Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, gestures as he arrives for the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on April 23 urged Hamas to free all hostages in Gaza, saying their captivity provided Israel with "excuses" to attack the territory, as rescuers recovered charred bodies from an Israeli strike. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by

Analysis

Hussein Sheikh as PLO's first vice president: Palestinian reform or Abbas gesture?

Mahmoud Abbas' move to create a vice chairman position within the PLO may signal potential plans for succession, but the decision is clouded by the PLO's waning influence and uncertainty over Palestinian governance in Gaza.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron take part in a joint press conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on July 20, 2022. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Macron’s Palestine gamble: Can recognition plan jump-start peace talks?

French President Emmanuel Macron said he may recognize a Palestinian state in June when he will cohost a peace summit with Saudi Arabia, but has not committed to such a move.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Amid differences, Trump and Netanyahu hold call, discuss Iran nuclear talks

It was their first conversation since the prime minister's visit to the White House two weeks ago, when the US president announced direct talks with Iran.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: U.S. President Donald Trump bids farewell to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he leaves the White House after a meeting on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump was meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Analysis

As Witkoff hints US won't dismantle Iran nuclear program, Israel fears Trump may settle for 'bad deal'

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu cannot go openly against the nuclear talks with Iran initiated by US President Trump, but he can hope for Tehran to anger him enough to break the negotiations.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Israel arrests 6 over Turkey money transfer scheme: What we know

An Israeli military vehicle moves through a street in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, West Bank, Oct. 1, 2024.

Israel expands Gaza buffer zone to 20% as humanitarian situation deteriorates

Palestinians gather for a communal iftar.

UK lawyers accuse 10 nationals of war crimes in Gaza: What to know

London Gaza protest

Analysis

Postwar Gaza plans stall over challenge of disarming Hamas

Palestinians chant slogans during an anti-Hamas protest, calling for an end to the war with Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on March 26, 2025.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets in Jerusalem with US Presidential Special Envoy Amos Hochstein and US Presidential Special Envoy Brett McGurk, on Oct. 31, 2024.

Netanyahu says Israel's 'ability to enforce' key to any Lebanon deal

American envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk met Thursday with Israeli leaders in yet another effort to clinch a deal for a cease-fire in southern Lebanon.

Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud arrives at the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 24, 2024. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi-Israel normalization 'off table' until Palestinian statehood, FM says

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has said that normalization with Israel will wait for progress on Palestinian rights.

This combination of pictures created on Aug. 15, 2021 shows CIA Director, William Burns, testifying during a House Intelligence Committee hearing about worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 15, 2021 and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) attending a press conference with his Russian counterpart at the presidential palace in the capital Cairo on Dec. 11, 2017.

CIA chief, Egypt’s Sisi discuss 'urgent need' to end Lebanon, Gaza wars

The meeting comes as Egypt, Qatar and the US resume mediation talks to secure a hostage deal and a cease-fire in Gaza.

An aircraft of Middle East Airlines (MEA), Lebanon's flag carrier, takes off from Beirut International Airport on Oct. 6, 2024 amidst smoke rising from nearby sites targeted overnight by Israeli air strikes in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

Feature

Flying despite Israeli attacks, Middle East Airlines becomes symbol of pride for Lebanon

As a growing number of airlines cancel and reroute flights in the region to avoid conflict, Lebanon's flagship carrier has provided a sense of stability amid turmoil.

Amberin Zaman

Beatrice Farhat

By Amberin Zaman , Beatrice Farhat

The deputy chief of Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, delivers a speech during a rally in Beirut on Oct. 13, 2023.

Hezbollah’s new leader says group to fight 'for months' as US proposes 60-day Lebanon cease-fire

Naim Qassem’s speech coincides with escalating Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon, as the US scrambles to secure a cease-fire deal.

Members of the UNIFIL patrol the southern Lebanese Marjayoun district, near the border with Israel, on Oct. 16, 2024.

Eight UNIFIL peacekeepers injured in southern Lebanon rocket attack

Eight Austrian soldiers belonging to the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission were injured by a rocket strike in southern Lebanon, which UNIFIL said was likely fired by Hezbollah.

Commuters drive past a billboard bearing pictures of Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian (2-L), armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri (L) US President Joe Biden (2-R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) in Vali-Asr square in Tehran on Oct. 27, 2024.

As election looms, US calls for calm while Iran weighs response to Israeli strikes

The latest Israeli attack appeared calibrated to avoid a major escalation from Tehran that could trigger an all-out regional war.

An Israeli Air Force F-35I Adir multirole fighter aircraft flies over the Negev Desert after taking off from a military base en route to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023.

Pentagon denies role in Israel's Iran strikes after warning against nuclear targets

The Israeli military is signaling to Tehran that it can strike its nuclear facilities from afar with or without direct American support.

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defense system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on Sept. 24, 2024.

Israel clinches $500M deal with Elbit Systems, Rafael for Iron Beam defense system

Expected to be operational within a year, the 100-kilowatt class, high-energy Iron Beam system is designed to complement Israel's existing Iron Dome defense system.

KAWNAT HAJU/AFP via Getty Images

Tyre, Lebanon's ancient city, bombarded by Israeli airstrikes

Israeli airstrikes are pounding ancient Tyre in southern Lebanon.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath addresses the media in Colombo on Oct. 24, 2024.

Sri Lanka arrests 3 men in plot to attack Israeli-run Jewish center: What we know

Three Sri Lankan nationals were arrested on Thursday after Israel's National Security Council urged Israelis to leave certain areas of the country due to "credible terrorism threats."

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

France s President Emmanuel Macron receives Lebanon s Prime Minister Najib MIKATI before their bilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France on October 23, 2024. Context of war between Lebanon and Israel, extension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, solidarity with lebanese people, the two men shake hands on the stoop at the top of the steps and look towards the photographers. (Photo by Amaury Cornu / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by AMAURY CORNU/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

Mikati says Lebanon ready to deploy 8,000 troops to border if Israel cease-fire reached

The announcement came during an aid conference organized by France to support Lebanon and its civilian population affected by the ongoing Israeli war.