All Middle East
- How an obscure council became Egypt's decisionmaker
When Egypt's lower house was dissolved, the advisory upper house gained sweeping legislative power. But only 10 percent of Egyptians bothered to vote for it.
- Israeli first responder searches for the good among Sderot's rocket-pocked streets
One would expect Israeli Judith Bar-Hay to be angry after working for years in Sderot, which has been hit with more than 7,000 Palestinian rockets. She says that helping others keeps her sane.
- Syrian regime's core supporters begin to drift away
Support for Assad among the Alawites, a religious minority, is waning. But sectarian hostilities and increasing religiosity make Alawites hesitant to join the opposition.
- What's in the Internet videos posted by Tamerlan Tsarnaev?
The videos do not show ties to any specific group, but do hint at a deeper yearning in the alleged Boston Marathon bomber for a heroic jihadi persona.
- Dancing around the conflict in Ramallah
Shyrine Ziadeh dreamed of studying ballet abroad, but once she realized how much she could help talented girls in Ramallah, she put aside that dream and opened her own studio.
- Israel shoots down drone, Hezbollah denies it's theirs
The Shiite militant group in Lebanon has sent drones over Israel in the past, linking their use to Israeli violations of Lebanon's airspace.
- Chorus grows against Obama administration's sanctions-heavy Iran policy
The 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 earth
Although 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 hardship
With 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 strongman
Tunisians 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 Ospreys
The 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 unlikely
Shiite 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 Palestinians
Israeli 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 valley
Six 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 movement
Marathoners 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 Lebanon
Rebels 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 elections
Iraq'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 dessert
The 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 controversy
This 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 policies
Iran'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.