Analysis Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines Turkey supports US-backed Israel-Syria talks but sees little prospect of a lasting accommodation until the Israeli elections. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Analysis Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran Israeli sources point out that the pilot project for Israel's withdrawal and the Lebanese military taking control over the area is not working because of the government's reluctance to search for Hezbollah's weapons in private homes. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Israel, Hamas bide their time as Gaza peace plan stalls As the Israel-Hamas ceasefire approaches the one-year mark in October, the Board of Peace is under pressure to deliver results in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran sets conditions for reopening Strait of Hormuz Syria, Saudi Arabia to establish joint bank; Lebanon, UAE ink deals, deepen economic ties; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Senate Democrats urge Israel to rein in West Bank violence By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Exclusive Israel recalibrates Syria policy, explores path to security deal By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Blue and White champions Israeli sovereignty over Jordan Valley The declarations by Blue and White leader Benny Gantz in favor of perpetuating Israel’s occupation of the Jordan Valley are a cynical ploy to attract right-wing voters, but they erode his support for the two-state solution. Palestine
Israel’s economy victim of election campaign Israeli politicians prefer to ignore the implications of two election campaigns in one year on the market and the state deficit, which could harm the country’s credit rating. Israel
Airport inspection in Israel a nightmare for Israeli-Arabs Instead of apologizing to Ambassador Reda Mansour for humiliating his family, Ben-Gurion International Airport authorities continued to justify their behavior. Israel
Likud seniors cowed by Netanyahu, but for how long? Senior members of Likud are considering various scenarios for the day after the Sept. 17 election while their party leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to try to ensure that he will be the only member the party considers putting forth to form a government. Israel
Are Palestinian construction permits Israel's way to annex Area C? Palestinians decry the Israeli Cabinet issuing construction permits to Palestinians in Area C, considering that Israel does not have the right to allow or prevent Palestinian construction, and believe the scheme is to annex Area C to its territory. Palestine
Israel concerned over dire economy, unrest in West Bank The growing number of Palestinians involved in "popular terrorism" is evidently linked to Israel’s decision to deduct payments to Palestinian prisoners from the tax revenues of the Palestinian Authority. Palestine
Blue and White clash as campaign messaging diverges Yair Lapid is already preparing for the day after the elections by campaigning against the ultra-Orthodox in a sign that he may quit the Blue and White Party if it loses. Israel
Legitimization of racist party sullies Israel’s reputation Israel’s reputation has been sullied by the courting of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a disciple of the racist Rabbi Meir Kahane, by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United Right leader Ayelet Shaked in the run-up to Knesset elections in September. Israel
Tinderbox: Israeli military attacks in Iraq could complicate US strategy in Middle East Washington may need to draw some red lines to protect its larger regional interests. Iraq
Is positive sentiment toward Israel on the rise in Iraq? After an Iraqi ambassador made seemingly friendly comments about Israel, Iraqi politicians have made it known that Iraq will not stand for normalization. Iraq
A questionable apology The sincerity of Ehud Barak's public apology to Israel's Arab community for 13 deaths at the hands of the police in 2000 has come under attack given its openly political nature. Palestine
Netanyahu prepares for elections, makes diplomatic push Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that supporting US President Donald Trump’s "deal of the century" by granting Palestinians 715 construction permits could help him ahead of the elections and for the composition of a future government. Saudi Arabia