Middle East

American presidents, in short, can’t win in the Middle East, and this alone should be reason for Joe Biden to avoid initiative here. Nothing in the Middle East demands urgent American action.

The US will not attack Iran in the final weeks of Trump's Presidency.

Some critics, however, call it a risky gambit that puts someone with a questionable human rights record and who has been close to Iran at the heart of the Iraqi military.

The Saudis twice, in 1948 and 1973, sent troops to help other Arab countries wage war on Israel. Much has changed since then: Israel and Saudi Arabia are both threatened by Iran.

Iran is viewed as a threat by Jerusalem, Riyadh and Washington. So despite human rights violations, there will likely be more arms procurement by the Kingdom should they normalize ties with Israel.

"Obviously, the trip was never going to be secret."

A weekly selection of the opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world

A voice from Kurdistan tells of the struggle against Turkish forces

Adiv Baruch, chairman of the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute, said that the Bahraini market created opportunities for Israel throughout the Arab world.

The state-owned Anadolu and other media said 25 F-16 pilots were given aggravated life sentences while four civilians were each given 79 life sentences.

The Kaddish Initiative takes root

Biden, set to take office on Jan. 20, has said he will return the United States to the Obama-era deal if Iran resumes compliance.

By eliminating power interruptions, industrial park expects to double the number of jobs it provides

Strikes reportedly targeted Iranian, Hezbollah targets; 8 pro-Iranian fighters said to have been killed.

Moore-Gilbert was tried and convicted within the Iranian courts in secret just over a year and a half ago.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the PA could be forced to cut basic services, including medical ones, unless it found a way to make up the shortfall.

After the UAE and Israel agreed to normalize relations in August, the two countries have signed a host of accords to boost economic and business ties.

The document, which was sent to companies operating in the park and was seen by Reuters, cited an immigration circular that came into effect on Nov. 18.

Abu Dhabi seeks to attract investment, diversify economy by relaxing rules, even on social issues.

To hide what was going on, he used to tell the lecturers that he cleans the classrooms in their honor so that they can teach in a more pleasant atmosphere.

“While the regime's thugs drive around in their luxury cars and send their kids and money abroad, honest, hardworking Iranians are denied a livable wage.”

President-elect Joe Biden's victory has raised the possibility that the United States could rejoin a deal Iran reached with world powers in 2015.

Major foreign companies left Iran after US President Donald Trump two years ago abandoned Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and restored economic sanctions.

Abraham Accords advancement are strategic, not political; UAE-China ties taken into consideration in new, closer Israel-UAE-US security cooperation.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad outraged by Netanyahu visit

Netanyahu's flight to Saudi Arabia was easily trackable; so were two B-52 bombers which crossed Israel. Were they sending a message?

“These are the critical years in which the fate of the territory is being determined.”

Qadri Abu Bakr told The New York Times that prisoners' families salaries would change to match the families' needs, instead of correlating to prison sentence. He denied the statement to Arab media.

While Riyadh has suffered diplomatic setbacks on the world stage in recent years, it has been trying to shore up support.

When asked if Biden should advance talks with the Palestinians, 49% said “yes,” 36% said “no,” and 15% had no opinion.

As part of Biden's campaign promises during the 2020 presidential election, he has vowed to re-enter the agreement.

The Houthis' military spokesman warned foreign companies and residents in Saudi Arabia to exercise caution as "operations will continue."

Former US ambassador tells The Media Line: No one trusts members of ruling class to keep their word on reform.

Some call move capitulation while others cite unilateral decision-making, with public complaints quickly followed by arrests

Increasingly isolated and under siege from pandemic, Islamist group ruling Gaza Strip could ramp up attacks, expert warns

“We must keep to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.”

US to be presented with list of demands, including rescinding recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The shake-up and the deployment of the strategic heavy bombers, changes in Iraq, and in Afghanistan as well as question marks about the US role in Syria.

Agreements were signed with the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Abu Dhabi Global Market.

The distribution plan was achieved through joint teamwork by Israeli and Palestinian professionals.

On Thursday Pompeo became the first US Secretary of State to visit a West Bank settlement, as well as the Golan Heights.

"Hezbollah controls everything and while they are present there is nothing we can do to help. Someone must get rid of them."

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 after the Houthis commandeered Saada Province in the North, and later the capital city, Sanaa.

On its surface this is just a transport ship, but Iran has crowded its deck with all sorts of weapons to show off what it can do.

Palestinian journalist Aseel Sulieman, meanwhile, denied that she had been suspended from her work after strongly criticizing the PA over its decision to restore ties with Israel.

The ISF statement did not say how the 69 prisoners had escaped from the facility.

Five of the prisoners died after a car they seized crashed into a tree.

The wave "seems to be part of a larger plan to execute all prisoners on death row."

The man appeared to be a professional who had been blown off course.

Man sets himself ablaze in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to protest corruption

Ashrawi also took aim at the Trump administration's willingness to provide separate designations of products coming from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

According to the final tally, 79 countries voted for the resolution to condemn Iran’s regime while 32 voted against the resolution. A total of 64 nations abstained.

A blast struck the Al Arish-Al Qantara natural gas pipeline in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, three witnesses told Reuters.

BEHIND THE LINES: The plot to bomb the Paris NCRI rally reflects a notable pattern of activity by certain Iranian state bodies, conducted via Iranian representations abroad.

The senators said the Trump administration, seeking to rush the sale as it brokered a peace deal between the UAE and Israel, circumvented the normal review process.

The Islamic Republic reiterated that any attack on it by the United States would face a "crushing" response.

The reality in Syria is that Iran’s role and its entrenchment have not diminished.

Together, these four countries, with support from Saudi Arabia and links to Greece and Cyprus, increasingly look like a bloc of countries that share views and are a kind of alliance.

The opening is part of a gradual process of Saudi Arabia and Iraq seeking to rebuild ties in the last four years.

According to Article 18, a religious freedom website, “Zaman Fadaee, who prefers to be called Saheb, received 80 lashes.”

The Brotherhood, which welcomed Biden's election win earlier this month, denied the Saudi accusations.

The US also slapped sanctions on Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, accusing his ministry of playing a role in human rights abuses against Iranians, including during the November 2019 protests.

Riyadh has been wooing Baghdad as part of an effort to stem the growing regional influence of Iran, while Iraq is seeking economic benefits from closer ties with its southern neighbor.

The move is the latest nuclear standoff escalation by Iran with the US, Israel and their allies.

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

President Reuven Rivlin and Bahrain's Foreign Minister will make remarks before holding a diplomatic meeting.

Gilad Erdan's letter indicated that not only was Hezbollah never disarmed, but that the terrorist organization "uses human shields to protect its arsenal of more than 130,000 rockets."

Iraq has one of the highest disappearance rates in the world.

It's likely that the US and Israel have something up their sleeves that can’t be mentioned.

A 2005 Attorney-General Directive stated that the outposts must be treated as illegal, which is still in effect, including with regard to security matters.

In spite of a fatwa issued by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Emiratis remain defiant and will not be bullied.

Earlier this week, the leader of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, announced that his movement will no longer abide by the three-decade UN-supervised ceasefire in Western Sahara.

“There is a way forward. It is a win-win for the US and the autonomous administration," says Nadine Maenza, a US commissioner.

The average income of the bottom 50% of the population – less than $8,000 – is just a little more than 1% of the average income of the top 1% of the population.

The wild world of intelligence: Were Jerusalem, Tehran both side shows in the latest attack that took out Abu Muhammad al-Masri?

Trump's State Department finally turns on Turkey after years of misleading its own partners, potentially trying to sabotage Biden as he comes into office.

In the May announcement, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared that the PA is "absolved" of all security agreements and understandings between Israel and the PLO.

Female mayor survived two assassination attempts before terrorists killed her father.

Experts blame government for lack of strategy and planning – while citizens couldn’t care less about safety measures

The UAE, Bahrain and Sudan broke with decades of Arab policy that had demanded Israel first cede land to the Palestinians to form their own state before establishing relations.

Iran says the 25 men killed on the borders this year are names added to the overall list of some 13,000 “martyrs” killed over the years.

Walid al-Moalem held a succession of top diplomatic posts, including envoy to the United States and was involved in unsuccessful negotiations with Israel in the 1990s on a peace settlement.

Pompeo would be the first US Secretary of State to enter the West Bank to visit areas under Israeli control.

Several Palestinian factions denounced Pompeo’s planned visit to Psagot. Hamas called it a “new American aggression against the Palestinians and Arabs.”

The assassination could make the Biden administration less inclined to go soft on Iran.

If the Biden administration returns to the 2015 deal but doesn’t lift the other sanctions, it is just a “symbolic” return, Tehran believes.

An article in Iranian media has asserted that the 'real' holocaust was carried out by Jews on the border of Yemen, some 1,000 years ago.

Pompeo’s visit would mark the first time a US Secretary of State has visited a West Bank settlement or the Golan.

The killing of Masri, who was seen as a likely successor to al-Qaeda’s current leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, was kept secret until now.

While in Israel later this week, Pompeo will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and is likely to discuss Iran, China and the Abraham Accords.

President-elect has a very different agenda for region, experts say

"I won't stop working on this subject - I promised Tice's mother."

The attack on a non-Muslim cemetery in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah wounded several people commemorating World War I.

Palestinian experts say finding new top negotiator can wait until the Biden Administration’s policies become clear

Israel Air Force's search-and-rescue unit reportedly evacuated one person in critical condition to Soroka hospital in Beersheba.