After Jordan, Emirates also furious with Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only managed to get into a diplomatic row with Jordan, he also succeeded in angering the Emiratis. Israel
Iran operating new advanced centrifuges, nuclear watchdog finds According to an International Atomic Energy Agency report, Iran is now using IR-4 centrifuges to enrich uranium in violation of the nuclear accord. Iran
Lawsuit filed to close pro-Kurdish party after lawmaker stripped of parliamentary seat Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party deputy known to focus on human rights abuses, was stripped of his parliament seat and a lawsuit was filed to close the party March 17. Turkey
Netanyahu courts Arab voters as 'Abu Yair' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted a new strategy for the Arab public: cynically rebranding himself as "Abu Yair." Israel
Exclusive: Dahlan Family Visits Gaza Despite the animosity between former Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan and the Hamas leadership, his family was granted permission to visit the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Turkey Reconsiders Support For Jabhat Al-Nusra Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells US President Barack Obama he is “disturbed” by the rise of extremist groups in Syria. Syria
After Gezi, Is Turkey’s AKP Correcting Course? A report indicates that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) may be implementing a course correction in its handling of the Gezi park protests to better position itself for next year’s elections. Turkey
Friday Sermons Used to Incite At Iraqi Mosques With the liberation afforded by the fall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s regime, Friday sermons at Iraq’s mosques have become platforms for oftentimes escalatory political discourse. Iraq
Israeli Army Seeks to Evict Villagers to Expand Firing Zone The Israeli army wants to evacuate the Palestinian West Bank villages of Masafer Yatta to accomodate its live-fire training area. Palestine
Saudi Arabia Keeps Tight Grip on Yemen Saudi Arabia is treading carefully in Yemen, especially following the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi in Egypt. Saudi Arabia
Hamas Monitors Facebook Activism Hamas' security services in Gaza are keeping a close eye on Facebook activity for hostile opinions and planned protests. Palestine
Iran on Quest to Legitimize Velayat-e Faqih in Iraqi Seminaries Iran has always tried to secure religious legitimacy for its velayat-e faqih doctrine by supporting loyalists in the Qom and Najaf Shiite seminaries. Iraq
Will Syria War Mean End of Sykes-Picot? There is speculation that the Syria war could signal a change in long-standing borders. Near East
US Rep. Keith Ellison Calls For Obama-Rouhani Summit In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ellison says, “If the United States had direct negotiations with Iran, the first item should be stopping the bloodshed in Syria.” Palestine
Morsi Is Not Arab World’s Mandela In response to Tawakul Karman's recent article in Foreign Policy, Bassem Sabry and Hani Sabra write that Mohammed Morsi is no Nelson Mandela. Egypt
Will Release of Palestinians Who Killed Israelis Bring Peace? How can the release of the Palestinian prisoners who murdered Israeli peace activist Ian Feinberg promote peace negotiations between the two sides? Palestine
