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
With no sign of war ending, Gazans increasingly disenchanted with Hamas While support for Hamas has spiked in the West Bank since Oct. 7, there remains significant frustration with the group in Gaza, where even some former supporters view their strategy as misguided. Palestine
In policy shift, White House links Israel-Saudi normalization to Palestinian statehood By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
What is Hizb ut-Tahrir, anti-Israel Islamist group banned in the UK? The international Islamist group has been banned across the Middle East and is known for espousing antisemitism. Palestine
Second Israeli soccer player in Turkey dropped over Gaza hostages post Karzev’s departure comes amid rising Turkish-Israeli tensions against the backdrop of the war in Gaza. Turkey
Mexico, Chile call on ICC to investigate Israel over Gaza war As the International Court of Justice investigates South Africa's complaint, Mexico and Chile are also calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against Palestinians. Israel
Analysis 'Hallucination' or realpolitik? Netanyahu's long shot at Israel-Saudi normalization Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still hopes to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia after rejecting US proposals for Palestinian control of Gaza and the West Bank. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
EU Parliament calls for conditional Gaza cease-fire if hostages released, Hamas dismantled For the first time since Oct. 7, the European Parliament called on Israel to stop fighting in Gaza, but also said that a cease-fire should be accompanied by the release of all abductees and the dismantling of Hamas. Israel
Davos 2024: Israel’s Herzog says 'coalition of nations' should take charge in post-war Gaza The Israeli president admitted that a plan hadn’t been finalized, but insisted that plenty of talks were going on. Israel
Israel's Netanyahu tells US he opposes Palestinian state after Gaza war Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that he will not succumb to American pressure to end the war, and that he intends to continue until all of Israel's goals are fulfilled. Israel
Pakistan conducts strikes inside Iran as China, Turkey call for restraint The region is already at a boiling point as the Israel-Hamas war continues to reverberate across the Middle East, with attacks in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. Iran
Davos 2024: Blinken says Palestinian statehood could help isolate Iran The US secretary of state called former President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal "a big mistake." Iran
How Iran chose easy targets in Iraq's Erbil to avoid Israeli reprisal As the Islamic Republic and its hardcore loyalists chanted in triumph, debates heated up as to whether the attack was meant only for domestic propaganda and flexing about a promised "revenge" that seemed to have been exacted on the wrong, easy target. Iran
