Middle East Update

Turkey and Israel Tuesday October 23 agreed to pursue talks on the investment and operational costs of a planned multi-purpose pipeline to carry oil, natural gas, water, electricity and fiber optic cables, Turkish energy minister Hilmi Guler said. (AFP/Middle East Times-Cyprus)

Selcan Hacaoglu (Guardian-UK)
Turkish authorities seized weapons hidden among construction materials on a Syria-bound train from Iran after Kurdish guerrillas bombed and derailed the train on May 25 in southeastern Bingol province. A government official said the cargo included machine guns and pistols, while the private Dogan news agency said the cargo included a rocket [...]

Thousands of Turks demonstrated in this Black Sea port city on Sunday May 20, against the Islamic-rooted government, which they fear is undermining Turkey’s secular system.

Turkey to inspect excavation, renovation site Calm was restored to the Old City of Jerusalem today, February 16, after prayer services on the Temple Mount drew to a close, with Israeli Police arresting some 15-20 Muslim youths for sporadic acts of violence and incitement. Some 3,000 police officers were on standby in east Jerusalem and [...]

Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO and a country with close ties to both Israel and Arab states, will become the first Muslim nation to deploy peacekeepers in Lebanon when it dispatches more than 200 navy officers and soldiers Friday.

A bomb blast in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir on September 12, killed 11 people and injured at least a dozen more, hospital officials said. CNN.

UN chief Kofi Annan was scheduled to meet Wednesday September 6 with leaders of Turkey, the first Muslim country to pledge troops to the international peacekeeping force monitoring the fragile UN-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hizb’Allah. There is a fear that Turkish troops may face violent clashes with fellow Muslims and supporters of the Hizb’Allah [...]

A bomb exploded in the tourist hotspot of Antalya in southern Turkey on Monday, killing three and injuring a large number of people including four Israelis, local police said. The attack was the fifth bomb to hit Turkey in less than 24 hours.