All Middle East
FocusHow some Israelis see the sacred in settlementsThe expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is driven by more than politics and security concerns. Religious Zionists say settling the land is ushering in a messianic age.
- FocusWhy some Christians back Israeli settlers in the West Bank
US Evangelicals' support for Jewish settlement of the West Bank has grown in the last decade or so, giving Israel greater traction in Washington.
Jihadis bankroll aid efforts in Syria to win followersAmong those with money to throw around in the scrum for influence are groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, which the State Department says has ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Referendum on constitution reveals a deeply divided EgyptThe party tied to President Mohamed Morsi says that nearly 57 percent of voters supported the new constitution, while about 43 percent voted against it. A second vote comes later this week.
Egypt's referendum a vote on Morsi as well as the constitutionAs Egyptians vote today in a referendum on a controversial draft constitution, the debate is dominated by President Mohamed Morsi's actions, not the document.
Syrian opposition forces say they are on brink of major victory in AleppoIf Syrian rebels succeed in breaching an infantry school in Aleppo, they will gain some strategically critical pieces of territory, a windfall of supplies, and possibly a slew of regime defectors.
West Bank welcomes Hamas back with excitement - and apprehensionStill riding a wave of popularity after the Gaza war, Hamas held celebratory rallies throughout the West Bank. But worries about a return to the chaos and violence of the intifada are bubbling up.
Is Morsi a president for all Egyptians, or just Brothers?President Mohamed Morsi's reliance on Muslim Brotherhood activists to put down protests around the palace has further alienated some Egyptians from his rule.
The ExplainerWhy Israeli settlements debate is heating up againCritics say the placement and size of a newly proposed Israeli build-out would doom a two-state deal.
'Insulting religion': Blasphemy sentence in Egypt sends a chillBlasphemy cases are on the rise in Egypt. Passage of the draft constitution, with a clause prohibiting insulting prophets, could result in more decisions like today's sentence.
Family of journalist Austin Tice struggles with silence on kidnappingAustin Tice was kidnapped near Damascus in August. His family went to Beirut recently in hopes of extending their reach into Syria and finding out more about who might be holding him.
Vote no or boycott? Egypt opposition undecided as referendum loomsAnger over a draft constitution popular with Islamists has galvanized Egypt's opposition. But secular opponents of President Morsi still haven't decided what to do about Saturday's referendum.
As Syria's rebels close in, Assad has three optionsThe most likely is a retreat into the mountains controlled by his minority Alawite community.
Egypt's Morsi backs off decree, but fails to assuage protestersPresident Mohamed Morsi held firm in rejecting what had been a key demand of the opposition: delaying a referendum scheduled for Saturday on a new constitution.
As Egypt's Morsi remains defiant, a former top Brother speaks outA former senior leader of the Muslim Brotherhood outlined his disappointment in President Mohamed Morsi today, who is rushing through a new Egyptian constitution.
Egypt's anti-Morsi protests spread beyond CairoEgypt's angry political divide is evident well outside Cairo, with protests erupting against President Mohamed Morsi in Alexandria, along the Suez Canal, and in the Nile Delta.
Syrian refugees decamp for tough life in Jordan's citiesRefugees in Jordan's cities outnumber those in the Za'atari refugee camp at least 3-to-1. And while camp life is hard, urban refugees have problems of their own.
A wary Iraq weighs its options as Syrian civil war deepensFears in Iraq of a spillover of Syria's fighting, or a victory for Sunni Islamists hostile to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, have Iraq weighing its options.
In Cairo, shooting, anger, and bracing for more confrontationIn Cairo, those protesting against President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood were faced down by his loyalists. A view from the ground.
Syria: first state with WMDs to topple?Never before has a country with Weapons of Mass Destruction been on the verge of collapse, says an arms control expert who argues for regional coordination to prevent a catastrophe.
