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
Greek Orthodox Church loses appeal on leases to settler group Israel's Supreme Court validated a controversial deal by the Greek Orthodox Church to lease real estate in Jerusalem's Old City to the pro-settlement group Ateret Cohanim. Palestine
Was Morsi’s brief presidency an opportunity lost for Israel? The late Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi hated Israel, but his relationship with Hamas held the promise of negotiating a long-term truce between the organization and Israel and potentially altering the landscape in Gaza. Palestine
Will a secular woman lead Israel’s religious right? If polls show that secular Ayelet Shaked is likely to get the most votes, she might succeed in getting the leadership of the religious right political camp. Israel
Trump may chicken out on Iran, frets Israel Israeli security officials are getting worried that escalating tensions between the United States and Iran could spill over into Israel through an attack by Hezbollah on the northern border. Israel
Is Qatari money to Gaza falling into Hamas operatives' hands? Despite Israeli claims that it strictly controls the distribution of Qatari financial assistance transferred to Gaza, some of the funds appear to be ending up in the hands of Hamas operatives through "commissions," deceit and "protection money." Qatar
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox tied to Netanyahu Without an alliance between them, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be able to form the next government and the ultra-Orthodox might find themselves in the opposition. Israel
First Mohamed to play for Jerusalem soccer team results in racist reaction The decision by Beitar Jerusalem owner Moshe Hogeg to hire Ali Mohamed to play for the team unleashed all the team’s racist demons, particularly among La Familia, the team’s infamously far-right fan club. Israel
Netanyahu adds radical-right politician to Security Cabinet On the backdrop of tensions in Gaza, the decision of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to include Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich in the Security Cabinet could turn into a disaster. Palestine
Israelis prefer a unity government, without the ultra-Orthodox A recent survey revealed that most Israeli voters prefer a national unity government of the Likud and Blue and White and without the ultra-Orthodox and religious coercion. Israel
Arabs deeply divided on Egypt attending US peace meeting Some observers think Egypt's decision to take part in the Bahrain economic workshop could deal a blow to the Palestinian cause. Bahrain
Abbas wins: Israeli officials won’t attend Bahrain conference Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas managed to veto the participation of an official Israeli delegation at the upcoming Bahrain conference. Bahrain
Israel, Palestinian Authority dispute electric bill payments Despite Israeli accusations, the Palestinian Authority says it remains committed to paying for the electricity it receives. Palestine