All Middle East
Chorus grows against Obama administration's sanctions-heavy Iran policyThe Obama administration's effort to end Iran's nuclear program has focused on punitive measures, with little diplomatic outreach. Critics say this jeopardizes negotiations.
Israel seeks another type of coexistence – between tourists and the earthAlthough an economic boon, tourism can be a destructive force for the environment. Israel, filled with religious tourism destinations, is exploring ways to make pilgrimages sustainable.
Outside the camps, Syrian refugees face further hardshipWith 74 percent of Syrian refugees living outside camps, life is a daily struggle to find affordable housing, jobs with living wages, and schooling for their children.
Tunisians yearn for the good old days of a strongmanTunisians still revile ousted leader President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, but admiration is rising for his predecessor, who had strongman tendencies of his own but also helped Tunisia flourish.
Hagel goes to Israel bearing gifts of radar and OspreysThe US will give Israel advanced radar systems, more powerful missiles, and aircraft never before sold outside the US. Together, they could diminish Israel's sense of threat from Iran.
Canada alleges Al Qaeda plot from Iran, but Tehran's involvement unlikelyShiite Iran and Sunni Al Qaeda have long had a hostile relationship. While state involvement appears unlikely, Tehran has less control over the country's far east.
The trials of an Israeli Arab prosecuting PalestiniansIsraeli Arab Arin Shaabi's job as a military prosecutor for the Israel Defense Forces puts her in the difficult position of handling the cases of fellow Arabs, earning her hatred from some.
Environmentalists tap Palestinian schoolchildren to clean Jerusalem's holy valleySix Olympic-size pools of trash and sewage are dumped in Kidron Valley, which abuts Jerusalem's holiest sites, every year.
First West Bank marathon highlights barriers to Palestinian movementMarathoners observed a moment of silence for the victims in the Boston attacks before running a landscape scarred by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Syrian rebels intensify rocket attacks into LebanonRebels fighting the Syrian government are shelling villages on the Lebanese side of the border in order to curb a Lebanese group's efforts to help the Syrian regime.
How stable is Iraq? 13 candidates killed ahead of electionsIraq's provincial elections tomorrow, the first since the US withdrawal, are considered a strong indicator of the country's stability. Pre-election violence does not bode well.
Former Palestinian prisoners once jailed for murder, now dole out dessertThe two men behind one of Gaza's most famous kenafeh shops spent more than decade in Israeli prison for conspiracy to murder and planting bombs.
The ExplainerPalestinian Prisoners' Day: Breaking down the controversyThis year's commemoration is particularly noteworthy because of two recent high-profile deaths in prison that drew tremendous outcry from Palestinians. The Monitor explains.
Iran's Khamenei condemns Boston Marathon attacks, but takes jab at US policiesIran's supreme leader was emphatic in his condemnation of the Boston Marathon attacks, but criticized the US for decrying attacks on its own civilians while carrying out drone strikes elsewhere.
Israeli archaeologist finds common ground underneath Sinai's shifting sandsAvner Goren lived and worked among Bedouin in the shadow of Mt. Sinai for 15 years. Now he’s applying his knowledge of Arab culture to help bridge the Israeli-Arab divide.
Turkish pianist's Twitter barbs land him conviction for insulting IslamFazil Say's case highlights a curtailing of free expression in Turkey that has also put 49 journalists in prison. He was convicted of insulting Islam in a series of mocking tweets.
In rebel fighter's personal story, the arc of Syria's warWhen The Monitor first met Syrian rebel fighter Abu Omar last July, he was buoyant and determined to bring down the Assad regime. Now his outlook is a bit more grim.
Hebrew lives on in Hamas-run GazaPalestinian Daniel Fares, fluent in Hebrew from his days working in an Israeli Coca-Cola factory, still tunes in to Israeli news stations daily.
US loses a West Bank darling with resignation of Palestinian prime ministerPalestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who resigned this weekend, was liked by the US, but he had less approval at home, where many saw him as a lackey of the West.
Egypt's Copts lash out at government's anti-Christian rhetoricEgypt's Coptic Church unleashed one of its strongest criticisms ever of the government after back-to-back deadly attacks on Copts that the pope insists were incited by harsh anti-Christian rhetoric.
