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
Displaced Syrians in Lebanon 'Beyond Our Control' As the conflict in Syria intensifies, Elie Hajj speaks to an opposition activist in Beirut about the influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon. Lebanon
Who's Afraid Of Israeli-Russian Voters? Israeli politicians fail to understand the choice of many Russian immigrants to live simultaneously in both worlds, writes Lily Galili. Israel
Ahmad Tibi: No Apologies For Being a 'Palestinian Patriot' In an interview with Shlomi Eldar, Arab Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi realizes that he infuriates many Jewish Israelis, but he has no plans to apologize. Palestine
Five Million State Employees Drag Down Iraqi Economy Omar al-Shaher writes that five million state employees receive inflated salaries and do little or no work, costing the state $83 billion and creating a drag on the Iraqi economy. Iraq
Martyr's Day and the Palestinian Resistance Linah Alsaafin examines the state of the Palestinian resistance movement. Palestine
Will Shelly Yachimovich Win Back Israel's Left? Shelly Yachimovich, leader of the Labor Party, declared that she will not join a Likud-led government, in a last-minute attempt to win back her leftist electorate, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Maliki Calculates Early Elections Controversy plagues Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government as he tries to deepen his control of internal changes, writes Mushreq Abbas. Iraq
Rap Musicians Censored in Gaza As rap music grows in popularity, rap musicians face increasing censorship, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul. Palestine
Morsi and Egypt's Military Yezid Sayigh analyzes Egypt's civil military relations under President Mohammed Morsi. Egypt
Turkey-US Ties 'Closer Than Ever' Says Turkish Ambassador Tan Semih Idiz writes that Ankara is pleased with the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense and US-Turkish relations are stronger than ever, despite some friction over Turkish trade with Iran. Turkey
Lebanon Must Reform Electoral Law Nassif Hitti writes that the Lebanese elections will not matter unless there is fundamental reform, including of the electoral law. Lebanon
'Committees to Defend Revolution' Deny Using Violence in Tunisia Eileen Byrne reports from Tunis on allegations of the use of violence by grassroots organizations aligned with the government and Islamist parties. Tunisia
