In a year-end interview with Steve Inskeep of NPR, Sen. Marco Rubio said that he expected legislation forcing an up or down Congressional vote on any deal with Iran to come up early in this legislative session: Al-Monitor reports: Probably the first vote in my sense will be something that...

After a quarter of a century of tensions, Saudi Arabia is moving to normalize its relations with Iraq. The improvement in relations between the two countries gradually began with the visit of Iraqi President Fouad Massoum to the Kingdom in November 2014. In addition, the fight against radical movements in...

Angered by Palestinian steps to join the International Criminal Court, Israel may seek to prosecute senior Palestinians for war crimes, according to an Israeli official, The Jerusalem Post reported on January 3. The Israeli official emphasized that Palestinian leaders themselves”ought to fear legal steps” after this action. “Israel is weighing the possibilities...

David Daoud critiques the Obama administration’s recent diplomacy with Iran in Replacement Theory: The Administration’s Crazy New Middle East Illusion, which was published in the December 2014 issue of The Tower Magazine. Daoud outlines possible rationales and consequences of the administration’s rapprochement with Iran. Many interpret America’s softening stance toward Iran...

A joint project between scientists at both the University of Chicago and Ben-Gurion University are “crafting radical new approaches” to water technologies, according to a report today in The Chicago Tribune. One project uses a common inkjet printer to apply layers of chemicals to a water filter to repel bacteria...

Groundbreaking new diagnostic technique used on firefighters at Ground Zero identifies dangerous particles inhaled by firefighters, factory workers, dental technicians,and kids with asthma. Microscopic foreign particles in the lungs of firefighters, welders, industrial workers and children cause respiratory problems of great concern to Prof. Elizabeth Fireman of the Institute for Pulmonary...

On January 1, Fatah, the largest Palestinian political movement, celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its first terror attack, a January 1, 1965 attack on Israel’s national water carrier in the Israeli city of Beit She’an. Fatah has published a number a number of images to celebrate the occasion. Imagery and wordplay...

At a time when Hamas is trying to improve its relations with Iran, Egypt and Qatar are also in the process of rapprochement after years of tension. Resumed ties between them will likely have an impact on the Palestinian terror group, al-Monitor predicted (Arabic link). Hamas waited several days before making an announcement...

Victims of Palestinian terror should bring their claims to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) application to join the court, Shurat Hadin, Israel Law Center, wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. Today, Mahmoud Abbas signed the Rome Treaty to join the ICC. The day has arrived...

What will be the role of Iran in the Middle East in 2015? Commentators in the Arab world are divided over whether Iran’s involvement in events in the Middle East will be reduced or whether it will be increased in light of recent developments. Commentators agree that in 2014 Iran...