Israel is making concessions and goodwill gestures toward the Palestinians in an effort to boost the prospects of Secretary of State John Kerry’s renewed peace push. Former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman disclosed some of them to Israeli radio on Monday in the context of discussing a building freeze in parts...

Iranian state media on Sunday celebrated critical advances in bringing the country’s plutonium reactor online. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on hand as workers at the country’s Arak heavy water facility installed containers on the plant’s reactor: Workers installed two containers on the reactor at the Arak heavy water facility in...

Lebanese Christians have joined just about everybody else in the region in blasting Hezbollah for its role in the Syrian conflict, and for dragging Lebanon into the now two and a half year conflict. Veteran Lebanese politician Samir Geagea made the point a few weeks ago: The LF leader said...

The European Union has called on Turkey to investigate whether security officers used excessive force in putting down the widespread protests which have roiled the country since last Friday. The call echoes statements of concern made last week by Secretary of State John Kerry. The E.U. wants an account: “Peaceful...

Syrian rebels seized the Syrian side of the Quneitra border crossing yesterday. Even if they only held it temporarily, their achievement testifies to how far the Syrian civil war remains from resolution. Just a day earlier, Syrian officials said their army had succeeded in reconquering the key border town of...

Hezbollah’s popularity in the Arab and Muslim world – already crumbling due to its critical role in helping the Bashar al-Assad regime expel rebels from the strategically critical city of Qusayr – is at risk of further erosion as Hezbollah-backed Syrian forces prepare to mount an offensive against Syria’s largest...

Filipino officials disclosed Friday that the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was recommending that the Philippines withdraw its contribution of troops from the U.N. peacekeeping force (UNDOF) responsible for monitoring the border between Syria and Israel. The accouncement comes a few weeks after several Filipino troops stationed along the border...

Controversy over a campaign to celebrate a confessed member of the Palestinian Islamist Jihad (PIJ) terror group – and to make him a central player in efforts to boycott Israel – spread yesterday to engulf CNN. Europe’s rising soccer stars are in Israel this week for the UEFA Under-21 Championships,...

Hizb al-Tahrir, a group committed to the restoration of an Islamic Caliphate, recently held demonstrations in Gaza and Ramallah this week. In the past the Palestinian Authority (PA) has broken up demonstrations by the group. Not so much this time. The change has analysts worried that hard-line Islamist groups may be gaining a...

Israel’s massive, newly discovered natural gas fields have opened up vast diplomatic and economic possibilities for the Jewish state. The country is poised not just to improve its economy but its ties with some of its eastern Mediterranean neighbors. The significance of the finds was discussed by energy experts and...