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
Israeli Military Cracks Down On Palestinian Tent Villages Palestinian activists continue to set up tent villages to protest Israel's land grab, and are often met with force by the Israeli army, Linah Alsaafin reports. Palestine
Erekat: No Settlement Freeze Means No Negotiations Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat explains that a freeze on Israeli settlement activity is a condition for resuming negotiations with Israel in an interview with Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
Iranians Support Nuclear Program, Blame West for Sanctions, Says Poll A recent Gallup poll in Iran reveals that Iranians support the government’s nuclear ambitions and blame the West for sanctions, writes Mohammad Ali Shabani. Iran
Algeria Seeks to Show Leadership In Fight Against Terrorism Following last month's hostage crisis, Algeria's officials are pushing efforts to punish those who facilitate and fund terrorists, writes Kaci Racelma. Algeria
Israel Concerned For Jordan's Stability Israel fears that a jihadist victory in Syria could mean the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is next, writes Alon Ben David. Israel
Arrests, Resignations Plague Turkish Armed Forces Ilnur Cevik writes that arrests, trials and resignations are undermining the efficiency of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turkey
Turkey’s Loyalties Divided In Combatting Terrorism Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces the challenge of divided loyalties within the government and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in dealing with anti-terrorism legislation, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Drafting Ultra-Orthodox Is No Solution Underlying the heated controversy over the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men is a far more fateful question — that of their integration into the work force, writes Idan Grinbaum. Israel
Is There Any Hope Left For Israeli-Palestinian Conflict? Akiva Eldar ponders why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the longest in history, proposing to resolve it instead of “managing” it. Palestine
Car Bomb at Syrian Border Kills 13 Tulin Daloglu reports on the latest car bombing on the Syria-Turkey border, which killed 13 people, just 10 days after the US Embassy in Ankara was attacked by a suicide bomber. Syria
PA Employees in Gaza Key to Reconciliation The return of the Palestinian Authority to work in Gaza may be a tentative step in reconciliation efforts between Hamas and the PA, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Battle Over Iraq War Lives in Syria Debates about whether the US should commit troops to aid opposition forces fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has roots in debates over US policy toward both Iraq and Vietnam, writes Geoffrey Aronson. Iraq
