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 sidelines far-right ideology of assassinated minister Speaking at the memorial day for assassinated politician Rehavam Zeevi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose to ignore Zeevi’s racist ideology and accusations of sexual misconduct. Palestine
Hamas backtracks on charter changes Bellicose statements by some Hamas leaders appear to suggest the organizations' new leadership is tossing aside recent changes to its charter. Palestine
Can Meretz Party change Israeli left? With Labor head Avi Gabbay veering to the right, Meretz faces both handicaps and opportunities leading the center-left political bloc. Israel
US welcomes Kurdish backpedaling The United States sees a way out of the political crisis between Baghdad and Erbil as the Kurdistan Regional Government offers to suspend the results of its independence referendum and open dialogue. Iraq
Pentagon says Iraqi flight ban won’t impact US military assistance to Kurds US arms are getting through to the peshmerga, but crucial aid contractors are getting held up. Iraq
Abadi, Erdogan meet to form Kurdistan game plan Iraq's prime minister met with Turkey's president in Ankara today to solidify joint support for Baghdad as it battles to keep the Kurdistan region under Iraqi control. Iraq
Amid crisis with Erbil, Baghdad launches Kurdish TV programming Baghdad launches a Kurdish TV segment in an attempt to have direct contact with Kurdistan Region residents. Iraq
Trump undermines Iranian debate on economic role of IRGC Rather than isolating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Trump administration’s targeting of the organization in effect stymies ongoing attempts to curtail its role within the Iranian economy. Iran
Iranian leader refuses any negotiation over ballistic missiles Iran’s supreme leader reacted to US officials’ recent talk about limits on Tehran’s ballistic missile program, saying the Islamic Republic’s missile power is non-negotiable. Iran
Why Israel's ultra-Orthodox mainstream worries about its image Leaders of the mainstream ultra-Orthodox community object to anti-draft demonstrations championed by an extreme ultra-Orthodox minority. Israel
Are Netanyahu, Liberman pushing Israel to war? Instead of Israel’s traditional discrete approach on retaliating fire from the north, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman are multiplying their provocative declarations. Israel
Sudan's crop opportunities could be Egypt's boon or bust Sudan wants to expand agricultural production, which could benefit it as well as Egypt, but Cairo worries that such a development might threaten its supply of the Nile's water. Egypt
