Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
UN says Libya arms embargo 'totally ineffective' A United Nations panel of experts accused several member states, including Turkey and Russia, of fueling the Libyan conflict. Libya
The Two Faces of Qatar Shlomi Eldar considers Qatar's promoting peace based on compromises between Israel and the Palestinians while promoting a sectarian Islamic agenda by supporting armed groups in Syria. Qatar
Turkey Faces 'Lose-Lose' Situation Over Syria Without a change in its Syria policy, it will be impossible for the Erdogan government to pull out a win, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Tunisia, Algeria Join Forces To Combat Growing Terror Threat A growing terrorist threat is forcing Tunisia and Algeria to cooperate in their anti-terror efforts, reports Kaci Racelma. Originals
Palestinian Groups Ponder Response to Israeli Strike in Gaza While coordinating a response to the April 30 Israeli air strike, Palestinian groups in Gaza urge respect for the cease-fire agreement signed in November 2012, writes Mohammed Suliman. Palestine
Hezbollah Leader 'Will Not Let Syria Fall' Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said that "Syria has real friends in the region, and the world will not let Syria fall into the hands of America, Israel or [radical Islamist] groups," reports Ali Hashem from Beirut. Lebanon
The Case for an Israeli Referendum on Peace Mazal Mualem argues that a referendum law may well emerge as a useful lever for jump-starting the peace process. Palestine
Iraq Plans to Launch Satellite To Deal With Water Crisis As part of efforts to monitor desertification and growing water shortages across the country, Iraq is working to build and launch a satellite before the end of the year, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Archbishops' Abduction Should Be A Warning to Turkey The abduction of two Syrian archbishops by armed men on their way to Aleppo while returning from Turkey should be a warning to Ankara that it needs to review its security policies, writes Kadri Gursel. Syria
Russia Confronts Mideast SalafistsBy Courting Christians, Minorities Russia is courting Middle Eastern minorities, especially Christians, in a bid to confront Salafist extremism, writes an Al-Monitor correspondent in Beirut. Israel
Post-Ahmadinejad Iran: A New Challenge to the West Shlomi Eldar argues that with the upcoming elections in Iran, the international community should try another, more conciliatory approach. Israel
Erbil Sends Forces to Outskirts Of Kirkuk, Enraging Baghdad Baghdad considers the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's deployment of peshmerga to the outskirts of Kirkuk to be escalatory and provocative, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Why Is Obama Giving Up On Bush's Road Map? Akiva Eldar writes that the Road Map, Annapolis Declaration, and Arab Peace Initiative should be a start for the latest round of US Middle East diplomacy. Palestine
