Is IDF gearing up to fight the Islamic State?

Israeli military personnel disagree on whether a decision to unite commando units into a single brigade is driven by the Islamic State threat or the need to adapt to the changing reality of the battlefield.

Near East

Hamas official: Rumors of talks with Israel exaggerated

A senior Hamas source claims that rumors about negotiations with Israel for a long-term truce are exaggerated, saying that the only issue seriously on the table is an exchange of Hamas prisoners and the bodies of two IDF soldiers.

Palestine

Israel should support Syrian 'Druzistan'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser argues that if and when the Assad regime falls in Syria, Israel should support self-rule by the local Druze population.

Israel

Mixed reviews for TV show on Egyptian Jews

A period TV series set in a historic multicultural neighborhood in Cairo is a departure for Ramadan television programming in the country.

Egypt

Israeli MK recounts his time on Gaza flotilla

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Israeli-Arab Knesset member Basel Ghattas says that contrary to claims by right-wing Knesset members, the Marianne flotilla was not an act of violence, but a political one, drawing international attention to Gaza by peaceful means.

Palestine

Why is Israel turning a blind eye to South Sudan arms sales?

Meretz Knesset member Tamar Zandberg accuses Israel of facilitating the sales of weapons to countries at war with an army accused of perpetrating war crimes, such as South Sudan.

Israel

The Ponzi scheme that's trapping Israel’s ultra-Orthodox

The ultra-Orthodox, often hesitant to approach the police out of fear of their name being tarnished, are being fleeced by their own community members.

Israel

Is Hamas working with Wilayat Sinai?

While Hamas officials deny ties to IS in Sinai, Gaza residents claim that Sinai terrorists were admitted for treatment in Gaza, and Israel argues that Hamas provides weapons to these terror groups.

Palestine

Netanyahu backslides on religious reforms

By caving in to ultra-Orthodox demands to cancel religious reforms, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disregards most of the Israeli public, focusing solely on his political survival.

Israel

Bennett, Lapid rush to back IDF officer in West Bank shooting

Instead of waiting for the IDF to investigate the conduct of its soldiers, Israeli politicians tend to back them unconditionally, turning each incident into a political issue.

Palestine

Turkish military wary of Erdogan plan for Syrian buffer zone

The United States remains opposed to a no-fly zone in northern Syria; Masrour Barzani calls for "amicable divorce" for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; Jacky Hugi writes that Israel should back the Syrian government "at any price."

Iraq

Questions emerge over Hamas' ability to secure Gaza

The disappearance of Mahmoud Salfiti, a Salafist prisoner who had been granted a 24-hour leave to visit his family, raises questions about Hamas’ ability to control and secure the Gaza Strip.

Palestine