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
Will Gaza's electricity crisis escalate Hamas-Israel tension? Gaza residents are furious at Hamas for pouring funds into the tunnel enterprise while they are left without electricity, and Israel is wary of attacks as distraction from their mass demonstrations. Palestine
Tunisia’s top diplomat exhorts Trump not to abandon Palestinian statehood In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui urged the president-elect not to give up on Middle East peace. Palestine
Rouhani: Nuclear deal renegotiation 'meaningless' Following the death of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iranian hard-liners found a new target to attack: Ali Akbar Nategh-Nuri. Meanwhile, President Rouhani dismisses a renegotiation of the nuclear deal, a point brought up by figures close to President-elect Trump, as “meaningless.” United States
Erdogan calls dollar and euro holders 'terrorists' Turkey’s president has likened dollar and euro holders to terrorists armed with guns and bombs, deepening further the controversy on how the country will overcome its foreign-exchange crunch. Turkey
Will Arab Knesset member be impeached? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to transform the issue of impeaching Arab Knesset member Basel Ghattas into a question of patriotism, thus forcing opposition members to support such a move. Israel
How Netanyahu eroded public trust in free press Revelations of links between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and different media tycoons have eroded Israeli citizens’ trust in democracy and free press. Israel
How a landfill poses danger to Beirut flights Although the Costa Brava landfill, which is in close proximity to Lebanon’s only airport in Beirut, was closed, seagulls attracted to the waste pose a major threat to planes, while the government has yet to find a final solution to the two-year trash crisis. Lebanon
New Lebanese president makes Gulf priority With a visit to Saudi Arabia on Jan. 10, new Lebanese President Michel Aoun has signaled that warmer relations with the Gulf is at the top of his priority list. Legacy: Gulf
Iraq seeks to combine Sunni, Shiite troops As part of the national reconciliation, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered that the Sunni Ninevah Guard be included in the Popular Mobilization Units. Iraq
How will Tunisia deal with thousands of returning jihadis? Tunisian officials are caught between their international obligation to process and prosecute returning militants and the public's desire to see them banished. Tunisia
Word of Qatar's new office in Gaza rattles Palestine Palestinians were shaken up by the quickly retracted news that Qatar was to open an embassy in Gaza, a move that would greatly complicate the political division between Hamas and Fatah. Qatar
Does Abbas really want to hold local council elections? The Palestinian government approved a decree law to establish courts to examine local council elections to overcome the controversy that caused the postponement of local elections in October 2016, but Hamas has voiced its objection to the move. Palestine
