The European Union still considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization, a spokeswoman for the EU said today. The clarification follows yesterday’s ruling by the EU’s second-highest court that Hamas’ designation as a terror group in 2001 did not follow the proper procedures. The statement was reported by Agence France-Presse. “The...

A diplomatic spat between Ankara and the European Union expanded on Monday, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed European criticism over a wave of arrests of media figures this weekend, which saw more than two dozen journalists around the country detained. Among the news outlets affected was Zaman, Turkey’s...

Increasingly concerned for their safety, Turkey’s Jews are fleeing the country in greater numbers, according to a story today in Hurriyet Daily News, a Turkish newspaper. Citing a recent column in the Turkish-Jewish publication Salom by community leader Mois Gabay, Hurriyet reports: “We face threats, attacks and harassment every day. Hope is fading. Is...

The recent Israeli natural gas finds could facilitate better ties between the Jewish state and “with energy-hungry Egypt, Jordan and even the Palestinian Authority,” according to a report Monday in The New York Times: While Israel’s gas consumption is growing fast, the domestic market is not large enough to fully...

Expecting an end to sanctions, Iranian manufacturers are preparing to open for business with the West, according to a report Friday in The New York Times. The article highlights Iran’s national car manufacturer, Iran Khodro, in which an impressive number of Western companies are reportedly showing interest. Even though sanctions...

Behind the scenes of the P5+1 negotiations with Iran, France is emerging as a skeptic of the American approach to the negotiations. Specifically, France is “concerned the Obama administration … despite its assertions to the contrary wants an Iran deal at almost any price,” according to a report yesterday by...