2020 US election

The Takeaway: Israel: Deja vu, all over again

Netanyahu barely holds on, for now, with prospect of a fifth election. Elsewhere: Hezbollah in Moscow; Egypt’s matriarchal village; Turkey’s tanking stock market; GCC digs out of COVID debt; scrolls found in Israel’s "cave of horror"; and more!

Andrew Parasiliti, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Joe Snell | Russia | Mar 24, 2021

Likud party supporters wave flags bearing the party's leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as they react at their party campaign headquarters in Jerusalem on March 23, 2021, after the end of voting in the fourth national election in two years.

Iran’s supreme leader authorized infowar campaign during US election

Hezbollah and Russia also spread disinformation to try to influence the 2020 presidential election, a newly released US intelligence report says.

Al-Monitor Staff | Russia | Mar 16, 2021

Netanyahu’s diplomatic blitz now victim of the coronavirus

The continuing coronavirus pandemic puts a damper on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s diplomatic achievements.

Mazal Mualem | Israel | Feb 2, 2021

Biden team picks Dana Stroul to lead Pentagon's Middle East desk

Stroul, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, will join a roster of Obama-era veterans when she returns to the Pentagon.

Jared Szuba | Syria | Jan 20, 2021

Biden ends Trump’s ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries

Immigration advocates hailed Biden's decision, but said undoing the effects of the travel ban won’t happen overnight.

Elizabeth Hagedorn | U.S. | Jan 20, 2021

United Arab Emirates signs deal to buy F-35s, drones just before Biden sworn in

President Joe Biden has suggested his administration might review or impose conditions on arms sales, but it is not yet clear he will oppose the deal.

Al-Monitor Staff | United Arab Emirates | Jan 20, 2021

Biden taps veteran diplomat William Burns for CIA director

Burns, a former ambassador to Jordan and Russia, would bring with him decades of experience in the foreign service.

Elizabeth Hagedorn | U.S. | Jan 11, 2021

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (L) and US Ambassador to China Gary Locke (C) listen while US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns speaks during an eco-partnership Event at the US Department of State July 11, 2013 in Washington, DC. Officials from the United States and China are meeting to discus the two world powers' relationships. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Middle East allies, adversaries condemn 'disgrace' at US Capitol

Leaders across the region responded with alarm to the violence that unfolded at the US Capitol.

Elizabeth Hagedorn | U.S. | Jan 7, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump break into the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building during demonstrations in the nation's capital. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Pro-Israel group criticizes Georgia Senate candidate for past sermon

Christians United for Israel slammed Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock over a 2018 sermon he gave on the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem, but others have defended the candidate for a US Senate seat.

Adam Lucente | Palestine | Dec 29, 2020

Egypt's Sisi readies for chillier reception in Washington

Experts say mixed signals on the part of President Sisi suggest nervousness about the incoming Biden administration.

Elizabeth Hagedorn | Egypt | Dec 11, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 09: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi listens during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House April 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. President El-Sisi is visiting Washington for bilateral talks with President Trump. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Takeaway: Israel would prefer Assad rely on Gulf, not Iran

Israeli scholar Micky Aharonson says Israel can live with Assad, if Assad can live without Iran; Amberin Zaman gets the scoop, again, on Turkey-Israel ties; should we forget about Israel-Saudi normalization for now?

Andrew Parasiliti | Israel | Dec 9, 2020

Emirati, Israeli officials upbeat about Biden Administration

The director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Alon Ushpiz, and the UAE’s assistant minister for culture and public diplomacy, Omar Ghobash, discussed the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, Iran, and combating bigotry in the region and more at an Al-Monitor event.

Al-Monitor Staff | United Arab Emirates | Dec 9, 2020

(L-R)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani pose before they participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, September 15, 2020. - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates arrived September 15, 2020 at the

Iran’s Rouhani suggests nuclear deal’s fate is in Biden’s hands

President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will resume full compliance with the nuclear deal as soon as his incoming American counterpart uses his signature to rejoin the same accord.

Al-Monitor Staff | U.S. | Dec 9, 2020

Biden: 'Hard to tell' how scientist’s killing would impact Iran negotiations

The recent assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh could complicate Biden's pledge to rejoin the nuclear agreement.

Al-Monitor Staff | U.S. | Dec 4, 2020

Israeli, Jordanian foreign ministers meet, with plenty of issues on their agenda

Israel's normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and Israel’s apparent rapprochement with Saudi Arabia worry Jordan, especially when it comes to its special custodian status in Jerusalem.

Rina Bassist | Israel | Dec 4, 2020

2020 US election

The Takeaway: Israel: Deja vu, all over again

Netanyahu barely holds on, for now, with prospect of a fifth election. Elsewhere: Hezbollah in Moscow; Egypt’s matriarchal village; Turkey’s tanking stock market; GCC digs out of COVID debt; scrolls found in Israel’s "cave of horror"; and more!

Iran’s supreme leader authorized infowar campaign during US election

Netanyahu’s diplomatic blitz now victim of the coronavirus

Biden team picks Dana Stroul to lead Pentagon's Middle East desk

Biden ends Trump’s ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries

United Arab Emirates signs deal to buy F-35s, drones just before Biden sworn in

Biden taps veteran diplomat William Burns for CIA director

Middle East allies, adversaries condemn 'disgrace' at US Capitol

Pro-Israel group criticizes Georgia Senate candidate for past sermon

Egypt's Sisi readies for chillier reception in Washington

The Takeaway: Israel would prefer Assad rely on Gulf, not Iran

Emirati, Israeli officials upbeat about Biden Administration

Iran’s Rouhani suggests nuclear deal’s fate is in Biden’s hands

Biden: 'Hard to tell' how scientist’s killing would impact Iran negotiations

Israeli, Jordanian foreign ministers meet, with plenty of issues on their agenda

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