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
Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat A ceasefire reached between Israel and Hamas in October has prompted some shipping companies to consider resuming services, but security concerns persist. Yemen
Facing Israeli pushback, Turkey recalibrates public messaging on Gaza force Turkey’s top diplomat has suggested that being part of the Gaza stabilization force is not Ankara’s priority. Turkey
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
Analysis How the Trump administration reshaped US diplomacy toward Hamas By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Newsletter: Palestine Palestine’s soccer team delivers hope By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
Two Israelis killed, third in critical condition in West Bank attack On the backdrop of growing tensions and fire exchange on both the Gaza and Lebanon borders, two Israelis were killed at a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley region. Israel
Lebanon’s Hezbollah hosts Hamas chief as rockets fly over Israel border The delegation has reportedly discussed efforts to coordinate action against Israel. Palestine
Israeli forces storm Al-Aqsa, arrest over 300 as clashes resume with Hamas Violent clashes at the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa compound led to heavy rocket fire overnight from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli localities. Israel
Two Palestinians killed in West Bank as Israel intercepts flying object from Gaza Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Monday as Israeli warplanes intercepted an object flying over the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Israel eases Palestinian entry restrictions to Al-Aqsa ahead of Ramadan With the Muslim month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover week holiday overlapping this year, the issue of visits to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif compound gets more complicated than usual. Israel
US-Israeli citizen injured in West Bank as parties meet in Egypt to de-escalate A second Israeli-Palestinian-American-Egyptian-Jordanian meeting took place on Sunday, with all parties pledging to take measures to de-escalate tensions in Jerusalem and the West Bank, ahead of Ramadan and Passover. Israel
In Paris, Israel’s Smotrich says Palestinian people don't exist, calls them 'fictitious' Addressing far-right French Jews at a conference, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich dismissed the existence of the Palestinian people, claiming he and his forefathers were the “real Palestinians.” Israel
Hezbollah, Hamas seek to exploit Israel's internal weakness to attack The security incident last Monday near the border with Lebanon worries the IDF, as Hezbollah tries to exploit the ongoing crisis in Israel. Israel
Israelis, Palestinians to meet in Egypt in bid to lower tensions before Ramadan With Ramadan only days away, Israel, the Palestinians, the United States, Egypt and Jordan fear that West Bank tensions could explode. Israel
Hamas says leadership visited Russia, met Sergey Lavrov A Hamas official has revealed that his movement "recently" visited Moscow and warned that the group's "patience is running out" with Israel. Palestine
MidEast freedom rankings: Syria worst, Tunisia in decline, says Freedom House Syria remains to be the least and Israel the best performing country when it comes civil and political freedoms while the biggest one-year decline has been observed in Tunisia. Turkey
US will 'protect' its technology against China theft in Middle East: Leaf Barbara Leaf, top Middle East official at the State Department told Al-Monitor that the Syrian government is participating in the drug trade, and blamed Iran for the failure of the nuclear deal. Iran
