All Middle East
First LookWill Israel's new prime minister Naftali Bennett bring unity?After 12 years of rule, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister, has been ousted. Prime minister Naftali Bennet, an ultranationalist and pragmatist, is now tasked with leading a multi-faceted coalition.
First LookAfter 12 years of Netanyahu, Israel set to swear in new governmentThe new government is promising a return to normalcy after a tumultuous two years that saw four elections, an 11-day Gaza war last month, and a coronavirus outbreak.
Iran election: Regime’s crisis of confidence undercuts democracyIran’s conservatives, fearing they could not win a fair election, are upsetting the balance between “Islamic” and “Republic” aspects of the regime.
‘We lost everything.’ Gazans looking to rebuild see only obstacles.How do you build back from war when the building itself is political? Residents of Gaza who lost homes and livelihoods face a long path to recovery.
From Israeli coalition: Unity and healing, without NetanyahuWhat is uniting the coalition of rivals bidding to govern Israel? Mostly, it’s opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu, and a desire for good governance.
First LookIn a first for Israeli politics, Arab party to join governmentThe United Arab List, drawn from Israel’s 21% Arab minority, will join a coalition government in a bid to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Party leader Mansour Abbas wants better conditions for Arabs and a new way forward in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
From Tehran to Jerusalem via Gaza: A Hamas rocket's trajectoryIran sees Hamas rocket strength as the fruit of its technical assistance to the militant Islamic group in Gaza. It poses a strategic dilemma for Israel.
Israel's goal: A rebuilt Gaza, without a rearmed HamasIsrael is allowing international aid into Gaza after an 11-day war with Hamas. It wants aid to help Gazans, not Hamas, lest it rearms to fight again.
As cease-fire holds in Gaza, a painful reckoning with war’s physical tollPalestinians in Gaza are still picking up the pieces after the latest Israel-Hamas war. Some family reunions are taking place at hospital beds.
As Gaza cease-fire holds, a resurgent Palestinian youth movement emergesYoung Palestinians are using social media to document their struggles under Israeli occupation and to overcome physical barriers between communities.
With US leaving, Taliban tales of ‘victory’ and jihad lure youthDespite the Taliban’s atrocities and their grim past rule in Afghanistan, why do they still exert a real gravitational pull on the nation’s youth?
First LookGaza war has ended for now, but who really won this round?Palestinians are counting the cease-fire that ended the 11-day war in Gaza as a victory. Israel claims its series of airstrikes killed more than 200 Hamas militants. Once again, the latest round of fighting ended inconclusively.
First LookIsraeli cease-fire with Hamas offers hope for calm in GazaAfter 11 days of fighting with Hamas militants, Israel has accepted a cease-fire proposal mediated by Egypt. It has been the heaviest round of fighting between the two sides since a 50-day war in 2014.
First LookTribal elders, not top officials, may be key to Afghan peaceIn a province in Eastern Afghanistan that has been hit hard by violence, tribal elders have managed to secure a cease-fire between the Taliban and the Afghan government – something international leaders have been unable to do.
For Hamas, the war is in Gaza, but Jerusalem is the prizeFor the Islamist movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, war with Israel offered an opportunity to claim the mantle of Palestinian defenders of Jerusalem.
First LookIsrael-Gaza: Pressure mounts on Biden to push for cease-fireThe U.N. Security Council and Muslim nations convened emergency meetings as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest attacks in nearly a week of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes.
First LookGaza fighting: US tells Israel to protect media after tower hitThe United States told Israel “that ensuring the safety and security of journalists and independent media is a paramount responsibility,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
In Israel, Arabs and Jews alike recoil from mob violenceThe mob violence in Israel is prompting horrified Arabs and Jews to ask: How much hard-won progress will be undone? Will it be possible to heal?
First Look'I'll go again': Afghan girls undeterred by bombing head to schoolDays after a bomb attack on a high school in Kabul that killed dozens and injured many more, students, families, and teachers refuse to let the incident stop them from getting an education. “Keep sending your girls to school,” said principal Aqilat Tavakuli.
Where US-backed diplomacy is on the march in the Middle EastDespite the Israeli-Palestinian violence, there are signs the Biden administration has accelerated a “diplomatic spring” across much of the Mideast.
