Doomsday averted on the Temple Mount, for now

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set aside their mutual loathing to calm tensions when Israeli Arabs launched a short-lived attack on the Temple Mount.

Palestine

Syrian cease-fire a delicate balance of vastly different goals

Iran welcomes the Russian/US truce initiative in southern Syria, but will Russia be able to keep juggling the broad, and often conflicting, interests of the various players?

Syria

Turkey's divisions on display on 'Day of National Unity'

Turkey's "Day of Democracy and National Unity" marking the defeat of last year's July 15 coup attempt turns into a celebration of the president and his Justice and Development Party.

Turkey

Abu Mazen plays losing hand badly in Gaza Strip

The Palestinian president faces a challenge from a bitter rival backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates; what is Saddam Hussein’s family doing in Qatar?; Russia and the United States wary of Turkish military intervention in Syria.

Saudi Arabia

Envoy to US says Turkey was ready to provide ‘tens of thousands of troops’ for Raqqa offensive

Ambassador Serdar Kilic tells Al-Monitor that Turkey was willing to offer broad military support to the US-led operation to liberate the Islamic State's Syrian stronghold.

Syria

Arrest of rights activists 'chills' Turkey’s civil society

Turkish civil society grapples with the arrests of human rights activists and academics as the government marks the anniversary of the failed military coup.

Turkey

Turkey’s ‘great wall’ nearing completion

Having finished most of the 435-mile-long wall on the Syria border, Turkey is to erect walls on its borders with Iran and Iraq.

Turkey

'Justice March' spawns unique coalition in Turkey

The “Justice March” of Turkey’s main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu spawned a unique togetherness between disparate groups, but will this spontaneous coalition last?

Turkey

Ankara-Islamic State story emerges between lines of Turkish report

A new report by Turkey’s Interior Ministry takes a kindly look at the country's fight against Islamic State.

Syria

Turkey waiting … and waiting … to intervene in Afrin

Ankara's pro-government media are blaming the United States and Russia for delaying Turkey’s move on Kurdish forces in Afrin, which was to begin July 5.

Syria

Turkish and Greek Cypriots remain optimistic, despite collapse of talks

While Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots blamed each other for last week's collapse in negotiations, many see positive signals because of shifts that took place in the talks.

Turkey

Gulen denies directing coup, calls Erdogan 'oppressor'

In a rare interview, accused Turkey coup mastermind Fethullah Gulen dismissed the charges and said of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "I want to spit in his face."

Turkey