Archives for August, 2015

An Israeli soldier throws a gas grenade towards a Hizbollah bunker that was uncovered in southern Lebanon August 27, 2006, in this picture released by the Israeli Defense Forces August 28, 2006. Israeli special forces have been exploiting the end of fighting with Hizbollah to uncover and destroy the guerrilla group's tunnel and bunker networks in southern Lebanon, military officials said on Monday. Picture taken August 27, 2006. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/IDF/Handout (LEBANON) - RTR1GRL7

New IDF strategy dismisses Iran nuclear threat

The IDF's new strategy document declares Iran's nuclear program non-threatening and instead prepares to deal with attacks by Iranian proxies and other armed organizations in the region.

Israeli lawmaker Danny Danon (L), a deputy parliament speaker, stands near an Israeli police officer in front of the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City July 20, 2010. Danon, a lawmaker of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing party, on Tuesday visited the flashpoint religious site in Jerusalem revered by Jews and Muslims, a move that has sparked violence in the past. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLIT

Getting to know Israel's next ambassador to the UN

Instead of rewarding one of his associates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu named Minister Danny Danon as Israel's next UN ambassador, hoping that a happy Danon in New York is preferable to a strong Danon in Likud's headquarters.

Wafd shadow government puzzles Egyptians

The Wafd Party announced the formation of a shadow government that it claims supports the sitting government, a position observers note contradicts the traditional purpose of shadow governments.

A masked Palestinian villager keeps guard with other Palestinians as they tighten night guards against Jewish settler threats, at Qusra village near the West Bank city of Nablus August 10, 2015. Fears of attacks by far-right Jews have increased since a Palestinian man and his 18-month-old son were killed when their house in Duma village was set ablaze on July 31, giving Palestinian farmers-turned-volunteer watchmen patrolling their own villages a renewed sense of urgency. Picture taken August 10, 2015. REUT

'Night guards' aim to deter settler attacks in West Bank

With attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinian villages in the West Bank reaching 11,000 since 2004, the residents decided to form night guard committees to defend themselves.

Palestinian official denies Abbas resignation rumors

In an interview with Al-Monitor, senior Palestinian official Mohammad Shtayyeh said the Palestinian leadership is focused on establishing a "healthy relationship" with Iran and denied the rumors surrounding the resignation of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Activists prepare to leave after delivering more than 400,000 petition signatures to Capitol Hill in support of the Iran nuclear deal in Washington July 29, 2015. Secretary of State John Kerry intensified efforts on Tuesday to beat back criticism of the Iran nuclear deal and convince U.S. lawmakers that rejecting it would give Tehran a fast track to a weapon and access to billions of dollars from collapsed sanctions. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RTX1MAT0

Iran deal looking safer in Congress

Opponents of the nuclear agreement have so far failed to gain much traction during the summer recess.

Members of al Qaeda's Nusra Front ride on a pick-up truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon in the town of the northwestern city of Ariha, after a coalition of insurgent groups seized the area in Idlib province, May 29, 2015. The Syrian army has pulled back from the northwestern city of Ariha after a coalition of insurgent groups seized the last city in Idlib province in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border that was still held by the government. A coalition of rebel groups called Jaish al Fateh, or

Al-Qaeda's emir strikes back

After 11 months of silence, Ayman al-Zawahri issues audio messages calling for terrorist attacks against the United States and its allies.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (L) welcomes Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before a meeting in Damascus January 15, 2014, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION W

Zarif presses diplomacy on Syria

Iran brokers humanitarian cease-fires in Syria; Yair Lapid discusses “dreadful gamble” in US-Israel relations; Turkey’s Stone Age temple may predate Stonehenge and Egyptian pyramids by thousands of years.

Zarif pushes Syria plan ahead of Iran-GCC talks

With a nuclear deal in hand, Iran is focusing on jump-starting regional diplomacy and dealing with Syria.

Tehran district grows by leaps and bounds

The Iranian capital's newest district presents plenty of opportunities, but also challenges.

Iraqi children traumatized by IS violence

The Islamic State has left Iraqi families, and especially children, traumatized amid persistent but insufficient efforts by international organizations.

Coptic Church unhappy Egyptian Christians are joining Salafist-linked party

The Coptic Church in Egypt is not happy about some of its followers joining the Salafist Nour Party, whose platform it believes is sectarian and anti-Coptic.

Egyptian Republican Guard stand guard, as a cargo container ship crosses the new section of the Suez Canal after the opening ceremony of the new Suez Canal, in Ismailia, Egypt, August 6, 2015. Egypt staged a show of international support on Thursday as it inaugurated a major extension of the Suez Canal which President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes will power an economic turnaround in the Arab world's most populous country. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RTX1NCNP

Will Sisi's economic reforms succeed?

A little more than one year into his term, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's economic policies and generous foreign aid seem to have had a positive impact on the economy, but many challenges remain.

- PHOTO TAKEN 29NOV05 - A woman weaves a kilim carpet as a way to contribute to the household income in a workshop in Hakkari province, the most remote southeast province in Turkey, November 29, 2005. [In the shadows of mountains bordering Iraq and Iran, Turkey's Hakkari province may one day be an outpost of the European Union. But for now, it feels cut off from the world. Picture taken November 29, 2005.] - RTXO1TP

Weaving through Turkey's history of kilims

Hand-woven kilims are inspired by a rich culture, but are also gaining global popularity among rich, modern-day nomads.

Cattle, to be slaughtered during next week's Eid al-Adha holiday, are seen at a market in Ankara October 11, 2013. Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Adha (feast of sacrifice), marking the end of the Haj, by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God's command. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: ANIMALS RELIGION BUSINESS) - RTX14791

Ankara slices away at meat prices

The Turkish government has intervened in the market to address soaring food prices as the Central Bank stumbles in its fight against inflation.

PKK vs. Turkey: Violence plagues people of Basak

Turkish security forces expand their operations to urban areas in the southeast of the country.