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
Woman heads Palestinian Health Ministry for the first time Only three women have been appointed to ministerial positions in the new Palestinian government, out of 18 ministries in total, raising the ire of activists. Palestine
Different faiths, shared sites explored in Istanbul An exhibition in Istanbul sheds light on religious sites and pilgrimages sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike, a phenomenon that is not widely known but is quite common in the Mediterranean region. Israel
What Russia makes of Hifter's offensive on Tripoli Russia has positioned itself as an impartial middleman in the Libyan crisis, but there's a fine blueprint that defines this position. United Arab Emirates
Kushner rejects calls to delay release of Mideast peace plan Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, said Thursday the Trump administration would issue its Middle East peace plan, though several regional experts have argued that the plan's release would cause more harm. Palestine
Is Israel reconciled to Assad's staying power? Turkish defense minister says the United States has "moved closer to our position" on Syria safe zone. Syria
Turkey claims progress on Syria safe zone Despite claims from Ankara that Turkey and the United States are making headway on a safe zone in northern Syria, sources familiar with the talks say no tangible progress had been achieved and that Ankara's positive spin is likely inspired by empty US promises. Syria
Losses of Turkey’s construction sector foisted on taxpayers Turkey has created a special fund to salvage debt-ridden construction companies, many of them government cronies, while relieving banks from bad loans, but the rescue operation is bound to put further burden on public finances and thus taxpayers. Turkey
How Iran's hard-liners aim to sideline traditionalist clerics Iranian hard-liners are establishing parallel entities to train clerics in order to marginalize traditionalist clerics at the Qom seminary. Iran
Abbas needs to dismantle the PA Instead of playing into Benjamin Netanyahu's policy of treating the Oslo Accords like a final agreement, the Palestinian leadership should dismantle the Palestinian Authority and hand the keys back to Israel. Palestine
Yemen's cholera survivors get oral vaccines in Sanaa The World Health Organization and Yemeni health officials are offering an oral cholera vaccine in Yemen, but some Yemenis are suspicious of the vaccine. Yemen
Palestinian rift endangers opposition to US peace plan Backers of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas say the ongoing Palestinian division will only weaken efforts to defy the US peace plan, which is expected to be announced soon. Palestine
How long can PA keep borrowing money from Palestinian banks? The Palestinian government announced its decision to pay 60% of the salaries of public employees, which could be achieved under a plan to borrow money from local banks to confront the financial crisis caused by Israel's deduction from clearing funds for the PA. Palestine
