Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel strikes south Lebanon after 2 soldiers killed Tehran says Iran, Oman agree on Hormuz shipping route; US lifts sanctions on Iraqi airline linked to Iran's IRGC; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Israel-Lebanon talks suspended amid escalation, set to resume Thursday The Israeli delegation asked the American representatives to suspend the direct talks with Lebanon for a few hours over alleged leaks by Beirut. Lebanon
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Trump says Hormuz to reopen after ‘very good’ Iran talks Turkey submits draft law that would bring PKK peace; UN says Iran executed at least 56 people since March; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis Netanyahu’s Gaza double game: Back Trump, reassure Israel’s right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to both give the impression that Israel retains total freedom of action in Gaza while allowing the Board of Peace to move ahead with President Donald Trump’s peace plan. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis Lacking leverage over Trump, Israel stays quiet on US-Iran talks By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Analysis How strike on Damietta port exposes Egypt's energy infrastructure risks By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis No Iran commitment, no Trump endorsement: Netanyahu leaves US empty-handed By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Lebanon, Argentina arrive at consensus over 1992 attack Lebanese and Argentine officials recently discussed the 1992 suicide bombing at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, with both sides arriving at the conclusion that Lebanon held no responsibility. Israel
Israeli political parties: Who needs primaries? Instead of working to preserve the parties' democratic workings, Tzipi Livni, Yair Lapid and Moshe Kahlon opted to gain sole control. Israel
Israelis enjoy Polish-style Christmas Eve dinner Israelis of Polish origin or affiliation enjoyed a traditional Polish-style Christmas Eve dinner, reminiscing about such occasions back in Poland in the old days when Christians and Jews alike were enjoying this delicious dinner together. Israel
Livni, Herzog worry Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears that Labor Party Chairman Isaac Herzog and former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni will infiltrate "his” diplomatic-defense arena and convince voters that the world is opposed specifically to the right wing's settlement policy, not that “the whole world is against us.” Israel
EU decision boosts Russian, UN diplomacy on Syria Russia, the United Nations and Iran lead diplomatic initiative in Syria; Iran and Turkey discuss counterterrorism; al-Qaeda-linked group advances in Syria; Aleppo’s radicalization; Hamas seeks to rebuild ties with Iran. Israel
US, Europe try to preserve Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promotes his UN bid, the US and Europe stick to the well-known old formula: Anti-terror cooperation in the region depends on progress on the Palestinian statehood issue. Palestine
Can Israel, Palestine exist in one space? In an interview with Al-Monitor, Dan Goldenblatt, co-CEO of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, presents his vision of two states in one space, arguing that this proposed solution could be accepted by both the Israeli right and the Palestinians. Palestine
Hamas scores diplomatic victory in Europe Senior Hamas officials run a department in Gaza whose sole mission is to have the movement removed from terror lists. Palestine
Netanyahu’s electoral strategy: Demonize Europe While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using the series of European resolutions against Israel to advance his election campaign, his political rivals are silent, aware that the public is mostly interested in its economic hardships. Israel
Hamas official confirms Qassam rocket tests Hamas' testing of Qassam rockets points to the movement's failure to draw the right conclusions or lessons from its last confrontation with Israel. Palestine
Netanyahu plays on US partisan politics The Palestinians should suggest a diplomatic initiative that is hard to refuse, instead of a one-sided Palestinian overture to the UN, just as the Republicans and Democrats should show unity condemning the Israeli occupation so that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not play on this seeming divide. Palestine
A united Israeli-Arab party could force Netanyahu out Polls indicate that if the Israeli-Arab parties unite they could become a real political power, but ideological and personal issues remain. Israel