Feature 50,000 Israeli expats fly home to vote in potential boon to Netanyahu rivals Israel prohibits voting from abroad with limited exceptions, and Israelis who spoke to Al-Monitor said they are especially motivated to fly home this year. By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Analysis How Israel opposition infighting is boosting Netanyahu days before election Discord within the opposition, including its reluctance to name a single candidate for prime minister ahead of the Oct. 27 election, is working in Netanyahu’s favor. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
In first, Israel’s Netanyahu says he held call with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa It is the first publicly disclosed contact between the leaders of Israel and Syria, which lack formal relations and have fought several wars. Sharaa’s government began US-mediated talks with Israel in 2025. Syria
Sisi says Egypt has no ‘territorial ambitions’ after Israel’s Smotrich threatens Sinai The Egyptian president’s remarks follow a warning from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that Israel would seize the Sinai Peninsula if Egypt attacks. Egypt
Exclusive Rights, faith groups urge Congress to block $2.8B bomb sale to Israel By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Israeli-Egyptian cooperation grows following end of Gaza conflict Israel has been quiet on its contacts with Egypt throughout the latest security crisis, but the agreement on the cease-fire with Hamas, Friday's phone call between the two foreign ministers and the reopening yesterday of two Gaza crossing points for humanitarian aid reflect growing cooperation between Jerusalem and Cairo. Israel
The heavy toll of Israel-Hamas war, by the numbers A look at the destruction wrought by more than a week of fighting between Hamas and Israel. News Brief
Moroccan PM congratulates Hamas for 'victory' against Israel Saadeddine Othmani's support for the Palestinians during the recent conflict with Israel followed Morocco and Israel agreeing to normalize relations late last year. Morocco
Israeli soldier, civilian stabbed in east Jerusalem Israeli police shot and killed a Palestinian man after he allegedly stabbed a soldier and civilian in east Jerusalem Monday. Israel
Blinken visits Middle East to bolster Israel-Hamas cease-fire Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo and Amman this week for discussions on maintaining the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Israel
Israeli-Palestinian conflict forces Biden to put Mideast on agenda Egyptian and Palestinian Authority leaders are back at center stage of US regional diplomacy. Israel
A ‘new level of force’: Netanyahu warns against further Hamas attacks “If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a drizzle of rockets, it is wrong,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the cease-fire took effect. Israel
Did Iran instigate latest Gaza escalation? Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip deny reports that Iran pushed for the latest round of escalation, despite Tehran's close ties to both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Palestine
Cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian factions enters into force The cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip entered into force at 2 a.m. May 21, ending a round of fighting that lasted 11 days, claimed the lives of more than 240 people and destroyed many properties. Palestine
Why Egypt is lending its support to the Palestinians Egypt's support for the Palestinians in the latest conflict — in which Cairo helped broker a cease-fire — has drawn attention among observers who see it as a policy shift. Egypt
Israeli campaign against Gaza further strains already fragile health sector The Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip announced that the only COVID-19 laboratory in the coastal enclave has gone out of service as a result of the Israeli aggression that wreaked havoc on the health sector. Palestine
Israel-Hamas conflict exposes Turkey’s irrelevance in region Turkey’s apparent exclusion from cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas shows President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy is in tatters. Turkey