Middle Orient

Three decades after the signing of the first Palestinian-Israeli accord, what remains is an Israeli mechanism to control Palestinians on the cheap. Thirty years ago today, on September 13, 1993, Palestinians and Israelis signed the Oslo I Accord. The agreement resulted in mutual recognition between the Palestine Liberation Organization and …

On Sept. 8, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key U.S. ally, announced the end of its “Operation Security Enhancement” in Deir ez-Zor in northeast Syria. While framed as an operation targeting ISIS sleeper cells and criminals, it aimed at quashing an armed uprising led by Arab tribesmen, particularly …

Recently, Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Putin met in Sochi. In the statement made by the Kremlin just before the Wagner rebellion in June, it was stated that Erdogan invited Putin to Türkiye and that preparations were being made. But the meeting was held in Russia, not in Türkiye …

Saudi Arabia and its ambitious crown prince are looking ahead to a new world in which it will enjoy a more prominent place. Yet unless the kingdom makes further changes on both the diplomatic and domestic fronts, its aspirations are likely to run into roadblocks. Saudi Arabia is trying, with …

Fidan’s remarks came a few days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised question marks over his country’s pending ratification of the Sweden’s accession to NATO. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that his country remains committed to understandings it reached with NATO and Sweden over Stockholm’s membership …

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force has begun to deploy artillery and armored vehicles to the northwestern border areas as the deadline of September 19 for the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government to take action against anti-Iran terrorists is looming. Images and videos taken from urban areas reveal that …

Tensions flare up in Kirkuk ahead of provincial elections in December amid Arab and Turkmen fears of renewed Kurdish control of the oil-rich city. Plagued by the oil curse and long disputed between its ethnic communities, the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk is once again teetering on the edge of …

The area to the east of the Euphrates in Syria is witnessing an uprising of Arab tribes. This was perhaps expected due to American policies that favored one faction over the other. The uprising is not the result of one incident — the arrest of Abu Khawla, as the Syrian …

(RFE/RL) — The head of Israel’s intelligence agency said on September 10 that Iran’s attempts to supply Russia with missiles had been foiled, The Times of Israel reported. Speaking at an annual counterterrorism conference in Israel, Mossad chief David Barnea did not elaborate on how the supply deal was interrupted …

It’s in the US’ interests to drag Iran into a protracted 1980s-like war with Turkiye that would bleed both dry while dividing the region. The Islamic Republic mustn’t fall for the unprecedentedly dangerous geostrategic trap that’s been set for it. Tensions are soaring in the South Caucasus after Armenia and …