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
Muslim Brotherhood struggles to find political allies among opposition parties The Muslim Brotherhood is seeking political allies in time for parliamentary elections slated for November 2020. Egypt
Peshmerga unity depends on healing political divisions Corruption and tribalism are two of the obstacles blocking the unification of Kurdish peshmerga forces. Iraq
Israel restricts human rights work in its territories Israel expelled Human Rights Watch Director Omar Shakir from its territories, accusing him of supporting the boycott of Israel, which opened a debate about Israel’s restrictions against rights workers. Palestine
How Iran's hard-liners tried to ride wave of protests Iran's hard-liners say they had nothing to do with the fuel price hike that has prompted Iranian protests. Iran
Turkey flirts with buying even more Russian missile systems Turkey seems to be offering a compromise to the United States to avoid sanctions for Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 fighter jets — even as Turkey is in talks to buy more. Turkey
Egypt's Mada Masr determined to press on despite raid Lina Attalah, editor in chief of the news website Mada Masr, spoke to Al-Monitor about a harrowing police raid of the site's office and how she and the staff are determined to continue their work. Egypt
Turkey bets on NATO as escape route in S-400 crisis In a move to buy time, Erdogan is taking the S-400 crisis to NATO grounds, as Ankara’s testing of the Russian-made system the week before a NATO summit shows Ankara still has maneuvering room. Syria
Acrimony erupts ahead of NATO summit as Turkey stalls defense plans Turkey is impeding a military plan to defend Poland and the Baltics to force the alliance to support its military operation in Syria. The spat underscores political divisions that are shaking NATO ahead of its anniversary summit this week. Turkey
Will Egypt heed US threat of sanctions for Russian jet deal? A $2 billion arms deal between Russia and Egypt has caused the United States to warn Egypt against acquiring Russia’s Su-35 fighter jets, raising questions about whether Egypt will carry on with the deal. Egypt
Palestinians condemn Israeli closures of institutions in Jerusalem Israeli authorities are cracking down on Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians argue is aimed at obliterating the Palestinian character of the holy city amid calls to the international community to protect Palestinians and their institutions. Palestine
Despite stepped-up military actions, Turkey still faces jihadi threats Ankara’s past haphazard policies complicate crackdown on IS; Iran hard-liners gain from protests; Syrian Kurds may not give up sales of Syrian oil to Damascus. Iraq
Opinion polls paint a gloomy turnout in upcoming Palestinian general elections All eyes are on the latest polls in the Palestinian territories as more factions agree to hold the parliamentary and presidential elections in February. Palestine