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
Israeli Defense Budget Under Attack Israeli ministers Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, champions of the social justice movement, face a challenge responding to the defense establishment campaign against budget cutbacks, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Mayor Plans to Limit Arab Growth in Nazareth Mayor Shimon Gapso tells Daniel Ben Simon he intends to limit the proportion of Arab residents in Upper Nazareth. Israel
Maliki Threatens Political Rivals As Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s opponents amplify their calls for a parliamentary hearing, he threatens to reveal which of them were involved in acts of terrorism, writes Mushreq Abbas. Iraq
Encroaching Syrian Conflict Pits Hezbollah Against Jabhat al-Nusra Border villages of Hezbollah-backed Shiites sympathetic to Assad are clashing with the Sunni Jabhat al-Nusra, reports an Al-Monitor correspondent in Beirut. Lebanon
The Palestinian Time Warp Geoffrey Aronson writes that "new" US plans for resuscitating Palestinian economic growth sound a lot like old ones that failed to foster independence. Palestine
Former IDF Spokesman: Israel Needs Its Own 'Al Jazeera' TV Former IDF spokesperson and Knesset member Nachman Shai explains, in an interview with Mazal Mualem, why Israel fails again and again in the media-diplomacy battlefield. Israel
Qatar’s Political Influence on Hamas With its headquarters in Qatar, Hamas will have to accept the spirit and direction of its new patron, Emir Hamed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, writes Shlomi Eldar. Qatar
What Are Saudi Arabia’sIntentions in Lebanon? Saudi Arabia has increased its diplomatic efforts in Lebanon, and Jean Aziz asks what exactly Riyadh’s intentions are. Saudi Arabia
Fayyad Resignation: No Effect On Palestinian Reconciliation The resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is unlikely to contribute to Hamas-Fatah reconciliation and the formation of a national unity government, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Iraq Pays $300 Million To Terror Victims Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, violence in Iraq has produced innumerable victims in need of financial compensation, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Iraqi Provincial Elections Bring Wave of Violence, Assassination Sunni candidates in the upcoming Iraqi elections are being targeted in a recent spate of assassinations, reports Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
EU Official: ‘We Don’t See the End’ Of Syria Crisis In an interview with Al-Monitor, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Dr. Kristalina Georgieva says Syria "is the crisis that makes me lose my sleep." Syria
