Will Palestinian municipal elections increase tension with Israel? Israel might be confronted in October with a new reality, where Hamas takes over some West Bank municipalities. By Shlomi Eldar
Division among Iraq's Shabak minority reveals Kurdish-Arab land rivalry Minorities in Iraq's Ninevah plains are stuck between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government based in Erbil, which are competing for their lands. By Saad Salloum
Will Palestinian beach soccer team make it to Vietnam? The Palestinian Football Association is working with FIFA to promote beach soccer in Gaza by organizing championship tournaments in the Gaza Strip, although the athletes hold out little hope of competing abroad. By Rasha Abou Jalal In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
How art is bringing Gaza, West Bank together For the first time, the Palestine International Festival for Dance and Music was held in both Gaza and the West Bank. By Entsar Abu Jahal
Why Israel won't admit success of nuke agreement The Israeli government can't admit that the nuclear agreement with Iran is being successfully implemented or Israel itself might have to face similar requirements. By Akiva Eldar
Who's behind assassination attempt on former Egyptian mufti? Egypt may not have enough evidence to accuse Turkey for the assassination attempt on former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, but they have enough to inflame tensions between the two countries. By Amr Mostafa
Iranian military official: We will 'uproot' Jabhat al-Nusra Jabhat al-Nusra's rebranding as independent of its parent organization al-Qaeda has not raised eyebrows in Tehran, where officials say only the group’s name has changed. By Ali Hashem In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict
Turkey-EU clash is now just a matter of time Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a series of warnings that Turkey will stop taking refugees back from the European Union if it fails to waive visa restrictions for Turks, signaling the two sides are on a collision course. By Kadri Gürsel
Are regional powers finally reaching consensus on Syria? Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari spoke to Iranian media about Syria after meeting with Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's deputy foreign minister. By Arash Karami
Will investors shell out cash for Egyptian citizenship? To encourage foreign investment and help the country's financial recovery, the Egyptian parliament is considering amending the constitution to grant citizenship to investors. By Safiaa Mounir
What's behind AKP's allegations of Gulen-PKK ties? Some fear the increasing AKP-inspired allegations of a relationship between the PKK and the Gulen movement may be a harbinger of a new round of attacks on Kurds. By Irfan Aktan
What's next following Erdogan-Putin summit? Ankara was delighted with the recent Turkish-Russian summit, while Moscow sounded guardedly optimistic, but a true assessment of the meeting's implications will take time. By Metin Gurcan
Are Israeli politicians encouraging violent discourse online? According to a special report prepared to mark Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples, the most violent pages on Israeli social networking sites belong to politicians. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Why Netanyahu's 'Asian option' is raising eyebrows in Israel With a difficult relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama as the backdrop, Netanyahu has invested obvious effort in getting closer to China and Russia. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Iraq's environment faces crucial challenge Environmental deterioration in Iraq has reached a critical point due to a lack of awareness among citizens, the destructive impact of consecutive wars and the absence of effective rehabilitation plans. By Wassim Bassem
What’s next for Egypt’s IS affiliate after killing of leader? After the Egyptian military announced Aug. 4 that the head of the Sinai branch of the Islamic State was killed in a series of airstrikes, observers are split over what comes next for the group. By George Mikhail