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
Netanyahu's coalition stumbles over secular-religious standoff Avigdor Liberman has set his secular agenda as precondition for joining the coalition government. Israel
Netanyahu embraces anti-Semites to preserve far-right alliance As long as European anti-Semites serve his goal of blocking sanctions against Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to have no problem with them. Israel
King Abdullah vows to complete restoration of Church of Holy Sepulchre Jordan’s King Abdullah shocked many when he vowed May 7 to help complete the restoration of the Christians’ most important church in Jerusalem. Palestine
Qatari aid includes West Bank, Gaza Strip Qatar's announcement of $480 million in aid to both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has sparked fears over the Saudi response to such aid. Saudi Arabia
After finalizing IMF loan, Egypt’s reforms target industrialization, exports An IMF mission, currently in Cairo to review Egypt’s economic reform program under a $12 billion loan, is focusing on the country’s plan to launch structural reforms, targeting the industrial and export sectors. Egypt
Turkey denies it's building wall around Afrin Turkish-backed factions denied reports that Turkey is building a wall to separate Afrin from the northern Aleppo countryside, saying Ankara is actually boosting its security against potential Kurdish attacks. Syria
Eurovision welcomed to Israel with anti-occupation billboard The anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence prepared its own Eurovision billboard, showing tourists the other face of Israel, that of West Bank occupation. Palestine
Netanyahu dragging Israel into constitutional crisis The campaign of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pass immunity legislation could drag Israel’s political and judicial systems into a constitutional crisis. Israel
Voters mysteriously added, subtracted for Istanbul election rerun While Ankara lawyers express their disappointment that the government rescinded the results of the Istanbul mayoral election, voters are mysteriously added to and subtracted from the electoral roll for the June 23 do-over, even though the roll is supposed to remain the same as for the March 31 election. Turkey
Why global and regional powers aren't standing up against Hifter's Libya offensive If major international players could find a common interest in a stable Libya, they might see a simple way out of the seemingly endless wars of post-Gadhafi succession, yet they continue to back opposing factions in Libya. Saudi Arabia
Why Iranians doubt the seriousness of Trump's latest offer of talks US President Donald Trump's latest offer of talks with Iran has grabbed more attention than his previous overtures, but Iranian political elites agree that the offer is not sincere. United States
Students rally against hijab crackdown at Iran's largest university Iranian students at Tehran University held protests after what they claim was a new clampdown on dress codes. Iran
