Middle Orient

Knesset member Itamar Ben Gvir is taking his battle against the government up a notch, attacking personally both Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar. The Shin Bet was stunned to discover a series of advertisements in Friday’s newspapers (April 29) attacking its director Ronen Bar. The …

As it continues its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Russia finds itself facing growing international isolation, including an expanding list of sanctions. While not exactly a pariah nation, Russia can now count on few allies. Other nations have remained essentially neutral, including China, the Persian Gulf monarchies, and Turkey. The government …

Moscow does not consider itself to be at war with NATO, but NATO does, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told Al-Arabiya in an exclusive interview. He brushed aside UN chief Antonio Guterres’ proposals for humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians, saying: “There is no need for anybody to provide …

In March of 2003, as the United States military prepared for its imminent invasion of Iraq, Paul Wolfowitz suggested to US Congress members that the US would not foot the bill for rebuilding Iraq after the devastation the US invasion would bring to the country. Wolfowitz, who was then then …

Iran’s close relations with the Russian Federation, along with Tehran’s efforts to maintain relations with Ukraine, have complicated Iran’s approach to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. Although Iran has not recognized the independence of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, it simultaneously has not criticized the attack and abstained …

The response of the Gulf Arab states to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been somewhat revealing of the depth of fissures between the United States and its Gulf allies. The “stress test” United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, hinted at on March 3, was on full …

In the fall of 2012, as Syria plunged into civil war and the Eurozone crisis generated panic across global markets, a parliamentary election in Ukraine signaled trouble ahead to those who were paying attention. The results that trickled out on Oct. 28, 2012, indicated that then-President Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of …

The latest Iran-Saudi talks in Iraq have been the most productive, according to reports. Iraq hosted the fifth round of Iran-Saudi talks in Baghdad last Thursday. After about a year of dialogue, this meeting showed significant progress as the two countries agreed on a general roadmap for normalizing relations. The …

Hamas’ popularity has increased during the recent escalation of violence in Jerusalem, in addition to its role as a political player in the region. As soon as Friday’s prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where some 150,000 Palestinians took part, was over on April 22, the crowds marched in the courtyards of …

While the United States and Iran seem to have hit a dead end over the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one answer could lie in Iran’s regional policies, including its dialogue with Saudi Arabia. The call to prayer echoes through the labyrinthine alleys of Tehran’s smaller market that lies to the …