At Mar-a-Lago, Netanyahu seeks Iran strike approval while Trump presses Gaza plan US President Donald Trump is expected to push Israel to enter the second phase of his Gaza peace plan, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will focus on securing Trump’s approval for a potential strike on Iran’s ballistic missile program. Israel
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 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
Why Hamas did not claim recent attacks on Israeli army Hamas did not claim responsibility for a recent attack against the Israeli army at the Gaza border, which could be explained by the fact that the movement does not want to jeopardize the talks on the truce with Israel. Palestine
Is Hamas linked to recent terror attack against Israeli youth? Israel’s security services suspect that Hamas or Islamic Jihad infrastructure in the West Bank were involved in the recent killing of student and IDF soldier Dvir Sorek. Palestine
What Israel-Hamas deal looks like In the framework of the Egypt-mediated deal between Israel and Hamas, the latter has promised to keep the demonstrations away from the border fence and under control. Palestine
Blue and White champions Israeli sovereignty over Jordan Valley The declarations by Blue and White leader Benny Gantz in favor of perpetuating Israel’s occupation of the Jordan Valley are a cynical ploy to attract right-wing voters, but they erode his support for the two-state solution. Palestine
Are Palestinian construction permits Israel's way to annex Area C? Palestinians decry the Israeli Cabinet issuing construction permits to Palestinians in Area C, considering that Israel does not have the right to allow or prevent Palestinian construction, and believe the scheme is to annex Area C to its territory. Palestine
Palestinian government drafts law to protect its doctors A draft law to protect doctors and medical staff is currently underway in the West Bank, amid increasing physical and verbal attacks on hospital staff. Palestine
Israel concerned over dire economy, unrest in West Bank The growing number of Palestinians involved in "popular terrorism" is evidently linked to Israel’s decision to deduct payments to Palestinian prisoners from the tax revenues of the Palestinian Authority. Palestine
A questionable apology The sincerity of Ehud Barak's public apology to Israel's Arab community for 13 deaths at the hands of the police in 2000 has come under attack given its openly political nature. Palestine
Netanyahu prepares for elections, makes diplomatic push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that supporting US President Donald Trump’s "deal of the century" by granting Palestinians 715 construction permits could help him ahead of the elections and for the composition of a future government. Saudi Arabia
Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum to promote regional energy cooperation The founding countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum have recently held a meeting in Cairo, and some experts say the forum is part of the "deal of the century." Palestine
What's behind Israel's approval of construction permits for Palestinians? The decision of the Israeli security Cabinet to grant 715 construction permits for Palestinians and 6,000 permits for settlers mocks the Palestinians while hailing settlement policy. Palestine
How avocado became king in this West Bank city Increasing numbers of Palestinian farmers in Qalqilya and Tulkarm are opting to grow avocados given the potential earnings from local demand as well as from export. Palestine