Why some IDF soldiers refuse to surrender their beards

Ultra-Orthodox Jews and secular hipsters are unlikely allies in battling a new IDF regulation that requires them to shave their beards.

Israel

Why some Palestinians believe that 'death is the solution, not the problem'

Seeing no political will to improve their circumstances, some young Palestinians appear to see killing Israelis as the only way to end the occupation and their misery.

Palestine

Why Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat should cooperate with Israel

The individual intifada is being fed by online social networks, which is why it is almost impossible to stop, unless the social network giants decide to help.

Palestine

IRGC commander: We are not pulling troops from Syria

Following the firing of two ballistic missiles, an Iranian commander said that US pressure would only bring about more tests and said Iran would continue sending troops to Syria.

Israel

Hit film's kiss gets Arab-Israeli teacher fired

Arab-Israeli teacher Ali Muasi was dismissed by the mayor of his city for screening the Oscar-nominated film "Omar" after Salafist groups denounced the film's "inappropriate" content.

Israel

Will Israel's finance minister be able to lower housing prices?

During his election campaign, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon promised to lower housing prices, but is now finding it hard to fulfill his promise and working to lower the expectations of his disappointed public.

Israel

Are Israel's Arabs losing hope for peace?

The Pew Research Center found in a survey conducted at the end of 2014 and in early 2015 that Israeli Arabs are much more religious than Jews, while most of those polled share the view that a two-state solution is slipping away.

Palestine

Why is Middle Eastern culture missing from Israeli schoolbooks?

Many doubt that a renewed effort to include more about Middle Eastern culture in the Israeli educational curriculum will meet with success given the poor results of earlier efforts.

Israel

Are Israeli Jews racist?

Two surveys published recently find a link between Jewish-Orthodox identity and discriminatory opinions against Israeli-Palestinians.

Palestine

Why Israel needs Putin more than it needs Erdogan

Reconciliation with Turkey is stalled, possibly due to Israeli-Russian security interests regarding Syria, Lebanon and Hezbollah, as well as Russian hostility to Israeli-Turkish rapprochement.

Israel

Israeli ties with Egypt may be thawing, but no 'love and warmth' just yet

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Zionist Camp Knesset member Ksenia Svetlova claims that while progress is being made, Egyptian society is still influenced by anti-Israeli discourse and not yet ready for normalization.

Egypt

Will expelling families of Palestinian attackers to Gaza stop terror?

A proposal to expel the families of Palestinians who attack Israelis to Gaza could motivate relatives remaining in the West Bank to commit revenge attacks.

Palestine