Who's to blame for failed Palestinian reconciliation? The recent accusations by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blaming Hamas for orchestrating the attack against Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah seem to have terminated hopes of a Palestinian reconciliation in the near term. Palestine
More than meets the eye to sale of Turkish media giant The sale of Turkey’s biggest media group, Dogan Media Company, is likely to negatively affect the health of the country’s economy while diminishing access to accurate information from and within Turkey. Turkey
Turkish firm brings light back to struggling Syrian city Turkey plans to help restore utilities and other services to Syrian towns, starting with a new power plant for the city of Azaz, which has been running on generators. Syria
Energy, military cooperation dominate Putin’s visit to Turkey Turkey anticipates even deeper ties with Russia as the two countries embark on massive development projects and a major military contract. Turkey
Egypt struggles to edge Qatar out of Palestine Egypt is trying to block Qatar from the Palestinian scene, but Israel is unlikely to be moved by its efforts, counting on the Qatari assistance that has helped avoid a humanitarian crisis. Qatar
Gazans hope protests lead to change as border clashes turn deadly Thousands of Palestinians participated in Friday protests along the Gaza-Israel border for the second week in a row, with clashes leaving at least seven dead. Palestine
Iraqi churches shoulder burden of reconstruction, for now In Iraq, churches have taken the lead in persuading and helping Christians return to towns razed by the Islamic State. Iraq
Turkey ramps up pharmaceutical expansion Amid a wave of government-driven nationalism, Turkey’s latest “national” project is to develop a strong pharmaceutical sector. Turkey
Humiliated Netanyahu scapegoats pro-democracy NGO Frantic to extract himself from his immigration failure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accusing a US-based nongovernmental organization called the New Israel Fund of sabotaging an agreement with Rwanda. Israel
Moroccan government lashes out at protest organizers in mining town The Moroccan government has accused Islamist and leftist movements of being behind the ongoing protests in the city of Jerada. Morocco
Abbas' decision to ban official travel to Gaza sparks controversy Following the bombing that targeted Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah during his visit to Gaza, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas banned PA officials from traveling to the strip. Palestine
Are Palestinians contemplating one-state solution? Now that demography indicates a Palestinian majority between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, a one-state solution could replace the vision of an independent Palestinian state. Palestine
Netanyahu moves to co-opt Independence Day celebrations Despite the tradition of the Knesset leading the April 18 festivities as a gesture of Israeli unity, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to preside over the celebrations himself. Israel
Netanyahu clashes with left-wing US Jews over migrants, Gaza The latest actions by Israel’s right-wing government are further straining historically bipartisan support in Congress. Palestine
White House says anti-IS fight in Syria ‘coming to rapid end’ The White House signaled that its mission in Syria will be focused on the narrow task of finishing off the Islamic State and will leave it to others to fund and conduct post-IS stabilization. Syria
Erdogan, Putin, Rouhani tout alliance, eye US for next move The presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran emerged from a summit on Syria as a united front, though the image hardly indicates an alignment in their priorities. Syria