Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Palestinian Hamas militants secure the area as Egyptian workers, accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern of Gaza Strip on Dec. 1, 2025.

Analysis

Trump's Board of Peace faces first test: Disarming Hamas

President Donald Trump’s plan for a Gaza Strip lined with beachfront resorts and glitzy high-rises hinges on Hamas' disarmament.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Ramil Sitdikov / AFP via Getty Images

Putin offers $1B in frozen assets for Gaza Board of Peace — will US unfreeze them?

It remains unclear how such an arrangement could be implemented, since any contribution from frozen assets would require formal unblocking by the US government.

YOAN VALAT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East leaders join Trump’s Board of Peace despite mandate concerns

Foreign officials are scrambling to understand the board’s expansive mandate ahead of a signing ceremony Thursday.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas (R) arrive for their talks in Moscow on May 10, 2025.

Russia to host PA’s Abbas as Putin mulls joining Trump's Gaza Board of Peace

President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit will coincide with the signing ceremony of the Trump administration's Board of Peace charter on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.

Latest News

Turkey, Israel, Pakistan to join Trump's Board of Peace as Italy hedges: What to know

US President Donald Trump greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war on Oct. 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Analysis

Turkey casts Israel’s Somaliland move as overreach, but Somalia’s fragility poses risks

Somalis celebrate the victory of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after he won the presidential run-off election during the celebration organized by the government in Mogadishu, on May 29, 2023.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Somalia’s president heads to Turkey as Israel’s Somaliland recognition rattles region

This aerial view shows residents waving Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognizing Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on Dec. 26, 2025.

Analysis

In 2025, Netanyahu saved his coalition but stalled on Gaza, Iran, Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump (not seen) in the State Dining Room at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Can Israel contain violence after Trump's proclamation?

After President Donald Trump's announcement that he recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had no choice but to ensure that Fatah's reconciliation with Hamas succeeds.

Jerusalem recognition serves mainly Trump, Netanyahu

The Trump administration claims that recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is just the beginning of a larger strategy for peace, but the US president's complex diplomatic plan may be more of a mirage.

Iran hard-liners welcome Trump decision on Jerusalem

Some Iranian media outlets believe that Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital will make forming resistance groups easier.

Washington’s attempt to impose Mideast peace will backfire

US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and other recent measures suggest that he thinks he can bludgeon Palestinians into accepting an unjust peace deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem December 3, 2017. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool - RC17FDF7EE50

Netanyahu left without any cards to play

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated several times the principle of reciprocity in talks with Palestinians, yet he himself is willing to offer them nothing.

The Dome of the Rock is seen in the background as Palestinians wait for Friday prayers to begin on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City October 23, 2015. Palestinian factions called for mass rallies against Israel in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in a "day of rage" on Friday, as world and regional powers pressed on with talks to try to end more than three weeks of bloodshed. Israeli authorities also lifted restrictions on Friday tha

Iran reacts to Trump's 'very dangerous' Jerusalem decision

In reaction to Trump’s move to declare recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Iranian leaders warned that they won’t tolerate aggression against holy sites.

Can Hamas agree to prisoner swap with Israel?

Egypt pushes Hamas to send Israel some signs, signaling that it is ready for a prisoner-exchange deal.

Fireworks explode during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem December 3, 2016. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma - RC1514D50930

Palestinians cancel Capitol Hill Christmas over Trump remarks

The Palestinian mission in Washington abandoned attempts to court the White House and Congress with the mission's first-ever Christmas party on Capitol Hill after it was announced that President Donald Trump would make a major statement on the status of Jerusalem on Wednesday.

A man uses his smartphone to follow the presidential election results, at the Grand Bazaar in central Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC1FE18841B0

Israeli tech puts Iranian ride-hailing startups in bind

Drivers for Iranian ride-hailing companies have been using an Israeli navigation app, causing conflict between the relatively new businesses and judicial authorities.

Could settlers stay in a future Palestinian state?

The violence by settlers against Palestinian farmers indicates why settlers cannot stay and live inside a future Palestinian state.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner delivers remarks on the Trump administration's approach to the Middle East region at the Saban Forum in Washington, U.S., December 3, 2017. REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1512772FC0

Russia investigation casts shadow over Kushner's Mideast peace push

In a rare public appearance, the president's senior adviser Jared Kushner discussed the Trump administration's "ultimate deal" for Palestinian and Israeli peace.

A general view shows the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem's Old City December 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC15CD372B30

Will Trump recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital?

The Palestinians rushed to send Intelligence Chief Majid Faraj to Washington for fear that President Trump would declare Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital city.