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
Palestinians outraged at Jewish nation-state law Palestinians and Israelis expressed their anger at the Israeli Knesset for passing the Jewish nation-state law that strips the Arab citizens of Israel of their rights. Palestine
Palestinians decry Israeli visa restrictions on foreign academics Experts fear the quality of university education will go downhill as a result of Israel’s refusal to renew visas for many foreign professors teaching in universities in the West Bank. Palestine
Netanyahu flip-flops on surrogacy rights for gay men The LGBT community is furious with the Israeli prime minister for going back on his promise to support an amendment allowing single men and gay couples to use surrogates in Israel and has called for massive strikes in protest. Israel
Pompeo, Haley try to regroup after Helsinki In the wake of Helsinki summit, there are signs of a growing chasm between President Donald Trump and his Cabinet chiefs trying to implement US policies toward the Middle East. Syria
Could Hifter's about-face on control of Libya's oil lead to real progress? Khalifa Hifter’s decision to return control of the oil ports under his authority to the National Oil Corporation, three weeks after seizing them, could be seen as a goodwill gesture that will prompt genuine progress toward an agreement between the two sides. Libya
Kurds discouraged by hard-liners in Turkey's new Cabinet Turkey's new government looks too much like the old one to offer Kurds much hope for a peaceful political resolution. Turkey
Parliament puts price on Egyptian citizenship A controversial bill that would allow foreign nationals to purchase Egyptian citizenship has passed through parliament and awaits the president’s signature. Egypt
Turkey ends state of emergency, but introduces restrictive new rules President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government finally allowed a two-year state of emergency to expire on Thursday, but opposition parties and rights groups say the new measures introduced to replace it are no different. Turkey
Is Turkey’s state of emergency really over? A tough security bill drafted up by Turkey’s ruling party looms as a replacement for the two-year state of emergency that ended July 19. Turkey
Putin envoy tells Iran that cooperation in Syria will continue Iranian and Russian officials have insisted that despite pressure from outside countries, the two countries will continue to support the Syrian government. Israel
Egypt's activists fear social media law is anti-social Egypt's parliament passed a law allowing authorities to monitor social media to fight the spread of false news and rumors, but activists say the law is part of the government's attempt to crack down on freedom of speech. Egypt
Israeli legislators strip Arabic of official language status The Nationality Law, adopted this week, strips Arabic of its status as Israel’s second official language. Israel
