next move. Turkey
War makes its presence felt on Yemen The war on Yemen and the internal clashes among factions have caused the country to descend into chaos and slammed the brakes on people’s most primary needs. Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Shafiq’s return flusters Egyptian judiciary Accusations of election fraud in 2012 leveled by the former minister of civil aviation and the last prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, Ahmed Shafiq, return to haunt Egypt’s courts as Shafiq’s possible return to politics starts to materialize. Egypt
Extremist groups transform concept of jihad Extremist Islamic groups have transformed the spiritual concept of jihad, including turning it into a military instrument for implementing political agendas. Iraq
Pan-Islamic movement becomes political player in Palestine Hizb ut-Tahrir in the Palestinian territories emerged as a political party that seeks the return of the Islamic caliphate, unlike Hamas and other Islamic parties that focus on the resistance against Israel. Palestine
Netanyahu must prove 'good faith' to restart peace talks If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is genuinely interested in promoting a new diplomatic peace initiative, he must demonstrate his willingness with actions, such as releasing Palestinian prisoners and working to bolster the Palestinian Authority rather than Hamas. Palestine
Belmokhtar may be dead, but global jihad still alive A US airstrike may have killed top Algerian al-Qaeda jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, but his dream of driving the West out of the Middle East and North Africa remains a "dangerous nightmare." North Africa
Reformist editor: No one pledged ‘allegiance’ to Rouhani An op-ed by an Iranian Reformist editor says that President Hassan Rouhani, despite his winning the 2013 presidential election, does not have people's automatic support, in contrast with previous elections. Iran
