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
PA Employees in Gaza Key to Reconciliation The return of the Palestinian Authority to work in Gaza may be a tentative step in reconciliation efforts between Hamas and the PA, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Iraq Tackles Health Care Reform Iraq is considering a new health-care initiative in the face of criticism that only half of the current budget is received by the Ministry of Health, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Battle Over Iraq War Lives in Syria Debates about whether the US should commit troops to aid opposition forces fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has roots in debates over US policy toward both Iraq and Vietnam, writes Geoffrey Aronson. Iraq
Questions Obama Didn't Answer The questions that US President Barack Obama chose not to answer in a recent interview with Milliyet offer clues about potential troubles ahead in US-Turkish relations, writes Cengiz Candar. Turkey
Islamic Jihad: Yes to PLO, No to PA Islamic Jihad has expressed its willingness to join a renewed PLO, but has insisted it will not participate in elections or Palestinian governments, writes Daoud Kuttab. Palestine
Week in Review: US Resets Diplomacy in Middle East Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of a newly assertive US diplomacy toward the peace process, Iran and Syria. Syria
Tzipi Livni Flirts With Role In Netanyahu’s New Government Hatenua leader Tzipi Livni is hinting that she is moving closer to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, despite her vicious attacks on him in the campaign, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Danny Ayalon Pivots On a Palestinian State Shlomi Eldar wonders why former Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon suddenly supports a Palestinian state. Palestine
New Book Says Israeli Census 'Denationalizes' Palestinians Dalia Hatuqa reviews a new book, Unfree in Palestine, which discusses how Israel deploys the census to disenfranchise Palestinians. Palestine
Israeli Poet Longs for Iraq He Never Knew Ronny Someck, an Israeli poet born in Baghdad, responds in an interview with Jacky Hugi to the call by Sheikh Moqtada al-Sadr for Iraqi Jews to return home. Iraq
Deputy Speaker Makari: 'We Do Not See Stability in Lebanon' Speaking to Al-Monitor's Elie Hajj, Lebanon's Deputy Speaker Farid Makari explains why he believes the European Union will likely implicate Hezbollah's military wing in the murders in Bulgaria, but not classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Lebanon
Visit of Lebanese Patriarch to Syria Sparks Controversy Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai recently visited Syria, in a move that sparked controversy among Lebanon's already divided political circles, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
