Who is behind riots in middle east

These protests have led to a particularly dangerous environment. Some political figures who view themselves as the protectors of this system consider these protests to be existential threats. Unlike ever before in Baghdad, these leaders have turned to violence - using snipers and assassins - to target protesters and defend their system. Last year, during protests in Basra, security forces similarly fired on demonstrators leading to a swift end as protesters retreated, fearing for their lives.

This year, in Baghdad and elsewhere, the protectors of the system are applying the lessons of Basra In the past, protests have usually erupted during the summer, when scorching heat and the government's inability to provide basic services - such as electricity or water - reaches a boiling point and Iraqis hit the streets. Ironically, this year, services have slightly improved, owed partly to heavy rainfall and a less intense summer. But reforms to the system remain a distant reality. They believed the national hero lost his job because of his efforts to fight corruption and the political class within his counter-terrorism service CTS.

And to them, if the hero who fought IS can't fight corruption and the political class, then who can? Palestinians want those territories for their future state, with east Jerusalem serving as their eventual capital.

But Israel annexed the eastern part of the city in a move not recognized internationally. The fate of east Jerusalem has been one of the thorniest issues in the peace process, which ground to a halt more than a decade ago.

Israelis on Monday were set to mark Jerusalem Day, a national holiday celebrating the annexation. In past years, thousands of Israelis — mainly religious nationalists — have marched through the Old City, including the densely populated Muslim Quarter, in a display considered provocative by many Palestinians.

In recent days, hard-line Israelis have staged other events in east Jerusalem, leading to scattered, violent altercations with Palestinians.

The mosque is the third-holiest site in Islam and sits on a sprawling plateau that is also home to the iconic golden Dome of the Rock.

Muslims refer to the compound as the Noble Sanctuary. The walled plateau is also the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount, because it was the location of biblical temples. Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 A. Government officials in Tehran, for instance, only began to ramp up investment in the Iranian National Institute of Oceanography and Atmospheric Science about a decade ago. Although consistent and credible information about weather and climate is vital for decision-making on everything from irrigating sugar crops in Khuzestan to mapping out urban growth in Iranian cities , Iran, like many other neighboring countries, lacks the capacity to integrate the kind of data analysis needed into its development plans.

If leaders in Iran and the Middle East truly want to come to grips with their climate problems, they are going to have to do more than shut down the internet and crush local protests with live bullets. Their own security and that of their countries, in fact, depends on their ability and willingness to invest more systematically in understanding and adapting to climate risks.

Her WPR column appears every Friday. Egyptian farmer Makhluf Abu Kassem, center, sits with farmers under the shade of a dried-up palm tree in Fayoum, Egypt, Aug. Timeline: Arab Spring. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Syria is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world, with a rich artistic and cultural heritage.

From its ancient roots to its recent political instability and the Syrian Civil War, the country has a complex and, at times, tumultuous history. Ancient Syria The nation of Israel—with a population of more than 9 million people, most of them Jewish—has many Palestine is a small region of land that has played a prominent role in the ancient and modern history of the Middle East. The history of Palestine has been marked by frequent political conflict and violent land seizures because of its importance to several major world In the wake of the February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida—during which 17 people were killed and more than a dozen injured—students at that high school and across the United States have been galvanized into action.

A number of Over time, the PLO has embraced a broader role, claiming to Zionism is a religious and political effort that brought thousands of Jews from around the world back to their ancient homeland in the Middle East and reestablished Israel as the central location for Jewish identity.

While some critics call Zionism an aggressive and Fueled by territorial, religious and political disputes between the two nations, the conflict ended in an effective stalemate and a cease-fire nearly eight years Following years of diplomatic friction and skirmishes between Israel and its neighbors, Israel Defense Forces launched preemptive air strikes that From the inauguration of Donald Trump to the first total solar eclipse to traverse the Lower 48 in nearly a century, was a year for the history books.