The Levant Files

Islamabad-mediated channel keeps diplomacy alive, but the two sides remain fundamentally split on sequencing Pakistan's mediation effort between the United States and Iran is holding together, but the talks show no sign of an imminent breakthrough, with the two sides locked in a fundamental disagreement over what comes first: a broader peace settlement or nuclear concessions. Iran has submitted a revised 14-point ceasefire proposal to Washington via Pakistani intermediaries, insisting that a permanent end to hostilities, the lifting of US sanctions, the removal of the naval blockade, and the release of frozen assets must all be agreed before any discussion of nuclear restrictions can begin. Tehran has also indicated it will seek war reparations and refuses to place uranium enrichment on the table as part of any initial agreement. Washington is pushing in the opposite direction. The Trump administration, led in these talks by special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kush...

Greek politics is entering a period of rapid realignment, with former prime minister Alexis Tsipras moving toward the launch of a new political movement, Tempi tragedy figure Maria Karystianou formally unveiling her own citizens’ initiative, and speculation growing that ex-premier Antonis Samaras may also prepare a right-wing comeback. Tsipras has emerged as the most concrete of the three developments. Greek media reports say he is preparing to announce a new political party on May 26, marking a significant return to frontline politics after his departure from SYRIZA and his period outside parliament. The new formation is being presented as a broader progressive project, with the aim of attracting support from the left, social democrats and green voters who have become politically unanchored in recent years. Karystianou’s move is already a reality. The mother of a Tempi train crash victim, who became a prominent symbol of public anger over the disaster, has launched what reports descri...

Israel’s internal political scene has entered a familiar but increasingly unstable phase: one in which the government still stands, but almost every signal points toward an election campaign already underway. The coalition remains in power for now, yet the balance in the Knesset, the pressure from coalition partners, and the rise of new opposition alignments are all pushing Israeli politics toward another decisive test at the ballot box. The current tension is driven by two parallel realities. On one hand, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to govern with the backing of his right-wing and religious allies. On the other, the political system is showing signs of deadlock, with no bloc clearly on track to secure a comfortable parliamentary majority if elections are held now. That makes the coming months crucial, not just for Netanyahu’s coalition survival, but for the broader question of who will shape Israel’s next government. The prospect of early elections cannot be ruled out,...

US-Iran diplomacy showed cautious movement in the past 12 hours, with Pakistan continuing to play a central mediating role as Washington and Tehran remain locked in disputes over Iran’s uranium program and the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Friday, in the latest round of shuttle diplomacy aimed at bridging the gap between the two sides. Regional media reported that Naqvi has been carrying proposals between Washington and Tehran, including the latest US draft, while Iran has yet to give a formal reply. Officials and media reports said the discussions focused on two core issues: how to handle Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and whether any future arrangement could include a payment or toll system for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has reportedly been exploring a mechanism with Oman that would allow it to collect fees from vessels transiting the waterway, a move Washington has strongl...

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is facing an unprecedented institutional crisis after a court issued a sweeping "absolute nullity" (mutlak butlan) ruling against its last two party congresses, effectively erasing the election of current leader Özgür Özel and reinstating former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu — at least on paper. The decision, delivered by Ankara's 36th Regional Court of Appeal, has sent shockwaves through Turkish politics, triggered an emergency party summit, sparked street demonstrations, rattled financial markets, and drawn carefully calibrated reactions from both the ruling coalition and its nationalist ally. The Ruling: What the Court Actually Decided The Ankara Regional Court of Appeal's 36th Civil Chamber ruled that CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress, held on November 4–5, 2023, along with the subsequent extraordinary congresses that followed, must be considered null and void from the moment they took place — the legal m...

The Financial Stability Committee of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance announced that “precautionary measures were discussed.” Following the ruling, CHP leader Özgür Özel said: “The damage they inflicted on the country’s economy in just half an hour amounts to $10 billion.” Sharp losses hit Borsa Istanbul after the 36th Civil Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Appeals ruled in the CHP congress case to temporarily remove Özgür Özel and the current party leadership from office, ordering former leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the previous administration to take over. The BIST 100 index closed the day down 6.05 percent at 13,163.88 points. Although Borsa Istanbul opened lower today, markets recovered some of the losses later in the session. The index climbed to 13,359 points, posting a 1.49 percent gain. Financial Stability Committee Convenes In the wake of the “absolute nullity” ruling in the CHP congress lawsuit, the Ministry of Treasury and Finance convened an early-morning meetin...

As CHP leader Özgür Özel mounts a resistance against the absolute nullity ruling, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli's statements point to a covert game plan. (Above) Özel and the CHP leadership address protesters gathered in front of party headquarters on the night of May 21. Former CHP heavyweight Önder Sav is visible on the far left. (Photo: CHP) The most intriguing political reaction to the Court of Appeals' unprecedented decision—which ousted Özgür Özel’s democratically elected CHP leadership and reinstated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu—came from MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli. While Bahçeli did not use those exact words, perhaps sensing that the situation was about to spiral completely out of control, he was essentially telling Kılıçdaroğlu: "Reach an agreement with Özel; do not take the helm again." This becomes clear when examining the backroom game plans currently circulating in political corridors. The MHP leader is seeking to position himself as the architect of a "reconstruct...

In a ruling that legal scholars and democracy watchdogs are already calling one of the most consequential blows to Turkish political pluralism in decades, an Ankara appeals court has declared the main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) national convention "absolutely null and void" — effectively dissolving the party's elected leadership and ordering a reversion to its pre-November 2023 state. The Ankara 36th Regional Court of Appeals issued a ruling on Thursday annulling the CHP's 38th Ordinary Convention, held on November 4–5, 2023, on grounds of absolute nullity (mutlak butlan) — the most severe category of legal invalidity in Turkish civil law. The decision wipes out not only that convention but every subsequent convention and every resolution adopted since, including the extraordinary conventions that followed. In practical terms, the ruling strips current CHP leader Özgür Özel and the entire party executive of their legal mandate, and declares t...

Σε μια απόφαση που νομικοί και παρατηρητές της δημοκρατίας χαρακτηρίζουν ήδη ως ένα από τα πιο καθοριστικά πλήγματα στον τουρκικό πολιτικό πλουραλισμό εδώ και δεκαετίες, εφετείο της Άγκυρας κήρυξε το εθνικό συνέδριο του κόμματος της τουρκικής αξιωματικής αντιπολίτευσης, του Ρεπουμπλικανικού Λαϊκού Κόμματος (CHP), «απολύτως άκυρο». Η απόφαση αυτή ουσιαστικά διαλύει την εκλεγμένη ηγεσία του κόμματος και διατάσσει την επαναφορά του στην κατάσταση που βρισκόταν πριν από τον Νοέμβριο του 2023. Το 36ο Περιφερειακό Εφετείο της Άγκυρας εξέδωσε απόφαση την Πέμπτη με την οποία ακυρώνει το 38ο Τακτικό Συνέδριο του CHP, το οποίο διεξήχθη στις 4-5 Νοεμβρίου 2023, λόγω απόλυτης ακυρότητας (mutlak butlan) – την αυστηρότερη κατηγορία νομικής ακυρότητας στο τουρκικό αστικό δίκαιο. Η απόφαση αυτή ακυρώνει όχι μόνο εκείνο το συνέδριο, αλλά και κάθε επόμενο συνέδριο, καθώς και κάθε απόφαση που ελήφθη έκτοτε, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των έκτακτων συνεδρίων που ακολούθησαν. Σε πρακτικούς όρους, η απόφαση στερεί ...