Analysis Gaza realities test Trump’s 2025 Middle East ambitions During its first year, the second Trump administration confronted wars in Gaza and Sudan, forged new ties with Syria and grappled with the growing nuclear threat from Iran. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis In 2025, Netanyahu saved his coalition but stalled on Gaza, Iran, Lebanon With 2025 ending, Israelis are frustrated over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to fully end the Gaza war, solve the Hezbollah problem, reach a deal with Syria or find a way to constructively impact talks on the Iranian nuclear program. By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Analysis Trump has upper hand over Netanyahu, but is it enough for Gaza? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stalling on the implementation of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, but at the end of the day, Trump has much more leverage over Netanyahu. By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Newsletter: Palestine Abbas bets on ministry merger as financial crisis deepens The Palestinian government has merged its finance and planning ministries under Estephan Salameh in a bid to confront a deepening financial crisis and restore donor confidence amid mounting fiscal and political pressures. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Trump expands travel ban By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Analysis Trump's Syria envoy Barrack tests Israel's patience as Netanyahu pushes back By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Despite Abbas cutting ties, security lines remain open between Israel, PA Now that coordination with Israel has officially ended, the Palestinian security agencies are sharing indirect messages with their Israeli counterparts. Palestine
Netanyahu’s annexation plan now in Gantz, Ashkenazi’s hands Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi must now make up their minds about backing annexation. Palestine
Qatar National Bank hit with lawsuit over Americans killed by Hamas in Israel A wrongful death lawsuit was filed in New York by dozens of relatives of 10 Americans killed or wounded by Hamas attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Qatar
European court rules against French conviction of BDS activists The European Court of Human Rights ruled that boycotts are protected forms of protest, saying France erred in convicting activists of incitement to discrimination for asking people stop buying Israeli products. Palestine
Will Netanyahu opt for partial annexation? Some reports say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might opt for a phased annexation plan for the West Bank that, at least at first, would exclude the Jordan Valley. Palestine
Hashemite white paper says Arabs were first inhabitants of Jerusalem A white paper by the Amman-based think tank the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought suggests 5,000 years of continuous Arab presence in Jerusalem, specifying the Hashemite custodianship of Christian and Muslim holy sites in the city. Palestine
Israel's 'Silicon Valley' to further fragment East Jerusalem Israel is preparing to begin work on a project known as "Silicon Wadi" in Jerusalem in what locals perceive as another move to alter the city’s demographic makeup and infrastructure. Palestine
Palestinians say they were not informed of second virus aid flight from UAE to Israel The second-ever direct flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel took place today, but Palestinians say they were not informed of the aid delivery. United Arab Emirates
Israel seeks to bypass PA, directly engage with Palestinians After the Palestinian Authority announced its disengagement from the agreements with Israel, the latter has been working on opening direct communication channels with Palestinians, in an attempt to weaken the PA. Palestine
Classic cars find life after rust in Ramallah A Palestinian mechanic in Ramallah collects and restores classic cars, bringing relics of the past back to life. Palestine
COVID-19 compounds economic crises in Yemen, Jordan, Palestine Recent reports signal conditions going from bad to worse. Yemen
Palestinians reveal Israeli alternatives to two-state solution Palestinians seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place with Israel’s shifting away from a two-state solution and the diminishing chances of such an option after the announcement of the US Middle East peace plan. Palestine