Turks bicker about time change Turkey's government has decided to remain on summer time permanently, adding another hour of difference between Turkey and Europe, but putting Turkey in the same time zone as Mecca and Medina. By Zulfikar Dogan
Turkey’s emergency rule stokes Kurdish separatism Purges at municipalities and schools in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, carried out as part of an emergency rule that was supposed to target the putschists behind the July 15 coup attempt, will make the Kurdish problem even more intractable. By Kadri Gürsel
Why Turkey’s secular opposition now references Prophet Muhammad The fact that the CHP now defends human rights with references to “our beloved prophet” is a remarkable new reality in Turkish politics. By Mustafa Akyol
Saudi Arabia launches Persian-language hajj TV program for Iranians The Muslim festival to mark Eid al-Adha has done little to reduce tensions between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. By Arash Karami
Water pressure plummets in Tehran After years of warnings about an impending water crisis, Tehranis are experiencing dramatic drops in water pressure and now face the likely prospect of water rationing. By Alireza Ramezani
Is Netanyahu trying to kill Russian summit initiative? Palestinian sources believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's release of his ''ethnic cleansing'' video is part of an attempt to sabotage a Russian-backed summit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. By Shlomi Eldar
Why referendum on West Bank is unlikely to change anything Instead of going to the streets, the Israeli peace camp prefers an online campaign that is unlikely to change anything within Israeli public opinion. By Akiva Eldar
Hamas accuses Abbas of blocking local elections to protect Fatah The Palestinian High Court of Justice has suspended the local elections slated for Oct. 8, citing concern that Jerusalem was left out of the electoral process and that Fatah lists were being disqualified by Hamas-run courts in the Gaza Strip. By Adnan Abu Amer
Shaky cease-fire starts in Syria The United States and Russia brokered a cease-fire, now in effect in Syria, which they hope will lead to an ease in the suffering of Syrians and spark "negotiated peace" discussions. By Laura Rozen
Syrian cease-fire reflects US, Russian interests It’s a long shot and certainly not altruistic, but the effort by Russia and the United States to develop a viable plan for Syria might just work in everyone’s favor. By Maxim A. Suchkov
Twitter poll spells rejection for second Sisi term Pro-regime TV host Ahmed Moussa is busy defending Egypt's president as his popularity declines, but so far, Moussa's social media efforts have backfired as respondents overwhelmingly express disapproval. By Khalid Hassan
Kurds become new target of Ankara’s post-coup purges Ankara’s draconian crackdown on the Gulen community is now moving into a new direction, targeting Kurds accused of collaborating with armed Kurdish militants. By Sukru Kucuksahin
Ankara hardening anti-PKK strategy Turkey's strategy against the Gulen movement has worked so well, Ankara looks to be extending it to eradicate the Kurdistan Workers Party as well. By Metin Gurcan
Iran wary groups might use Syria cease-fire to rearm Iranian officials have welcomed the Syria cease-fire agreement but have warned that it may be used by armed opposition groups to rearm and resupply. By Arash Karami
Netanyahu cries 'ethnic cleansing' after offering to negotiate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he is willing to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but then quickly released a video clip accusing those who call for the evacuation of the settlements of supporting ethnic cleansing. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Is Bibi a secret Trump supporter? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remark that ''Societies that demand ethnic cleansing don’t pursue peace'' could have been meant to damage US Jews' support of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense