Many failed to realize that Haftar amassed a large base of support among former members of the Libyan army who had fought against Gadafi in 2011 and who felt threatened as the Islamists began to “purify” the state of elements of the “old regime.” Haftar portrayed himself as Libya’s saviour (“Libya’s Sisi”) from Islamist organizations spreading chaos.

Israel has always proudly described itself as the sole democracy in the Middle East. A strong pillar of a healthy democracy is freedom of the press. Yet members of the foreign media have been summoned to a Knesset hearing on the foreign press and put on the defense to explain an apparently skewed reality. Is the Israeli government clamping down on the press, both international and domestic?

Marwan Muasher is the former deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Jordan. In the lectures he delivers and the debates he takes part in, Muasher criticizes the slow pace of reform, politically, economically, and socially, and he recently criticized the deterioration of higher education in the kingdom.

Muqtada al-Sadr is clearly keen to prove himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Iraqi political arena. Nevertheless, he has not built a long-term strategic alliance with any political players either inside or outside Iraq.

On 11 July 2016, the Israeli Knesset passed a law requiring non-governmental organizations that receive more than half of their funding from ‘foreign political entities’ to disclose this in all official publications. The so-called NGO bill affects 27 organizations, of which 25 are human rights NGOs that identify with the Israeli left.

Saif al-Islam is trying to mobilize support among tribal leaders and fighters loyal to his father. Many Libyans perceive him as Libya’s ‘saviour’ that could reform their troubled country.

Rachid Nekkaz, algerian businessman, activist and former presidential candidate, is one of the few opposition leaders who currently enjoy popularity among young voters. His unconventional initiatives have not only positioned him as a man of the people, they have also increased his understanding of Algerian society, countering frequent criticisms that he is a rich, out-of-touch foreigner. However, many doubted his intentions, given his lack of success in French politics, and accused him of being out of touch with the realities of ordinary Algerians.

Yaalon (1950) was born into a working-class family affiliated with the Labour Party, and grew up on a left-leaning settlement. The combination of a distinguished military career, promises of tackling the real issues in Israeli society, support of officers who speak their mind and Netanyahu’s waning popularity will prove to be a successful formula for Yaalon’s attempt to win the next election.

Controversy continued to follow Hassoun when he issued a fatwa (religious ruling) on SANA, Syrian state-owned television, ordering the military to express their rage by exterminating all Syrians in the besieged and divided city of Aleppo.

In addition to his work as a taxi driver, he served as an unofficial messenger between citizens on the one hand and officials and government departments on the other, and then decided to run in the elections for Shura Council, a decision the people of Bawshar welcomed warmly.