Palestinian Anti-Normalization Activists Prevent Peace Dialogue
Another meeting between Israeli and Palestinian activists aimed at building a dialogue and contributing to efforts to end the conflict was thwarted on Tuesday by a group of Palestinian activists who are opposed to anything associated with "normalization" between Palestinians and Israelis.

Egyptian Elections Continue Despite Street Violence
Voters in several Egyptian districts went to the polls for run-off elections on Wednesday as the streets around Tahrir Square in Cairo were relatively calm following five days of ferocious street violence which sent shockwaves around the world and raised serious new doubts about the viability of democracy in the largest Arab country.

Panetta: "Iran Could Have The Bomb In 2012, We Will Stop It"
CBS News aired an interview with US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta Monday night in which Panetta declared that Iran’s renegade nuclear program has made rapid progress despite efforts to slow down and sabotage it, and Tehran has reached a point where it can assemble an atomic weapon in a year or potentially less.

Iraq War Ends With Iran Casting Large Shadow
US Defense Secretery Leon Panetta presided over a low-key flag lowering ceremony near Baghdad on Thursday, formally ending the US military mission in Iraq almost nine years after the US led coalition force invaded the country to topple Saddam Hussein. "Your dream of an independent and sovereign Iraq is now reality," Panetta said.

Palestinians Protest "Normalization" With Israel
Hatem Abdel Kader, a senior official in Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah political faction told reporters over the weekend that Fatah has declared war on all informal meetings between Israelis and Palestinians following a series of meetings between Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and academics to promote peace and "normalization" between the two sides.

Turkey’s "No Problems With Neighbors" Policy In Tatters
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the Turkish parliament on Thursday that his government’s Middle East foreign policy has forced an "isolated" Israel to "kneel down" before the Turkish Republic, in response to claims that it was actually Turkey which had had to shift its policy towards the East, despite its dependency on Western countries.

Quartet Makes Another Attempt To Kick-Start Negotiations
Envoys from the Middle East Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) issued yet another call for direct Israeli-Palestinian talks on Wednesday after holding separate meetings in Jerusalem with Palestinian and Israeli officials. It was the third such statement since 23 September, and included a statement on "the important objective of a direct exchange between the parties without delay or preconditions beginning with a preparatory meeting and leading to the presentation of proposals on territory and security."

Street Battles Rage In Syria With Dozens Of Deaths
A massive street battle was raging in the southern Syrian city of Deraa on Thursday, with reports tricking in of dozens of troops loyal to the regime of president Bashar Assad killed by forces of the Free Syrian Army, which also suffered casualties. The violence came a day after troops loyal to the regime stormed into the flashpoint city of Hama, using tanks, artillery and heavy machine guns to flatten several residential blocks and killing dozens of civilians.