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
Why does Iraq want to bring back dismissed security forces? The Iraqi parliament wants to implement a decision to repatriate Iraqi soldiers who abandoned their posts during the rise of the Islamic State in 2014, but some are worried about the motives behind the decision. Iraq
How Hamas is looking to boost foreign ties In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Hamas' foreign relations chief Osama Hamdan revealed that the movement's leadership met a delegation of European diplomats and expressed optimism toward Hamas' future standing in Europe. Palestine
Kerry defends US vote on Israeli settlements US Secretary of State John Kerry, in an impassioned speech Dec. 28, defended the US decision to abstain on a UN Security Council resolution criticizing Israeli settlements. Palestine
Turkey cuts Syria deal with Russia, confronts Western allies As Turkey and Russia reach agreement on a comprehensive cease-fire in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accusing his Western partners in the anti-IS coalition of tacitly supporting the fanatical group. Syria
Why is Turkey so focused on Syria's al-Bab? From a military point of view, al-Bab is a strategically unimportant town in the Syrian conflict, but that hasn't stopped Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from obsessing over the town's liberation from the Islamic State. Syria
Obama's 'total surprise' for Netanyahu Israeli sources revealed to Al-Monitor some of the alleged evidence showing the United States was deeply involved in advancing UN Security Council Resolution 2334 condemning settlements. Palestine
Why rift between Iran’s moderates, hard-liners is really about republicanism The continuing public feud between Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ayatollah Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah Yazdi suggests that the revolutionary clash between moderates and hard-liners over the nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran is far from over. Iran
What is Rouhani seeking to achieve with his Citizens’ Rights Charter? Barely out from the printing press, the Iranian president’s long-promised Citizens’ Rights Charter is coming under fire, and not just for coming five months before his bid for re-election. Iran
Egypt considers blocking doctors from working abroad In the midst of a domestic shortage of doctors and nurses, an Egyptian parliament member has proposed a bill requiring health workers to spend 10 years working in Egypt's public hospitals before they would be permitted to travel abroad. Egypt
Are Cairo, Riyadh in a messy ‘political divorce’? Egypt was not pleased when a Saudi royal delegation traveled to the controversial Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia to discuss potential energy projects with officials there. Saudi Arabia
Will Iran, Hamas break ties over Aleppo? Relations between Hamas and Iran have been especially tense since the group publicly condemned the violent battle for Aleppo. Palestine
UN anti-settlement resolution wake-up call for Israelis With UN Security Council Resolution 2334, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only faces criticism from the center-left, but also calls from the right to annex West Bank lands. Israel
