Middle Orient

“What do you think a child who sees the houses of their parents, their brothers and sisters demolished?” Terrorist attacks against Israelis should not be surprising given the depth of Palestinian suffering from the 74 years of conflict with Israel, according to European Union Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff. “When …

“Instead of rockets, Hamas chose to attack Israel with fiery statements,” said a Palestinian journalist, adding that Gazans were expecting war. Since the beginning of the week, Hamas officials have been struggling to explain why their group did not respond to the Flag March, which took place in the Old …

A 2011 deal would have required the Assad regime to end its ties to Hezbollah, Hamas and IRGC if it wanted the Golan back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considered a deal with Syria that would have seen Israel give up control of the Golan and have a demilitarized zone established …

The Cyprus conflict stands as a major stumbling block before potential plans to carry Israeli gas to Europe via Turkey. The visit to Tel Aviv on May 26 by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and the news that Turkey and Israel are planning to re-establish formal diplomatic and economic relations …

Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to visit Turkey as part of a regional tour shows that the kingdom has no intention to upset Greece and Cyprus while mending fences with Turkey. A forthcoming visit by the Saudi crown prince could have made Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan all smiles — had …

Turkey summoned the German and French ambassadors to Ankara to protest against events organised by Kurdish militants in their countries. The envoys were told of Turkey’s discomfort with the events organised by the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, state-run …

The member states of the European Union on Monday agreed to impose terrorism-related sanctions against an al-Qaida-affiliated armed insurgent group and two of its leaders. The European Council, which oversees the 27-member bloc’s political direction, identified Hurras al-Din, a Syria-based al-Qaida affiliate, its leader, Faruq al-Suri, and its religious leader, …

Turkey, reportedly on the verge of yet another military incursion into Syria, appears up to other fun and games as well. The so-called “terrorists” to whom Erdoğan is referring are Kurdish politicians, political activists, and refugees who live in Sweden and Finland. In particular, those who engage in advocacy for …

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of Israelis and Palestinians “working to maintain calm and de-escalate tensions,” during a phone call on Tuesday evening with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, according to a readout from the State Department. Blinken also “underscored the importance” of the Palestinian Authority …

A rocket struck a residential area in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkey-backed opposition fighters on Wednesday, killing at least three people and wounding others, opposition activist said. Some activists said that the rocket was fired on Tel Abyad by the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, a claim that …