Politics & Security - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

West Bank settlements

Breaking | Last Updated: September 8, 2026, 9:09 am

12 countries including France, UK, Canada end trade with West Bank settlements

The decision comes against the backdrop of an escalation in settler violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 4, 2025.

Katz warns PA against 'Oct. 7-style' attack as West Bank violence rises

After a West Bank stabbing of an Israeli settler, Defense Minister Israel Katz warns the Palestinian Authority against launching an “Oct. 7-style” assault.

Forces loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed government ride in a pick-up truck in the Hays district, south of Hodeidah, Yemen, Sept. 5, 2026.

Yemen army ups strikes on Houthis, retakes Red Sea coast positions

The Iranian-backed Houthis launched an offensive to take areas bordering the Red Sea, prompting heavy clashes and exchanges of fire with Saudi-backed government forces.

An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, Sept. 7, 2026.

Lebanon says at least 12 killed in Israeli strikes as tensions rise in south

The escalation in southern Lebanon casts a shadow over upcoming Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome.

Latest News

Analysis

LORA missile test reveals limits of Germany’s Gaza criticism of Israel

A woman walks past a model of a Lora missile, Israel's long range artillery missile at the Israel defence stall at the international DefExpo 2008 defence fair, in New Delhi on February 16, 2008. India kicked off South Asia's largest defence fair, with hundreds of global weapons firms offering their latest hardware to the country's technology-hungry military. About 450 weapons companies from 30 countries are present at the four-day "DefExpo" in New Delhi, with several big-ticket announcements expected. AFP P

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

TAI Hurjet

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

How Jewish politician joining Arab party could reshape Israeli politics

Raam

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

Playing for time: Despite US pressure, Israel stalls Lebanon talks until after election

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Smoke rises from an explosion in Khan Yunis, Gaza, Dec. 2, 2023.

Day 57 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Saturday, Dec. 2

A mobile phone showing Sedat Peker speaking on his YouTube channel about international drug smuggling, May 26, 2021 in Istanbul.

As mobsters gravitate to Turkey, what is the appeal of the Turkish passport?

International criminals have increasingly moved toward Turkey, attracted by easy citizenship prospects and lax measures against money laundering.

People pass a pro-Palestinian mural on the Republican Falls Road in Belfast on October 23, 2023. Northern Ireland may be thousands of miles from the Middle East but signs of the current heightened conflict can be seen on the streets of the British province. Palestinian and Israeli flags flutter in pro-Irish and pro-UK neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland, tapping into its own history of conflict and division that still affects everyday life despite a 1998 peace deal that largely ended violence. (Photo by Paul

Analysis

Israel-Ireland relations take another dive over Gaza war, PM statements

Israel's Foreign Ministry has summoned Ireland's ambassador over Prime Minister Leo Varadkar saying that nine-year-old hostage Emily Hand was "lost and found" when she was freed from Hamas captivity.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the Defense Department's budget request on Capitol Hill on June 17, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Interview

US senator calls for holding Israel accountable if it doesn’t limit civilian casualties

In an interview with Al-Monitor, US Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Democrat from Maryland, says Biden should go over Netanyahu’s head, speak directly to Israeli people about post-conflict vision.

Chris Van Hollen

Chris Van Hollen

US Senator from Maryland

Smoke plumes billow during Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on October 12, 2023 as raging battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continue for the sixth consecutive day. Washington urged Israel to show restraint in its response to Hamas's surprise attack -- the worst in the country's 75-year history -- which Israeli forces said killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians. In Gaza, officials have reported more than 1,200 people killed in Israel's uninterrupted campaign of air and artillery strikes,

As Gaza war resumes, can Israel's plan to limit civilian harm succeed?

Under pressure from Washington, Israeli military officials say they are implementing options to limit further harm to civilians as they expand the military campaign to southern Gaza.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard boats attack a naval vessel during a three-day military drill in the Gulf on April 22, 2010.

What is scope of Iran-Oman joint military drill near Hormuz?

The drill was held only days after the Pentagon dispatched one of its largest aircraft carriers to the strategic waters, causing unease in Tehran amid risks of potential confrontations stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Türkiye and His Highness Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi during the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 at Expo City Dubai on Dec. 1, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Gaza overshadows COP28 as Turkey’s Erdogan blasts ’Israeli aggression'

The leaders of Iraq, Jordan and Turkey acknowledged the plight of the Palestinians, which took the attention off the country's climate targets.

United Arab Emirates

TOPSHOT - A man walks past a section of Israel's separation barrier painted with a portrait of Palestinian Ahed Tamimi, on November 6, 2023 in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army said on November 6 it had arrested the prominent 22-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi during a raid in the occupied West Bank. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP) (Photo by HAZEM BADER/AFP via Getty Images)

Who are the main Palestinian prisoners released by Israel during Gaza truce?

A total of 71 women and 169 children were released from Israeli jails under a Hamas-Israel swap agreement that collapsed on Friday.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog meets with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the COP28 UN climate conference in Dubai, Dec. 1, 2023.

In first, Israeli-Qatari handshake at COP28 as Herzog cancels speech

A climate summit photo of Herzog and the Qatari leader marks the first time the emir has publicly shaken hands with an Israeli official, as their countries don’t have official diplomatic relations.

This picture taken from southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip shows an Israeli tank crossing into the Palestinian enclave on December 1, 2023. A temporary truce between Israel and Hamas expired on December 1, with the Israeli army saying combat operations had resumed, accusing Hamas of violating the operational pause. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP) (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

As Gaza truce collapses, what red lines did US draw to Israel on next steps?

The Israeli government and the Biden administration at odds over tactics for renewed fighting and Gaza's future

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

Day 56 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Friday, Dec. 1

Blinken Israel

Israel needs 'clear plan' to protect Gaza civilians, Blinken says

The top US diplomat said Israel must take steps to protect civilians in southern Gaza once the fighting resumes, including creating safe zones.