Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel's Oct. 7 accountability debate Houthis strike Yemen airport, claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia; How language barriers are bringing Syria’s Kurds and Arabs closer; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Why Netanyahu still resists an independent probe 3 years after Oct. 7 Alongside official memorial ceremonies taking place across Israel on Monday, civil society groups are holding protests calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to take responsibility for the Oct. 7 attacks. Israel
West Bank olive harvest begins amid settler attacks on Palestinians, groves Between 80,000 and 100,000 Palestinian families in the West Bank rely on the olive harvest for primary or secondary sources of income, according to the United Nations. Palestine
Analysis Three years after Oct. 7, Hamas’ grip on Gaza tests Netanyahu’s ‘total victory’ Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that Hamas remains active, with the group estimated to have about 30,000 armed fighters, roughly the same as its estimated strength before the attack. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis How Netanyahu is capitalizing on MBZ meeting, FlyDubai attack to gain in election polls By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Analysis How FlyDubai attack exposes gaps in Israel-UAE security ties By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Exclusive Rights, faith groups urge Congress to block $2.8B bomb sale to Israel By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Israeli officials: United States chose Qatar over us The Israeli leadership estimates that the cease-fire initiative of US Secretary of State John Kerry responds well to the interests of Qatar, Turkey, Hamas and its own interests with Qatar — but hardly addresses Israel's security needs. Qatar
Turkey, Qatar seek foothold in Gaza talks Turkey and Qatar, having alienated regional powers with their support of Hamas, are finding it hard to gain influence in Gaza cease-fire negotiations. Qatar
Why Islamic State has no sympathy for Hamas The Islamic State does not regard fighting Israel as legitimate and calls instead for first "purifying" the Islamic world, including challenging Hamas. Palestine
To destroy Hamas, Israel should support opposition in Gaza Some in Gaza would like to initiate a popular revolt, as happened in neighboring Egypt, but they can't make it happen without outside support. Palestine
Iranians, irked by Netanyahu comment, tweet photos of their jeans Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offended many young Iranians by falsely saying in an interview that the citizens of the Islamic Republic were not free to wear jeans or listen to western music. Israel
Indyk staffs up to intensify Israeli Palestinian peace push US Middle East peace envoy Martin Indyk has said that the commonly shared goal of the peace talks is a 'final status agreement, not an interim agreement.' Palestine
What made Abbas change position on Gaza war? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas surprised many, including his Palestinian critics, when he publicly expressed support for armed resistance against Israel in Gaza. Palestine
Obsession with Iran blinded Netanyahu to Hamas threat When the Gaza operation ends, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to justify his national defense priorities, as he relentlessly pushed the budget for funds against the Iranian nuclear threat while ignoring the tunnels Hamas was digging under Israel that threatened the residents of the south. Palestine
Netanyahu convinces Israelis of existential threat The Israeli public is lapping up the official line that Israel is fighting a "war of no choice" and ignoring the larger diplomatic context in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sabotaged the Palestinian unity government and suspended negotiations. Palestine
Islamic State urges Turkish businessmen to return to Iraq In an interview with Al-Monitor, Turkey's economy minister says that in addition to IS prompting Turkish businessmen to return to Iraq, trade with Israel remains unaffected despite the current crisis, and 2015 will see an increase in exports and decrease in deficit. Iraq
Israel’s public agenda shifts back to security Israeli citizens are experiencing their first real security threat since the social protests of 2011, threatening to turn the national priorities from socioeconomics and social justice back to security. Israel