Zionist Camp split reveals ethnic divide among Israeli left The dissolution of the Zionist Camp is about much more than a rift between Labor head Avi Gabbay and Hatnua leader Tzipi Livni; it shows that the long years of bitterness between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews are far from over. Israel
The Palestinians' new third-party option Leftist Palestinian political factions have joined forces with civil society groups to form a third stream in Palestinian politics as an alternative to the Fatah-Hamas duopoly. Palestine
Can US Syria policy keep up with Trump? The US president will need assistance from Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman and even Bashar al-Assad to close the deal with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Syria. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia gets US missile defense boost despite Khashoggi uproar The State Department has approved a $195 million sale to upgrade Saudi Arabia’s missile defenses. Saudi Arabia
House Democrats slash aid to Egypt Congress is poised the drastically slash Egyptian military aid for the first time as Democrats assume control of the House. Egypt
Pompeo heads to Mideast to stress 'US not going anywhere' Despite President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will stress US commitment to the region and an anti-Iran theme on trip to Jordan, Egypt and Gulf states. Gulf
Russia eyes options for northern Syria As the United States plans to withdraw from Syria, Russia considers all options available to settle conflict east of the Euphrates. Syria
Why Iranian teachers are protesting Iranian teachers are raising their voices to demand better conditions both for themselves and their students, and the struggle is moving forward with both protests and engagement with the authorities. U.S.
Istanbul, the flashpoint of Turkey’s crisis and looming elections Turkey’s commercial capital, Istanbul, is in the grips of economic turmoil, which raises the prospect of the city’s local administration changing hands after more than two decades of dominance by political Islam. Turkey
Why Erdogan's favorite general lost his job Popular Turkish commander Gen. Metin Temel was suddenly removed from his post along with another general when he expressed doubt over a planned operation in Syria. Turkey
Will Abbas go through with legislative elections without Hamas? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas plans to hold legislative elections within six months, the first since the last Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, to the dismay of Hamas. Palestine
Why Egypt chose this moment to release Hamas detainees Egypt recently released Hamas and Gazan detainees in a gesture of goodwill as ties between the two parties keep improving. Egypt
Merger of parliamentary committees further sidelines Iraqi women Feminists in Iraq are speaking out against the merger of the parliamentary committees on human rights with that on women, family and childhood, saying the latter was already overextended and insufficient to effect female advancement. Iraq
Egypt hopes US PR firm can brighten its dismal image To attract investments, Egypt is counting on a US public relations firm to improve its international reputation. Egypt
More than half of Egypt’s political parties join one alliance The newly established Alliance of Egyptian parties includes about 60 parties seeking to play a bigger political role in the next phase, namely in the upcoming elections. Egypt