Human rights

Olmert

Interview

Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Al-Monitor that Israel will only be able to defang Hezbollah if it reaches an agreement with the Lebanese government.

MOJAHID NAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

'Apartheid': Arab countries including UAE, Jordan decry new Israeli law

A group of foreign ministers struck out at a new Israeli law requiring the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism in military courts.

Osama Al Maqdoni / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Amid chatter of local uprisings, eyes turn to Iran's minorities: What to know

Ethnic minorities in Iran, historically marginalized and repressed by Iran's central government, are gaining attention as potential political actors amid escalating US and Israeli strikes.

People walk through a heavily damaged street in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 12, 2025.

'No meaningful protection': Israel’s new Gaza aid rules raise data, security risks

The guidelines expand Israeli authority to deny NGO registration in the Palestinian territories and visas for foreign aid workers as Gaza continues to reel from two years of war.

Latest News

UN points to 'genocidal path' in RSF assault on Sudan’s El-Fasher

A displaced Sudanese woman who left El-Fasher after its fall with others, walks amid the remains of a fire that broke out at a camp in Tawila on Feb. 11, 2026.

Iran fires TV director over 'Death to Khamenei' blunder: What to know

TOPSHOT - An Iranian crosses a street next to a billboard bearing the portrait of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a quote reads in Persian 'Sing Oh Iran' at the Enqelab Square in Tehran on July, 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests Oscar-nominated writer, civil rights figures in expanding crackdown

A state building is covered with a giant anti-US billboard depicting a symbolic image of the destroyed USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in downtown Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 1, 2026.

European Union adds IRGC to terror list, expands sanctions

SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP via Getty Images

SHADI AL-DUBAISI/AFP via Getty Images

Canceled Syrian justice workshop sparks repression fears: What to know

Syrian civil society organizations condemned the sudden cancelation of a planned workshop on transitional justice in Damascus, calling it an act of oppression reminiscent of the Assad era.

TUSAID chair

Turkey slaps travel ban on 2 businessmen for criticizing dissident crackdown

Two business leaders from the country’s largest industrialist group were banned from traveling internationally after a speech by the Turkish president criticizing the organization.

Israeli hostages stand on stage flanked by Hamas militants during the official handover in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on February 8, 2025. Hamas hands over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as part of ongoing negotiations. (Photo by Youssef Alzanoun / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by YOUSSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Can Hamas defy Trump's ultimatum as Gaza ceasefire teeters?

Israel is considering introducing a transitional phase to salvage the deal and ensure the continued release of hostages. However, for this to proceed, Hamas must adhere to the agreed-upon terms by Saturday.

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

“CLOSE IT DOWN!” Mr. Trump wrote of U.S.A.I.D. on Truth Social,

Analysis

US aid freeze threatens Sudan’s lifeline as USAID support hangs in balance

As the Trump administration dissolves the US' largest aid agency, Sudan, embroiled in conflict and a humanitarian crisis, could soon suffer the consequences.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

People in Jabalia erect tents amid the rubble of destroyed buildings as displaced Palestinians return to northern Gaza during a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, Jan. 23, 2025.

'Death itself could not get us out of here!' Gazans reject Trump’s proposal

After suffering more than a year of death and destruction, Palestinians in Gaza stress they will not abandon their land, dismissing the idea floated by the US president to relocate them to neighboring Arab countries.

Hamas militants escort Isreali hostage Agam Berger (C) before handing her over to a Red Cross team in Jabalia on January 30, 2025

Israel suspends next Palestinian prisoner release after chaotic Hamas handover of hostages

Another three Israelis and five Thai nationals have been freed from captivity in Gaza.

Ayse Barim

Turkey arrests prominent talent agent over 2013 Gezi protests

Ayse Barim’s arrest reflects a broader campaign to silence dissent, government critics say.

Iraqi Muslim girls, who traditionally begin wearing the hijaba head covering worn in publicat the mandatory age of nine, take part in a ceremony organized at a stadium in Basra on December 19, 2024. (Photo by Hussein FALEH / AFP) (Photo by HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Iraq passes law that could legalize child marriage: What to know

The controversial amendments were passed alongside laws on land disputes and amnesty for some crimes.

Supporters and relatives of hostages held captive in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants react while watching a live TV broadcast on the release of Israeli hostages, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 19, 2025.

Relief over hostage release briefly overshadows Israel's political divide

As Israel celebrated the homecoming of Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher Sunday, the far right continues to oppose the mediated deal with Hamas.

An Israeli soldier looks at a memorial wall for Israeli people and soldiers who were killed since the Oct. 7 deadly Hamas attack.

Here are main Netanyahu and Hamas compromises in proposed Gaza deal

Details are beginning to surface about a potential deal between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is joined on stage at the debut of the Year of the Family in Ankara, on Jan. 13, 2025.

Turkey’s Erdogan targets LGBTQ+ community in push for 'Year of the Family' initiatives

The Turkish president took swipe at the LGBTQ+ community and at social media as he announced new measures to encourage child birth.

People walk past a guard tower outside the fencing of Camp 5 at the US Military's Prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Jan, 26, 2017.

Analysis

After 23 years, 15 detainees left, will US close Guantanamo detention camp?

Only 15 detainees remain in Guantanamo. With so few inmates left, could the infamous prison close?

By Rosaleen Carroll

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