Archives for November, 2015

Selahattin Demirtas, co-chairman of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), talks to the media before casting his ballot at a polling station during a general election in Istanbul, Turkey November 1, 2015. Turks began voting on Sunday amid worsening security and economic worries in a snap parliamentary election that could profoundly impact the divided country's trajectory and that of President Tayyip Erdogan. The parliamentary poll is the second in five months, after the ruling AK Party founded by

Kurds in postelection Turkey: Silver lining or tough times?

The Kurdish peace process, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once described as frozen but not dead, is not likely to thaw soon.

Why was Hamas interested in the Turkish elections?

Hamas leaders were among the first to congratulate the AKP for its victory in the Turkish elections, as Turkey has always supported the Palestinian cause.

An Israeli border policeman keeps watch from atop the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem July 23. Israel's Justice Minister Yossi Beilin said Sunday that he believed Israeli and Palestinian negotiators at Camp David would be able to resolve their disagreements over Jerusalem and sew up a deal. The fate of Jerusalem is thought to be the most formidable obstacle to an agreement at the Camp David peace summit near Washington DC.

NB/WS - RTR6KZI

Are Israelis ready for compromise on Jerusalem?

Strategic adviser Moshe Gaon claims that much like in the days of the 2000 Camp David summit, Israelis are ready for significant compromises on the condition that they bring an end to the conflict with the Palestinians.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) meets with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (2nd L) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. - RTX1SY30

Why Iran and Russia aren't as closely aligned on Syria as you might think

Despite the shared short-term goals that have currently united them on Syria, Iran and Russia's differences over Syria's future are bound to lead them into conflict.

Jerusalem and Hebron: A tale of two cities

East Jerusalem and Hebron are bound by familial ties and shared solidarity from their experiences under Israeli occupation.

Will Washington put more boots on the ground in Iraq?

The recent operation in Hawija led by the United States to release Islamic State hostages raised a debate in Iraq about the government’s powers and sovereignty over its territory.

How Egyptian revolutionaries rocked the vote

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Mohamed Badran, the young head of the Nation's Future Party, explains why his new party performed so strongly in the first round of Egypt’s legislative elections.

Obama's unfinished business

Barack Obama may become the first US president since Lyndon Johnson not to leave his signature on an advancement in the peace process.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men study at Jerusalem's Mir Yeshiva, the largest Jewish seminary in Israel July 4, 2012. The ultra-Orthodox Jews have gone from being a tiny minority in Israel's mostly secular society to its fastest-growing sector, now about 10 percent of the 7.8 million population. They are exempt from military duty in Israel but draft deferments and state subsidies for the ultra-Orthodox have become a divisive political issue in Israel, where the government must decide a new law by August to ensure

Why the IDF is targeting yeshiva dropouts

Through Facebook and other means, the IDF is tracking ultra-Orthodox youths who lie about their enrollment in rabbinical colleges to avoid conscription.

An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Mosul, sits inside the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chaldean Church in Telkaif near Mosul, in the province of Nineveh, July 20, 2014. The head of Iraq's largest church said on Sunday that Islamic State militants who drove Christians out of Mosul were worse than Mongol leader Genghis Khan and his grandson Hulagu who ransacked medieval Baghdad. Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako led a wave of condemnation for the Sunni Islamists who deman

Is Congress paving the way for a Christian safe zone in Iraq?

A bipartisan effort to denounce an ongoing genocide is picking up steam. That's just the first step.

A general view of Ha'er Prison in Saudi Arabia July 6, 2015. There is a rising number of security prisoners in Saudi Arabia, where the wars in Syria and Iraq have led to a surge in domestic jihadist activity. Until last year, the population of inmates at security prisons like Ha'er, just south of Riyadh, had been dropping as those detained during an al Qaeda uprising a decade ago were gradually released. But as anger has grown in the kingdom over what many Saudis see as oppression of their fellow Sunnis in

Amid worsening relations, Saudi Arabia executes three Iranians

Iran's Foreign Ministry is accused of ignoring regional issues after three Iranians inside Saudi Arabia were executed for drug trafficking.

Turkey's alcohol restrictions spark boost in bootleg booze

The Turkish government’s hefty taxes on alcohol have led to bootleg liquor production, which has claimed at least 26 lives over the past month.

Battle against Bibi's natural gas plan fails to garner public support

Unlike their strong interest in issues such as housing prices or banking reform, Israelis are not engaged with the battle against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's natural gas plan.

Israeli border police stand guard during Friday prayer outside a mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron November 6, 2015. The Israeli army shot dead two Palestinians on Friday, one an elderly woman accused of trying to run over soldiers in the occupied West Bank and the other a man who took part in a violent Gaza Strip protest, hospital officials said. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RTX1V2BK

The IDF's Hebron dilemma

The IDF must face a shift in the current violence wave, where Hebron takes the lead alongside East Jerusalem, as both have a high level of daily friction between Jews and Palestinians and constant religious tension.

Netanyahu finds chilly welcome on US visit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the United States with a long military aid list, but the Obama administration was not inclined to forget his antagonistic behavior.

The child soldiers fighting to stop the Islamic State

Iraqis are divided between supporters and opponents of the participation of young people in the war against the Islamic State.