Middle East: News on the Middle East from The New York Times

Here is the latest news on the Middle East from The New York Times.

Germany Obtains List of 22,000 Foreigners Suspected of Fighting for ISIS
Officials said they believed it was authentic, but they declined to give any details about where it came from or the identities of those on it.

Obama Criticizes the ‘Free Riders’ Among America’s Allies
In a series of interviews with The Atlantic magazine, President Obama took an unusually blunt tone in expressing his consternation with Middle Eastern nations and the constant demands placed on the United States.

Biden Condemns Palestinian Violence in Implicit Rebuke to Abbas
During his visit to Israel, the vice president responded to recent attacks, including one on Tuesday that killed an American student.

ISIS Detainee Tells U.S. of Militants’ Plan to Use Mustard Gas
Defense officials said the detainee, held in Iraq, is a chemical weapons specialist who was captured by commandos in an American Special Operations force.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Stage Second Day of Missile Tests
They said that two rockets, launched from the country’s north, had successfully hit targets over 850 miles away.

Harold H. Saunders, Mideast Peace Broker, Dies at 85
Mr. Saunders helped draft the Camp David peace accords in 1978 and helped negotiate the release of American hostages from the United States embassy in Tehran in 1981.

World Briefing: Yemen: Houthi Rebels Enter Peace Talks With Saudi Arabia
A delegation from the Houthi rebel movement is conducting peace talks directly with Saudi Arabia for the first time since Yemen’s civil war began nearly a year ago.

Obama Seeks to Pave Way to Mideast Deal After He Leaves Office
President Obama is looking past his time in office and weighing a plan that would preserve at least the principle of a two-state solution for his successor to pursue.

Report Paints Dire Picture of Besieged Syria as War Enters 6th Year
The report detailed how civilians in 18 areas across the country are forced to scrounge to survive.

U.S. Tourist Killed in Stabbing Rampage Near Tel Aviv
The American was killed by a Palestinian man who attacked groups of people in Jaffa, a seaside district adjoining Tel Aviv, according to local officials and Israeli media.

E.U. Woos Turkey for Refugee Help, Ignoring Rights Crackdown
To win help with the migrant crisis, Europe seems prepared to overlook what critics say is Recep Tayyip Erdogan march toward authoritarianism.

Op-Ed Contributor: Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Despotic Zeal
A brazen takeover of my newspaper is just the latest power grab by Turkey’s president.

Pentagon Plan to Fight ISIS in Libya Includes Barrage of Airstrikes
A bid to aid Western-backed militias in a ground battle against the Islamic State in Libya has drawn warnings about an effect on diplomatic efforts.

Deep Rifts Among Israeli Jews Are Found in Religion Survey
The Pew Research Center found that religious and social divisions are reflected in “starkly contrasting positions on many public policy questions.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Test Nationwide Ballistic Missiles
Accounts on state television did not specify whether the military had fired any such intercontinental weapons, which would violate a United Nations resolution.

Editorial: Democracy’s Disintegration in Turkey
The takeover of the country’s largest newspaper is the latest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian moves.

Egyptian Aviation Student Who Made Trump Threat Is Leaving U.S.
Emadeldin Elsayed’s comments on Donald J. Trump’s idea to bar Muslims from the United States stirred debate about what is a threat or “mouthing off.”

School’s Out, Indefinitely, in West Bank as a Teachers Strike Gains Momentum
A dispute that began with demands for a pay raise has turned into a broad challenge to the Palestinian Authority.

Embargo Lifted, Iranian Oil Reaches Europe
A Spanish refinery received Iran’s first shipment of oil for Europe since the 2012 embargo was officially lifted in January.

Iran’s President Flouts News Media Blackout Against a Predecessor
Under a ban by judiciary officials, no Iranian outlet of any sort is permitted to mention Mohammad Khatami’s name or show his photograph.

Clash at Tunisian Military Barracks Near Libyan Border Kills at Least 27
The assault comes at a time of growing concern that the war in Libya, where the Islamic State has aggressively expanded, is spilling over.

New Proposal to Divide Jerusalem Unites People Against It
A plan promoted by a group of liberal Israeli Jews would fence off most of the Palestinian neighborhoods and transfer responsibility for their residents to the Palestinian Authority.

Tripoli Journal: Tripoli, a Tense and Listless City With Gunmen and a Well-Stocked Boss Outlet
As conflict rages elsewhere in Libya, a precarious order holds in the capital, as heavily armed militias and politicians, nominally allied, vie for control.

U.S. Conferred With Iran Before Iraq Invasion, Book Says
Securing a promise that the Iranian military would not fire at United States warplanes that strayed into Iranian airspace, a Bush-era official writes.

Trial of Veteran Accused of Trying to Join ISIS May Hinge on Unsent Letter
A former Air Force mechanic’s trial in Brooklyn on terrorism charges has centered on a drafted letter in which he pledged to defend the Islamic State.

Egypt Says Muslim Brotherhood, Backed by Hamas, Killed Top Prosecutor
The assassination of Hisham Barakat in June prompted Cairo to introduce a sweeping antiterrorism law that expanded government powers and restricted civil liberties.

Iraq Truck Bomb Kills 33 at Checkpoint Near Babylonian Ruins
More than 100 people were injured when a driver detonated a fuel truck in the city of Hilla.

Op-Ed Contributor: How Iran’s Reformists Found Their Center
Last week’s election was a victory for pragmatism. Is that what the country needs in order to reform?

Turkey Seizes Newspaper, Zaman, as Press Crackdown Continues
The move highlighted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s campaign against opposition journalists and the followers of Fethullah Gulen, a cleric.

Gunmen Kill 14 at Nursing Home in Yemen Started by Mother Teresa
Even amid the horrors of war in Yemen, the nursing home slaughter of nuns, guards and a gardener in Aden evoked shock.

Syrian Protesters Take to Streets as Airstrikes Ease
“The Revolution Continues” was the slogan as demonstrators, taking advantage of a partial truce, came out in the largest numbers in years

2 Syrians Sentenced in Deaths of Alan Kurdi and 4 Other Migrants
They received prison terms of over four years for the deaths of the five, including the young boy whose body washed up on a Turkish beach in September.

2 Italian Hostages of ISIS in Libya Are Freed, but 2 Others Are Feared Dead
Filippo Calcagno and Gino Pollicardo were released, but two other Italians captured with them, Fausto Piani and Salvatore Failla, were said to have most likely been killed.

Biblical Nomads Will Return to the Holy Land, Thanks to a Canadian Farm
A flock of Jacob sheep being raised by a British Columbia couple will be sent to their ancestral homeland in Israel this year.

Iran Invites Boeing for Talks, a Stride Toward Business Ties With the U.S.
The Iranians want to modernize their commercial aircraft fleet, and the invitation could be a precursor to the biggest business arrangement with an American company after decades of estrangement.

Egypt’s Parliament Expels Lawmaker Who Dined With Israel’s Ambassador
The lawmaker, Tawfik Okasha, had already been attacked with a shoe by a fellow lawmaker three days earlier over the same episode, which highlighted Egyptian sensitivity toward Israel.

Saudi Arabia Cuts Billions in Aid to Lebanon, Opening Door for Iran
Saudi Arabia’s tactic could allow Iran to increase its role in Lebanon through its ally, the militant group Hezbollah.

Blacklisted in Iran, Gay Poet Seeks Asylum in Israel
Payam Feili, a poet and novelist, fled to Tel Aviv after government loyalists accused him of immorality and collaborating with the enemy.

Doubts Rise in Iran on Conclusive Election Results
Five days after national elections, the Interior Ministry has yet to release official results, and the picture outside Tehran remains unclear.

U.S. Captures ISIS Operative, Ushering in Tricky Phase
American defense officials described the capture as a crucial development in battling the Islamic State but said it also raised questions about handling what is likely to be a growing group of detainees.

Jordan Troops Hunt Militants at Syria Border
Security officials said several Islamist extremists were killed along with a police officer near the northern city of Irbid.

Nabil Maleh, Giant of Syrian Cinema, Dies at 79
Mr. Maleh’s best-known films pushed the envelope in his country, challenging a rigid government and strict social mores.

World Briefing: Egypt: Autopsy Suggests Italian Student Was Subjected to Lengthy Interrogation
The findings are the strongest indication yet that the student, Giulio Regeni, was killed by Egyptian security services.

Violence Erupts After 2 Israeli Soldiers Using Waze App Get Lost in West Bank
A Palestinian man was killed after the soldiers, using Waze, a navigation tool, drove into the Kalandia refugee camp, prompting clashes and a gun battle.

Osama bin Laden Feared Wife’s Tooth Held a Tracking Device
Newly released documents suggest that as the United States turned up the pressure, the leader of Al Qaeda grew increasingly concerned about security breaches.

Hamas Commander, Accused of Theft and Gay Sex, Is Killed by His Own
The death of Mahmoud Ishtiwi, who was accused of homosexuality, had all the trappings of a soap opera: sex, torture and embezzlement in Gaza’s most venerated institution, the armed wing of Hamas.

After Gains Against ISIS, American Focus Is Turning to Mosul
The Pentagon is laying groundwork for a fight to retake Iraq’s second-largest city, moving to isolate it from the Islamic State’s headquarters in Syria.

World Briefing: Syria: United Nations Says Food Aid Will Be Restored
In a statement, the World Food Program, the main United Nations anti-hunger agency, said $675 million pledged would allow it to “fully reinstate” the reduced aid.

Iranian President and Moderates Appear to Make Strong Gains in Elections
President Hassan Rouhani and his allies seem to have run strongly in voting for Parliament and Iran’s clerical panel, though official results are pending.

Souq, Online Retailer in Middle East, Gets a $275 Million Boost
The company, based in the United Arab Emirates, is a rare e-commerce success story in a region that has been hit by logistical, political and economic hurdles.

Op-Ed Contributor: Once I Saw Light in Iran. Now It’s Mostly Shadows.
What has really changed from the 2001 elections to today?

Two Bombings Kill Dozens at a Baghdad Market
The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Sunday for two attacks at a market in the Sadr City district that killed at least 42 people.

Day 2 of Syrian Partial Truce Is Marred by Violence
A number of airstrikes and artillery attacks, reported by the warring sides, demonstrated the challenges of even a limited deal.

Netanyahu Welcomes Cease-Fire in Syria, but Adds a Warning
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would continue to defend its own interests and would block any Iranian-backed attacks from Syrian territory.

In Iran Elections, Conflicting Forecasts Emerge Along Rival Lines
After many reformist candidates won in large cities where results had been announced, state media suggested a nationwide triumph for hard-liners in areas waiting for results.

The Libya Gamble: Hillary Clinton, ‘Smart Power’ and a Dictator’s Fall
The president was wary. The secretary of state was persuasive. But the ouster of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi left Libya a failed state and a terrorist haven.

The Libya Gamble: A New Libya, With ‘Very Little Time Left’
The fall of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi seemed to vindicate Hillary Clinton. Then militias refused to disarm, neighbors fanned a civil war, and the Islamic State found refuge.

Yemeni Civilians Killed by Airstrike on Market, Witnesses Say
At least 30 people were reported dead after a bombing by the Arab coalition that could add to calls for an international arms embargo on Saudi Arabia.

Talk Grows About Who Will Succeed Palestinians’ Fading Mahmoud Abbas
The aging Palestinian president, likened to a tree with leaves blowing off, rules ineffectively over a divided people and failing institutions.

Early Results Show Reformists and Moderates Drawing Votes in Iran Elections
Preliminary results released Saturday showed that reformist and moderate candidates were leading in one of the two elections just held by Iran, state news media quoted the Interior Ministry as saying.

Violence in Syria Abates on Day 1 of Cease-Fire
Fighting decreased significantly in the country following a truce brokered by the United States and Russia, despite reports of scattered violations.

News Analysis: Syria Truce Comes With Price, but Not for Assad
European and Israeli intelligence officials believe the pause in fighting may consolidate President Bashar al-Assad’s hold on power.

Palestinian Fugitive Found Dead Outside Embassy in Bulgaria
Omar Zayed, 52, had been living in Bulgaria after he escaped in 1990 from custody in Israel, where he was convicted of killing a yeshiva student.

Amid Iraqi Chaos, Moktada al-Sadr, an Old Provocateur, Returns
Mr. Sadr, a cleric whose command of the Iraqi Shiite street is unmatched, is ostensibly lending support to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The Saturday Profile: She Gave Up Her Seat. Now She’s Charging El Al With Sexism.
A lawsuit claims that an airline discriminated against Renee Rabinowitz by moving her seat after an ultra-Orthodox man said he did not want to sit next to a woman.

In Syria, Airstrikes Continue as Truce Nears
A provisional cease-fire negotiated by the United States and Russia excluded the Islamic State and the Nusra Front, but it was unclear what other groups would honor it.

As Some Iranians Register Dislike at Polls, Others Do So by Staying Home
People in middle-class areas of the capital stood in long lines to vote, but in less prosperous areas, there was much less enthusiasm, and turnout seemed lower.

Palestinian to End Hunger Strike After Israel Agrees to Free Him by May
Mohammad al-Qeeq, a television journalist, is one of several prisoners who have refused food to protest their detention without known charges.

World Briefing: Iraq: ISIS Attacks Hit Baghdad
Suicide bombers hit a Shiite religious building and a military checkpoint in Baghdad on Thursday, killing 15 people and wounding 48.

Benjamin Netanyahu Rebukes David Cameron for Criticizing Israel
Israel’s prime minister responded sharply to his British counterpart’s assertion that he found Israel’s “effective encirclement” of East Jerusalem and its construction in that territory “genuinely shocking.”

Swedish Girl Who Ran Away to Iraq Says She Had Not Heard of ISIS
In a video interview with Kurdish TV, Marilyn Nevalainen, 16, said she knew nothing about the Islamic State before she ran away to Iraq with her boyfriend.

U.N. Envoy Prepares to Set Date for Syria Talks to Resume
The envoy, Staffan de Mistura, said that he been encouraged by “serious changes” after peace talks were suspended, but that obstacles remained.

As Bombs Hit Syrian Hospitals, Medical Workers Fear They Are the Target
Many medical workers and rights groups believe facilities are not just being hit by stray airstrikes, but have long been deliberately targeted by the Syrian government and its Russian allies.

Egypt Sentences Coptic Teenagers to Jail for Insulting Islam
A court sentenced the four teenagers to up to five years for making a video in which they mocked Muslim prayer.

Q. and A.: Examining Who’s Up for Election in Iran, and Candidates’ Potential Impact
A look at the vote and its implications as Iranians move to select a new Parliament and membership in the Assembly of Experts, an influential panel.

American in Iran Jail With Son
The wife of Baquer Namazi, a former Unicef official, said she thought her husband had been sent to Evin Prison, where their son, Siamak Namazi is being held.

In Reversal, Egypt Says Terrorists Downed Russian Jet Over Sinai
After months of cautious silence, Egypt acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that terrorists had downed the Russian jet that broke up over its Sinai Peninsula in October.

World Briefing: Bahrain: Opposition Figure Sentenced
The figure, Ibrahim Sharif, the former secretary general of the National Democratic Action Society, was convicted of inciting hatred.

Syrian Minister’s Wife Named to Assess Mental Health of the Displaced
Shukria Mekdad’s appointment has led critics to question the World Health Organization’s impartiality, as her husband is a defender of the government’s war effort.

Israeli Soldiers Accidentally Kill Army Officer While Trying to Stop Attack
The soldiers were aiming at a Palestinian assailant who was trying to stab the officer, who was shot in the chest.

Sheikh’s Candidacy Opens New Door to Criticism of FIFA: Human Rights
Critics want to know if Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa had any connection to the jailing and torture of Bahraini athletes who protested his family’s rule in 2011.

A Radical Idea to Rebuild a Shattered Libya: Restore the Monarchy
After years of turmoil and frustration with the United Nations peace process, some suggest that a king can rescue the country.

Editorial: How Turkey Misreads the Kurds
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to acknowledge important differences between the P.K.K. and other groups.

Kurdish Fighters Rescue Swedish Teenager in Iraq
Marilyn Nevalainen, 16, was taken from Islamic-controlled territory near Mosul, Iraq, after traveling to Syria last summer.

Egyptian Military Calls Toddler’s Life Sentence for Murder a Mistake
After an uproar over the conviction of the boy, Ahmed Mansour Qorani Sharara, the Egyptian military said that it was a case of mistaken identity.

Government in Syria and Some Rebel Groups Agree to Partial Cease-Fire
President Bashar al-Assad and the umbrella group of opposition and rebel groups in Syria announced they would accept a new “cessation of hostilities.”

U.S. to Further Scour Social Media Use of Visa and Asylum Seekers
Experts say the effort faces technical, language and other hurdles, while immigration rights advocates say it could ensnare innocent people.

Truce, Cease-fire and Armistice: The Legal Nuances
While the words evoke white flags and peace treaties, their definitions vary — and can be important to understanding ongoing conflicts.

U.S. and Russia Set Date for Cease-Fire in Syria to Begin
The cease-fire is to begin Saturday, but officials acknowledge that obstacles remain in getting the Syrian government and the armed opposition to comply.

Gaza Women on Bikes Face a Long Road to Acceptance
Four women are the first in years to pedal publicly in Gaza, where Hamas has restricted women’s sports, and they have drawn scorn from conservative Palestinians.

Iran’s Hard-Line Press Adds to Bounty on Salman Rushdie
A group of hard-line media organizations says it has raised $600,000 to augment the bounty for the killing of the British novelist.

U.N. Finds ‘Deliberate’ Destruction of Hospitals in Syria
A report listed a series of attacks on civilians by government forces and ISIS and said international stakeholders were fueling the violence.

Iran’s Thwarted Reformers Set Careful Goals for Coming Vote
The agenda of the reformers, once a sweeping manifesto for change in the Islamic republic, has been reduced to simply calling for a high turnout in Friday’s balloting.

Kerry Says Partial Truce in Syria With Russia Is Near Completion
The secretary of state said the “cessation of hostilities” would go into effect in days, but did not give a specific deadline.

Serbian Hostages Killed in U.S. Airstrikes Against ISIS in Libya
The deaths of two Serbian Embassy employees drew protests from Serbia and raised questions about the American intelligence that led to the strikes.

Arrest of Refugee Fuels U.S. Debate on Immigration Policy
Both sides point to the case of a California man suspected of going to Syria to fight with terrorist groups and of lying about it to the authorities.

Reporters’ Group Calls for Turkey to Release Syrian Citizen-Journalist
The Committee to Protect Journalists said the journalist, Rami Jarrah, had been detained for unclear reasons after reporting in Syria.

Saudis Cut Off Funding for Military Aid to Lebanon
The move was a new step in a proxy war between countries who are on opposing sides in the wars in Yemen and Syria and competing for influence elsewhere across the Middle East.

U.S. Strikes ISIS Camp in Libya, Killing More Than 30
The airstrike targeted a senior Tunisian operative linked to two major terrorist attacks in Tunisia last year, a Western official said.

U.S. Expands Restrictions on Visa-Waiver Program for Visitors
People who have visited Libya, Somalia and Yemen in the past five years are not eligible to enter the United States without a visa, the new rules say.