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
Iranian MPs, activists lobby to force government to hire young managers An initiative to compel the Iranian government to start hiring younger staff for managerial positions appears to be gaining steam. Iran
Will Israel get its first ultra-Orthodox woman lawmaker? Israeli ultra-Orthodox women are fed up with the exclusion from national politics, and are challenging the religious parties that prevent women from joining. Israel
US hopes new sanctions fuel Iran protests The US administration said it hoped that renewed economic sanctions on Iran going into effect Tuesday will spur Iranian protests and pressure the regime to accept Donald Trump’s offer for talks. United States
Turkey remains defiant in row with US over pastor as deal falls through A possible deal to end the US-Turkish row over an American pastor detained in Izmir appears to have failed after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heaped additional demands on an agreement. Turkey
Syria's Kurds cautiously progress in talks with Damascus According to the former head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, Salih Muslim, a recent Kurdish delegation to Damascus didn’t go into the talks with red lines, but rather focused on building confidence. Syria
How regional politics is restraining Kurdish militancy in Iran While some Iranian Kurdish armed opposition groups are intent on raising the heat on Iran amid ongoing US pressure, other groups are careful not to enter a conflict that may spiral out of control. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Turkey’s economy struggles with new political reality Turkey’s economic downturn has only grown worse since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assumed sweeping new powers after the June polls, as some observers fear that the economy might not be Ankara’s primary concern. Turkey
Zarif says US primary goal is to ‘create chaos’ in Iran Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif believes Iran can weather the storm of US sanctions. United States
Is Israel's Mossad expanding scope of secret assassinations? The killing of a Syrian missile-engineer, widely attributed to the Mossad, is likely meant to serve as a message that the lives of those developing weapons against Israel are in danger. Israel
As ringmaster, Russia runs Israel-Iran balancing act in Syria A deal brokered by Russia has something for everyone involved — Syria, Israel, Iran and, of course, Russia itself — and has defused at least temporarily what could have become a deadly showdown between Israel and Iran. Israel
Israel-Hamas cease-fire deal has wide-ranging implications By holding indirect talks with Hamas about a long-term cease-fire, Israel is indicating that it views and accepts the Islamist movement as the political sovereign of Gaza, a shift that could have significant repercussions. Palestine
Is Palestine prepared for a major earthquake? A string of minor earthquakes has drawn attention to the fact that in the event of a strong seismic activity in the West Bank, Palestinian lives are at risk and the infrastructure could be severely damaged. Palestine
