All Middle East
Why Oct. 7 has bound Israeli Druze and Jews even more tightlyFor the Druze, an Arab religious minority, serving the state in which they live is both a civic duty and a tenet of their faith. Yet after the horrors of Oct. 7 and their losses since, Israeli Druze see the Israel-Hamas war as becoming increasingly personal.
Hostages or Hamas? Cracks spread in Israeli unity over war aims.Israel’s twin war goals in Gaza of rescuing hostages and defeating Hamas have been hard to reconcile. As the U.S. and others try to mediate a new cease-fire/hostage deal with Hamas, do Israelis know what victory looks like?
First Look‘We decide’: Netanyahu pushes back on UN ruling as war in Gaza beats onPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will “act according to what is required for our security” after the International Court of Justice’s order to limit death and destruction in Gaza.
West Bank settler extremists widen campaign against PalestiniansMonitor reporters witnessed a shooting attack by West Bank settlers on Palestinian shepherds as an Israeli army jeep stood by. Officials and diplomats say the attacks further a campaign to push Palestinians off their lands.
Writers, artists, scientists: Gaza mourns its cultural lossesWar’s destructiveness extends beyond a tally of lives and structures lost; it extends to the richness of cultural life as well. Palestinians in Gaza say the loss of artists and academics who touched and inspired them will be felt for generations.
Why populist president retains support amid Tunisia’s enduring povertyPolitical analysts love to talk about voters’ pocketbooks. In theory, leaders would get credit for policy successes and blame for failures. But populists’ use of xenophobia and conspiracy theories can turn that idea on its head.
Around the globe, the politics of the war in Gaza is localThe war in Gaza is reverberating in different ways around the world, from India and Indonesia to the U.S. and Germany.
First LookMissile attacks across Middle East raise Gaza escalation risksIran said five of its Revolutionary Guards were killed in a missile strike in Damascus which it blamed on Israel. Other missile attacks Saturday occurred in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
In escalating war zone, Druze village has a message: Hope and peaceIn Beit Jann, an Israeli Druze village with views of Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, the outlook is one of determined optimism. Even as the region is gripped by rising violence, villagers speak of peaceful coexistence.
First LookPakistan and Iran blame mineral-rich warlords for missile strikesTensions flared this week after Iran and Pakistan exchanged missiles, killing a total of nine people. Both nations have taken steps to turn down the dial. Pakistan expressed a readiness to work with Iran “based on spirit of mutual trust and cooperation.”
Widening Middle East war: Have Iran’s calculations changed?As the Israel-Hamas war spreads around the wider region, looping in U.S. forces, Yemen’s Houthis, and now Pakistan, a connecting thread runs through Tehran. But are the actions of its “Axis of Resistance” helping or harming Iran?
Israel-Hamas war: What’s left of the pro-peace camps?For decades, Israelis and Palestinians – officials and regular folk – have convened to talk about, and advocate for, coexistence and peace. Amid the horrors of Oct. 7 and the war in Gaza, is that still possible?
First LookSeeds of resistance: Why watermelon symbolizes Palestinian solidarityWatermelon slices have grown to signify resistance to Israeli censorship. The fruit is now seeing an emoji-borne renaissance, marking new efforts to circumvent social media suppression and convey Palestinian support.
Mixing hope and skepticism, Palestinians watch Hague genocide hearingsMany Palestinians in the West Bank say the case brought by South Africa against Israel could prompt judges to order a cease-fire in Gaza, offering a rare glimmer of hope for relief amid a bleak war.
First LookHouthi militants vow revenge after US-British airstrikeThe Houthis, an Iranian-backed proxy group, vows revenge after a US-British airstrike left five dead and six wounded in a military attack. Houthi troops have been targeting US-Israeli commercial shipping in response to the war in Gaza.
First LookTaliban’s dress-code crackdown targets Afghan women, UN warnsThe UN has said they are “deeply concerned” over the detention and abuse of Afghan women not wearing the hijab. Their statement is the first official confirmation of the Taliban’s crackdown on dress codes for women since the Taliban took power in 2021.
‘Time for us to leave’: Gaza reporter, again, joins thousands fleeingThe Monitor’s reporter in Gaza has been living the Israel-Hamas war. Driven by basic human needs – safety above all as fighting neared – her family looked urgently for a truck and a route south.
Lives on hold, economy in check: Gaza war tests Israel’s staminaWar brings clear costs. Lives lost, homes destroyed. As Israel girds for a long war in Gaza, and tensions rise in Lebanon, it is trying to balance, too, the human and economic costs of mass mobilization.
First LookHezbollah fires rockets at Israel in response to Hamas leader’s killingThe cross-border escalation comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken starts his fourth Mideast trip in three months in hopes of preventing the Israel-Hamas war from turning into a regional confrontation.
Gaza war: Why Houthis pose a stubborn challenge to US in Red SeaFrom Lebanon to Iraq and Yemen, attacks by the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance” have raised concerns that the Israel-Hamas war could escalate into a regional conflict. In the Red Sea, a U.S. bid to secure shipping lanes faces a determined adversary.
