All Middle East
Why many Israelis embrace a Trump plan for Gaza once seen as tabooPresident Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and expel its residents was received in an Israel exhausted by conflict and lacking a “day after” plan of its own.
Jordan in a bind: What to offer Trump instead of taking in Gaza refugees?Jordanian King Abdullah’s meeting with Donald Trump Tuesday was one of the most consequential of his 25-year reign. His mission: to get the U.S. president to walk back his plan to relocate Gaza’s population to Jordan and Egypt.
‘There is a lot of fear.’ In West Bank, Palestinians decry Israel’s Gaza tactics.As Israel presses ahead with a massive military operation targeting militants in the West Bank, it’s relying on tactics used in the war in Gaza. The result for Palestinians is a rising level of destruction and displacement.
First LookLebanon's president forms new government as southern ceasefire holdsLebanon's first government in two years takes office as it rebuilds its war-torn south. The country also seeks to maintain security after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in November.
How Trump’s proposed plan for Gaza has united an outraged Arab worldWhatever becomes of President Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and resettle the Palestinians there, the Arab world is not on board. Many consider the plan a form of what the U.N. terms “ethnic cleansing.” Some say it could lead to war.
Trump’s plan for Gaza ridiculed as unserious. So why did he float it?While President Trump has ridiculed past U.S. military deployments and nation-building efforts, he has consistently been drawn to Mideast diplomacy. But his proposal to “own” and develop the Gaza Strip and displace its population has many questioning how serious he is.
As Palestinian prisoners return home, there is joy, but sorrow, tooJoyful family reunions that the ceasefire has enabled in Israel are being echoed in the West Bank and Gaza. But few freed Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were jailed for decades, knew much of the Gaza war, or its staggering costs.
Cover StoryAfter Assad’s fall, Syrians search for lost loved ones – and a path forwardAfter the fall of the Assad regime, Syrians grasp for answers and a path to restoration under new president Ahmed al-Sharaa.
How Gaza hostage-release drama works for both Hamas and NetanyahuThe stage-managed spectacle of Israeli hostages being released in Gaza serves political interests on both sides. Hamas’ assertions that it is still in power bolster the argument that Prime Minister Netanyahu still has a job to do.
Who will rule Gaza, if not Hamas? Unanswered question dogs ceasefire.Israel has failed to eliminate Hamas, a key goal of its war in Gaza, and the militant group has reasserted its rule in Gaza. Can that situation last?
First LookIsrael stops return of thousands to northern Gaza over ceasefire disputeAccusing Hamas of violating the terms of a fragile ceasefire, Israel has prevented thousands of Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza.
‘Like 10 earthquakes’: Palestinians return home to Gaza devastationPalestinian residents of Gaza, the vast majority of them homeless, celebrated when the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was announced. But as they return home, the destruction they are finding is almost too much to comprehend.
Israelis rejoice at hostages’ release, yet worry a sacred vow was brokenAs Israelis celebrate the return of hostages held in Gaza, they are also anguished over the long time it took to bring them home. A nagging question for many is whether a social contract of mutual responsibility has been broken.
First LookGaza ceasefire sets in motion release of 3 Israeli hostagesA ceasefire in the War in Gaza took effect on Sunday as Hamas released the first three hostages it has held for 15 months during its fighting with Israel.
In Gaza and Israel, ceasefire elicits happiness and delayed griefOver more than 15 months of war and loss, Israeli and Palestinian emotions have been rubbed raw, or suppressed. Now they are being released by an imminent ceasefire, even as questions over its durability persist.
In Israel and Gaza, ceasefire deal’s many uncertainties temper joyWord of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal was greeted with relief and some celebrations. But Israelis and Palestinians have been disappointed before; joy over the fragile deal was muted.
First LookPhased Gaza ceasefire deal is announced between Israel and HamasAfter months of on-off negotiations conducted by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, there is hope that the remaining details of the ceasefire deal will be resolved within hours and could go into effect on Jan. 19.
With eye on Gaza, Palestinian Authority tackles West Bank militantsPopular support for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has been in steady decline. Now, to burnish its credentials, the authority is taking on a militant stronghold in Jenin. The high-risk move is further dividing Palestinian society.
In Israel’s democracy battle, an added front: Politicized policeHow central is an independent police force to democracy? In Israel, the politicization of the national police is seen as part of the hard-line government’s revived judicial overhaul.
First LookLebanon army commander Joseph Aoun is sworn in as president, filling two-year voidFollowing 13 attempts to elect a president, Lebanon’s parliament has sworn in army commander Joseph Aoun as the head of state. Mr. Aoun is the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia.
