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
El Al caves to ultra-Orthodox threats, retracts blame for flight fiasco Following an outrageous incident in which a flight was forced to land in Greece to avoid the Sabbath, Israel's national carrier El Al has backed down from identifying ultra-Orthodox passengers as the cause of the commotion for fear of a boycott. Israel
Trump administration launches last-ditch effort to halt anti-Saudi bills The Donald Trump administration is briefing the Senate on Riyadh’s murder of Jamal Khashoggi in a last-ditch bid to kill a resolution intended to end US support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Turkey's ruling party cuts deal with nationalist MHP on mayoral races Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party has agreed to coordinate with its nationalist rival in the upcoming municipal elections as a damning survey showed Turkey's best districts are run by the opposition. Turkey
Iran hard-line MPs gird to impeach Zarif Iran's most hard-line parliamentarians are putting a new spoke in President Hassan Rouhani's wheel by pushing for the impeachment of four Cabinet ministers. Iran
Iran, Russia move to expand security collaboration Tehran sees its prospective security accord with Moscow as a stepping stone for wider bilateral cooperation. Russia
What’s behind the Chadian president's visit to Israel? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced he will soon fly to Chad to re-establish diplomatic ties, but, before doing that, Netanyahu must consider which image of Israel he wants to advance in Africa. Israel
Corruption charges delay completion of Iraqi Cabinet The political alliance that allowed Iraq to move forward in building a new government could be on the brink of collapse. Iraq
Egypt grapples with economic decisions amid high inflation rates The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Egypt decided to hold key interest rates for the fifth consecutive quarter, which raised questions about the government's ability to lower the high inflation rate. Egypt
Cease-fire agreement sends tremors through Israeli Knesset While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cease-fire agreement with Gaza led Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to submit his resignation, it also led the opposition to call for early elections. Palestine
Will Netanyahu’s coalition collapse? Facing the danger of a negative vote, the narrow coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to withdraw two bills that were set to be approved this week. Israel
Syria has high hopes for ties with Crimea — maybe too high? Damascus expects to take part in Crimea’s Yalta International Economic Forum next year, aiming to boost trade and economic relations. Syria
