Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resumed threatening that he is about to undertake a trip to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. A surprise trip: Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that a wave of demonstrations at home have delayed preparations for his planned visit to Gaza, but that he nonetheless...

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird has warned Iran that the Islamic republic only has two to three months to demonstrate to the West that it is committed to resolving the crisis surrounding its atomic program through negotiations, declaring that talks are “nearing the end.” Baird rejected suggestions, which have recently...

Sectarian tensions are spiking in Egypt as the country rushes toward what are expected to be massive opposing June 30 rallies in favor and against the government of President Mohammed Morsi. Several Shiite Muslims were beaten to death this week outside of Cairo. A video of the attack shows dozens of onlookers...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again called on Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiating table. The Israeli prime minister is reportedly considering a number of confidence building measures which may entice the Palestinians to resume peace negotiations, potentially including the release of some Palestinian...

The State Department yesterday posted that Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard will be in Amman through tomorrow meeting with government officials and humanitarian workers. Richard’s visit comes as the country’s refugee crisis – triggered by the war in neighboring Syria – threatens to...

Rarely does a day go by in Lebanon without funerals being held for Hezbollah fighters killed in Syria. For months the organization refused to explain how they died, instead settling for vague gestures toward “car accidents” and “mysterious deaths.” Then a month ago, in a speech recorded before a crowd...

Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed his commitment to restarting the Isaeli-Palestinian peace process and establishing a secure Jewish state alongside a viable Palestinian state. Israeli officials all the way up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have expressed support for Kerry’s efforts. Palestinian officials, less so: [Tawfik Tirawi]...

Iranian Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi spoke to a national gathering last week about the prospects that he sees for fruitful negotiations between the Washington and Tehran. The recent election as president of regime-linked conservative cleric Hassan Rouhani – which came after elements in Iran’s government arranged for his opponents...

After pledging early Monday to “finish with” a Sunni sheikh who the army blames for stoking sectarian violence in the southern city of Sidon, the Lebanese army stormed the mosque where Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir was holed up with 200 to 300 of his followers. Assirr had vowed to stay barricaded...

Last week Palestinian Authority (PA) prime minister Rami Hamdallah angrily tendered his resignation and then reportedly withdrew it. Apparently those reports were premature: He offered his resignation on Thursday because of a “conflict over authority” within his cabinet, government sources said, but withdrew it the next day… Mr Hamdallah’s resignation...