Thirty years on, Hamas ponders past performance, future Hamas recently asked for, and received, critical analyses of its course over the past three decades, as well as suggestions on how to proceed from here. Palestine
Civilians in Syria's Idlib welcome truce, hoping it holds The Free Syrian Army and civilians in rebel-held Idlib province are grateful for a reprieve from the regime offensive. Syria
Idlib demonstrators proclaim Syrian revolution far from over Syrians are taking to the streets of opposition-held areas in northern Syria to condemn a potential invasion of Idlib and show the world they are still seeking to overthrow the regime. Syria
Netanyahu alarmed over Abbas-Olmert meeting The meeting of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discredits the longstanding claim by Israel’s political right that Abbas is not a partner for peace negotiations. Palestine
Bolton, Pompeo cheered at Iran conference near UN After a lack of response from the UN, Trump officials take anti-Iran stance to private forum. United States
Republican rebels block restrictions on Saudi nuclear deal A handful of Republicans are holding up a GOP resolution calling for a "gold standard" civil nuclear deal with Riyadh despite a Saudi lobbying blitz. Saudi Arabia
Iran hard-liners warn Rouhani, Zarif to avoid Trump in New York Iran's conservatives are keeping a close eye on President Hassan Rouhani's UN General Assembly visit, warning him not to engage with American officials. United States
Erdogan warms to Germans ahead of trip, but Berlin visit may disappoint Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hopeful talk en route to Berlin via New York this week is premature, as his visit has sharply divided Germany and the large Turkish population that lives there. Turkey
Intel: Why Trump is putting OPEC on notice In a speech at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump assailed OPEC for "ripping off the rest of the world" — seeking lower oil prices before the crucial 2018 mid-term elections. Saudi Arabia
Powerful Shiite trio agrees on Iraqi prime minister candidate A Beirut meetup of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani appears to have produced a compromise candidate for Iraq's next prime minister. Iraq
Russia raises stakes with Israel over downed plane Moscow doubled down on its harsh rhetoric vis-a-vis Israel over the downed plane by promising to deploy the S-300 and other advanced weapons in Syria. Israel
Dozens of Basra activists arrested Shiite militias in Basra arrested dozens of civil rights activists for participating in demonstrations and accused the US Consulate of instigating the demonstrations. Iraq
Turkey, Germany try to turn new page in name of mutual interests The atmosphere is positive going into the Turkish president's visit to Berlin, though the path to fully normalized Turkish-German ties remains strewn with pitfalls. Turkey
Turkey tackles extensive synthetic drug troubles Bonsai, a synthetic cannabis, has become one of the most popular — and dangerous — drugs in Turkey. Turkey
2018 'year of archaeological discoveries' for Egypt The Egyptian government has delivered on its promise that the year 2018 would be filled with notable archaeological discoveries in Egypt. Now the government has to find a way to boost tourism based on these archaeological treasures. Egypt
Why Turkey’s new economic program failed to impress The Turkish government’s hallmark rejection of self-criticism affects consistency and realism in its diagnoses of economic woes and the remedies it plans. Turkey
