Turkey breaks off NATO talks with Sweden, the showdown between Lebanon’s chief prosecutor and the judge trying to charge him, and one of the West Bank’s deadliest days in years. Here’s this week’s round-up, written by Abubakr Al-Shamahi, Al Jazeera Digital’s Middle East and North Africa editor.
Since May of last year, Sweden has been trying, and so far failing, to convince Turkey to back its bid for NATO membership. But it feels like every time there’s one step forward, there are two misplaced steps back. Turkey was already angry over recent protests held in Sweden that included flying the flag of the PKK, a Kurdish group that has fought the Turkish state since 1984 – not to mention the hanging of Erdogan in effigy.
