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 some ultra-Orthodox are up in arms over state funding for their schools Parents from the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox stream are angry at one of their schools for secretly receiving funding from the Israeli Ministry of Education. Israel
How much leverage do Salafists have in Egypt's parliament? Rumors emerge about the Nour Party’s intentions now that it is being criticized for failing to represent its Salafi constituency. Egypt
Why Turkey is boosting its budget for dubious 'village guards' The paramilitary force that Turkey formed to fight the Kurdistan Workers Party has been controversial since the 1980s, so why is the government expanding it now? Turkey
Controlling Libya’s wealth: Hifter’s long game As Libya's oil exports, and funding for oil operations, look set to rise, the struggle for political control is shifting to Libya’s financial institutions. Libya
Why is Turkey reviving an Ottoman sultan? A great Ottoman sultan-caliph is being re-popularized in today’s Turkey with a clear political intention: legitimizing authoritarian rule. Turkey
Iran reacts to death of Israel’s founding father As news of the death of Israeli founding father and prominent politician Shimon Peres broke, Iranian media outlets wasted no time in commenting on his legacy, and their various obituaries tell the story of a long and complex relationship between the two countries. Israel
FIFA under pressure to sanction Israel for settlement games A powerful report by Human Rights Watch on the eve of a FIFA meeting forces the global soccer association to act against Israeli settlement teams. Palestine
Is Netanyahu ready to join forces with opposition leader? According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a year and a half of negotiating with Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog the possibility of a unity government, the time might have come for this to happen. Israel
Iraqi ministers fall like dominoes as Maliki's bloc targets Abadi A parliamentary bloc led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is behind the recent dismissal of several ministers as part of a plan to bring down the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and pave the way for Nouri al-Maliki's nomination in the coming election. Iraq
How Khamenei played his ace to sideline Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to be on the verge of disobeying Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei until the ayatollah went public with his disapproval. Iran
US threatens to halt talks with Russia on Syria Washington has threatened to suspend US-Russian engagement on Syria if Moscow does not take immediate steps to halt a Russian-backed Syrian regime assault on rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Syria
Congress sends Riyadh 'signal' with vote to allow terror lawsuits Congress defeated President Barack Obama's effort to shield the US ally from terrorism-related lawsuits. Saudi Arabia
