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
John Kerry's Syria File Secretary of State John Kerry, a veteran and critic of the Vietnam war, is now himself a decision maker regarding U.S. policy toward the civil war in Syria, writes Geoffrey Aronson. Syria
Iraq Reconstruction Report Documents Waste, Corruption Stuart Bowen, the US official in charge of monitoring $60 billion spent by the US on Iraqi stabilization and reconstruction, says 15% was wasted, millions were stolen and the US government is still not properly organized to carry out such operations, writes Barbara Slavin. Iraq
Lebanon Beset by Kidnapping,Drugs and Jabhat al-Nusra Instability, kidnapping and terrorism have taken hold of Lebanon during a period of turbulence exacerbated by the civil war in neighboring Syria, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
Despair Fuels West Bank Protests The Palestinian protests in the West Bank reflect the desperate social and economic conditions there, writes Ahmad Azem. Palestine
Palestinian Finance Minister Resigns Amid Cash Crisis Minister of Finance Nabil Qassis found himself cornered and unable to deliver proposed reforms to address the Palestinian Authority’s financial crisis, writes Daoud Kuttab. Palestine
Lebanese Unions End Strikes As Economic Crisis Continues Although Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has succeeded in ending a weeklong wave of public sector strikes that paralyzed much of Lebanon, the country’s economy still faces many challenges, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
Will Netanyahu Surrender To Lapid and Bennett? Prime Minister Netanyahu blames Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and HaBayit HaYehudi leader Naftali Bennett for his failed attempts to form a coalition, but he will soon have to accept the fact that he is unable to form a government without them, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Presidential Politics and Iran's Food Stamp Program Barely a week after Iran's parliament passed a food stamp plan, there's an effort to scuttle the scheme and use it to advantage in the upcoming presidential election. Iran
Erdogan’s Double Standards Shlomi Eldar offers a reminder of the Armenian genocide in asserting that accusations against Zionism by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan exhibit hatred and hypocrisy. Israel
Palestinian Reconciliation Not Close Despite recent meetings in Cairo between Fatah and Hamas aimed at reconciliation, in light of current conditions the two sides are still far from reaching a lasting agreement, writes Naela Khalil. Palestine
Israel Anticipates 'Somalization' Of Syria Israel’s quietest border in decades may become rife with terrorism were the Assad regime to fall, argues Ben Caspit. Israel
Shin Bet Ex-Deputy: Israel Shouldn't Humiliate Abu Mazen In an interview with Mazal Mualem, former Shin Bet Deputy Director Israel Hasson accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of treating the Palestinian Authority chairman disgracefully, while acknowledging that Abu Mazen also made mistakes. Palestine
