Orientul Mijlociu

A new poll published by Arab News and conducted with YouGov showed that while people in 18 countries surveyed may be concerned about US President Donald Trump’s policies, they are supportive of US engagement with the region and solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Of particular importance, when asked about what the largest problems are in the region, many referenced economic problems or even Iran, but not Israel as a negative issue.

Turkey has sought to leverage a crisis that Ankara largely invented with France to push its influence in the Islamic world by portraying Ankara as a “defender” of Islam.

France must take far-reaching steps to curb radical Islam in its midst, French lawmaker Meyer Habib said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

The election of Turkey’s favorite candidate in the Turkish Cypriot presidential elections may create more problems than opportunities for Ankara in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused France’s Emmanuel Macron of pandering to anti-Muslim “fascists” in a desperate bid to bolster his electoral fortunes ahead of presidential elections in 2022, yet many would agree that Erdogan’s anti-Western tirades are designed to divert attention from his country’s mounting economic woes.

France has increased the tension by recalling its ambassador in Turkey and has been continuing with its “one-sided and egocentric” approach towards incidents and bilateral relations with Turkey, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Oct. 25 in a written statement.

Political tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia are obstructing the movement of goods and putting a strain on trade relations between the two Sunni-Muslim regional powers.

How likely is it that followers of the Islamic State (ISIS) will heed its call on social media for attacks on Saudi oil pipelines and other infrastructure after the kingdom allowed planes en route to and from Israel to cross its territory?