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
Israel’s Black Flag protest gathers momentum Around 2,000 people gathered at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on April 26 in a Black Flag demonstration against the unity deal between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, and in defense of the country’s democracy. Israel
Intel: Egypt’s medical aid to US fails to stem outrage over American prisoners Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry by phone on Thursday to discuss “continued collaboration on key regional issues and bilateral COVID-19 assistance." Egypt
Istanbul’s coronavirus outbreak is ‘under control,’ claims health minister Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca compared Turkey's largest city to Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in China. Turkey
Women, children face increased risk of abuse during Mideast lockdowns No COVID-19 furlough for imprisoned Iranian women’s rights activists; Interreligious, LGBT couples struggle to connect; Yemen’s cease-fire gets a second chance. Saudi Arabia
Intel: Biden vows to back Armenian genocide resolution as president Former Vice President Joe Biden marked Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day on Friday with a pledge to back a resolution recognizing the Ottoman Empire’s massacre of more than 1 million mostly Christian Armenians as a genocide. Turkey
Justice for genocide: Yazidis hopeful as Islamic State trial opens in Germany An Iraqi man is on trial in a German court for human trafficking and genocide against the Yazidis. Iraq
Egypt, Algeria relax coronavirus restrictions for Ramadan Egypt and Algeria are allowing greater civilian movement for the Islamic holy month, as are the United Arab Emirates and Iraq. Egypt
Netanyahu looks to boost image with COVID-19 talks with world leaders Advancing the WHO videoconference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participated in another videoconference with six other world leaders on fighting the coronavirus. Israel
COVID-19 crisis stokes fear of food insecurity in Turkey The novel coronavirus is threatening to inflate food prices in Turkey, whose agricultural sector was already in dire straits and overly reliant on imports before the pandemic. Turkey
Four new coronavirus cases in refugee camp in Lebanon The four infected individuals are relatives of the first refugee woman who tested positive for the coronavirus in a Palestinian refugee camp this week. Lebanon
Saudi-led coalition in Yemen extends unilateral truce by one month The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen has announced it's extending a cease-fire another month to allow for UN-brokered negotiations as well as efforts to control the novel coronavirus outbreak. Yemen
Concerns over coronavirus in prisons push Israel-Hamas deal forward With Hamas concerned about a coronavirus outbreak in Gaza and Israel concerned about overcrowding in its prisons, the pandemic offers a unique opportunity to reach a prisoner exchange deal. Palestine