Concerns over finances, not Iran, will end Qatar crisis Citizens of Gulf States leading the embargo against Qatar are having to make economic sacrifices while their leaders continue their "ill-advised" and "unsupervised" spending. By Justin Gengler
Report: China, Russia worried about militants' return from Syria Beijing and Moscow are concerned that citizens who left to fight with jihadi groups in Syria could stoke radicalization at home following their return. By Jack Detsch
Netanyahu’s rival accelerates campaign for party leadership Gideon Saar wants to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: He’s more hawkish than Netanyahu; he campaigns for a new status quo with the ultra-Orthodox; and he stresses the importance of engaging Israel’s Arab citizens in dialogue. By Danny Zaken In Ma'ale HaHamisha, reporting on Israel
Turkey-Libya agreement shakes up eastern Mediterranean Ankara is establishing a clear path to fulfill its eastern Mediterranean energy ambitions through an maritime boundary agreement with Libya’s internationally recognized government. By Diego Cupolo
National-religious leaders call on Netanyahu to quit The leadership of the religious-Zionism stream fears that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take down with him the whole right-wing camp. By Danny Zaken In Ma'ale HaHamisha, reporting on Israel
Instead of forced enlistment, Israeli leadership must dialogue with ultra-Orthodox Instead of demanding that the ultra-Orthodox enlist in the army — like the secular parties insisted during election campaigns — Israel’s political leadership must open a dialogue with the ultra-Orthodox leadership about academic studies and the labor market. By Akiva Eldar
Israeli left must unite to survive The Democratic Camp and Labor-Gesher may need to join together to survive a third round of elections in which the Blue and White Party is perceived as the key to Netanyahu’s defeat. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Israel's new defense minister pushes Jewish settlement in Hebron Exploiting to the fullest the short opportunity he got to serve as defense minister, Naftali Bennett has no qualms about pushing for more Jewish settlements in the volatile West Bank city of Hebron. By Shlomi Eldar
Iranian parliament members seek answers after deadly protests Iranian members of parliament are seeking answers regarding the number of people killed in the recent protests in Iran. By Al-Monitor Staff
Hamas agrees to join elections following brief delay Hamas briefly postponed announcing its participation in the Palestinian legislative elections in what was likely a show of independence. By Adnan Abu Amer
What comes after Iraqi PM's resignation? Following the Iraqi prime minister's resignation, the parliament is to appoint a new prime minister and move forward with demanded reforms. By Adnan Abu Zeed
Muslim Brotherhood struggles to find political allies among opposition parties The Muslim Brotherhood is seeking political allies in time for parliamentary elections slated for November 2020. By A correspondent in Egypt
Peshmerga unity depends on healing political divisions Corruption and tribalism are two of the obstacles blocking the unification of Kurdish peshmerga forces. By Dana Taib Menmy
Artist imagines Palestine through conquest imagery, female form An exhibition by the artist Vera Tamari approaches Palestine through military helmets, the female form and landscapes. By Ahmad Melhem In Ramallah, reporting on politics
Israel restricts human rights work in its territories Israel expelled Human Rights Watch Director Omar Shakir from its territories, accusing him of supporting the boycott of Israel, which opened a debate about Israel’s restrictions against rights workers. By Rasha Abou Jalal In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
How Iran's hard-liners tried to ride wave of protests Iran's hard-liners say they had nothing to do with the fuel price hike that has prompted Iranian protests. By Rohollah Faghihi