Israel

Jordan

Palestinian Territories

Military & Security

Politics

The Israeli military exchanged fire with several suspects crossing from Jordan into Israel south of the Dead Sea region, Reuters reported on Oct. 18. 

West Bank: Gunmen Entering From Jordan Injure Two Israeli Soldiers

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Police DNA tests confirmed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed on Oct. 16, The Times of Israel reported on Oct. 17.

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Leader's Death Broaches Question of Succession

United States

The White House sent a letter to the Israeli government on Oct. 13 saying that Israel risks losing U.S. military aid due to legal restrictions unless Israel improves the humanitarian conditions in Gaza in 30 days, Axios reported on Oct. 15.

Israel, U.S.: Poor Humanitarian Conditions in Gaza Endanger U.S. Military Aid for Israel

Cyber

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Pro-Palestinian hacktivist group BlackMeta claimed responsibility for a large-scale distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attack on the Internet Archive's "Wayback Machine" that lasted five hours, and the group implied plans to carry out another attack on Oct. 10, according to Oct. 9 posts on its X account.

U.S.: Pro-Palestinian Hackers Claim DDoS Attack on Internet Archive Amid Data Breach, Website Defacement

Taher al-Nono, the media advisor for the Palestinian militant and political group Hamas, said Hamas officials would travel with leaders of the rival Palestinian group Fatah to Cairo, Egypt, on Oct. 9 for another round of reconciliation talks, Reuters reported the same day.

Palestinian Territories: Hamas, Fatah To Hold More Unity Talks in Cairo

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia pledged to send monthly payments totaling $60 million to the Palestinian Authority to relieve the "humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and its surrounding areas," The New York Times reported on Sept. 30.

Saudi Arabia, Palestinian Territories: Saudi Arabia Pledges $60M to Palestinian Authority

Israel proposed a new outline for the end of the war in Gaza that would see all hostages released at once, an end to the fighting in Gaza, the exile of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his associates, the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, the demilitarization of the strip, and a new government for Gaza, The Times of Israel reported on Sept 19.

Israel, Gaza: Israel Proposes New Gaza Cease-Fire Outline, but Constraints Remain

The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a non-binding resolution calling for the withdrawal of Israeli military troops and settlers from the Palestinian Territories within 12 months, AP reported on Sept. 18.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: U.N. General Assembly Adopts Resolution for End to Israeli Occupation

Assessments

People are reflected in a window displaying a poster of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Palestinian camp of Bourj al-Barajneh on Aug. 8, 2024, in Beirut, Lebanon. 

Sinwar's assassination sets Hamas on the path of succession once more, opening the door to policy change and factionalism.

What Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar's Death Means for the Gaza War

Lebanon

A general view shows a session at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on March 20, 2023. 

To keep all of its coalition members happy, Israel's government will avoid specifying its conditions for a victory in Gaza and Lebanon, setting the stage for open-ended military campaigns that could embolden extremist Jewish settlers.

The Risks of Israel's Open-Ended Policies in Gaza and Lebanon

Columns

On Geopolitics

Iran

Iraq

Syria

Yemen

An Israeli tank Aug. 7, 2024, in southern Israel along the border with the Gaza Strip. Washington may change the regional dynamics substantially before the next Oct. 7; if not, we will likely be marking a second anniversary of regional conflict next year. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

Washington may change the regional dynamics substantially before the next Oct. 7; if not, we will likely be marking a second anniversary of regional conflict next year.

Will War in the Middle East Last Another Year?

Ethiopia

Sudan

Middle East and North Africa

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Turkey

The Geopolitics of Water

Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Japan

Germany

Sri Lanka

The site of an Israeli strike on Sept. 19 in the southern Lebanese border village of Mahmoudiyeh. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah will continue to intensify in the next week.

Social Issues

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Escalating Israel-Hezbollah Conflict, the Sri Lankan Presidential Election

Remains of exploded pagers on Sept. 18 in southern Beirut. Israel's attacks on Hezbollah's communications likely signal a steady shift toward a more intense Lebanon campaign,

Israel's attacks on Hezbollah's communications likely signal a steady shift toward a more intense Lebanon campaign. 

Israel's Electronics Sabotage Signals a More Intense Military Campaign in Lebanon

Kenya

Mexico

China

A special session of the U.N. General Assembly is held on the Palestinian bid for full membership to the United Nations at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on May 10, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: Mexico Ratifies a Controversial Judicial Reform, the U.N. Votes on a Palestinian Resolution

The Palestinian refugee camp of Bourj al-Barajneh on Aug. 8 in Beirut. Hamas's ascendency toward leadership of the Palestinian national movement seems likely to portend new cycles of violence and new major military operations.

Hamas's ascendency toward leadership of the Palestinian national movement seems likely to portend new cycles of violence and new major military operations.

The Future of Hamas in Gaza: Gauging Political Resilience, Part 2

An Aug. 29 Israeli military operation in Tulkarm in the northern West Bank. In the coming months, wide-scale Israeli military operations and expanding settlements in the West Bank will further weaken the Palestinian Authority and put the territory at greater risk of uprising.

In the coming months, wide-scale Israeli military operations and expanding settlements in the West Bank will further weaken the Palestinian Authority and put the territory at greater risk of uprising. 

Will Israel Face a Third Intifada in the West Bank?

Demonstrators calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants Sept. 3 in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel. A strengthened anti-government movement in Israel is likely to reduce coalition government unity and could lead to months of disruptions to daily life, incentivizing the Israeli government to intensify military operations in Gaza, pulling forces from the northern front and West Bank, and seeing tensions between pro- and anti-government partisans possibly escalate into violence.

A strengthened anti-government movement in Israel is likely to reduce coalition government unity and could lead to months of disruptions to daily life.

As the Opposition Gains Strength, Disruptions in Israel and the Gaza Conflict Will Increase

Smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Aug. 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Growing domestic and international pressure may force Israel to walk back its demands, leaving Hamas to step into an influential role in Gaza.

The Future of Hamas in Gaza: Gauging Political Resilience, Part 1

Sub-Saharan Africa

Mongolia

Russia

Supporters attend a campaign event for the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in Erfurt, eastern Germany, on Aug. 29, 2024, ahead of upcoming regional elections.

The Weekly Rundown: An Africa-China Summit, State Elections in Eastern Germany

The Palestinian Territories comprise two sections of the former mandate of Palestine: the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The two small areas are separated from one another by Israel, which controls most of their frontiers. Jordan borders the West Bank on the east, while Egypt lies to the west of the Gaza Strip. The West Bank is a hilly, warm country that enjoys sufficient rainfall to support agriculture, but because the Gaza Strip receives little precipitation due to its location next to the dry Sinai Desert, its economy has traditionally relied on fishing and trade. The territories' only natural border is the Jordan River on the eastern edge of the West Bank.    The Palestinian Territories lack a clear demographic core, although the lands have a symbolic heart: the city of Jerusalem, which Palestinians view as their capital.    The Palestinian Territories evolved over time. After Israel gained its independence in 1948, Jordan annexed the West Bank while Egypt took control of Gaza. After the Six Day War in 1967, however, Israel occupied both territories. The occupation strengthened Palestinian identity, and members of the community eventually came to regard Gaza and the West Bank as components of a united proto-state.      But due to their size and domination by Israel, the Palestinian Territories have not succeeded in achieving state status. The territories, meanwhile, are not only divided geographically but also politically, as the Islamist party Hamas rules Gaza, while the more nationalist and secularist Fatah controls the West Bank. In addition to overcoming the lack of unity, the Palestinian Territories must convince Israel's allies to allow the entity to gain autonomy and eventually achieve independence. Ultimately, internal political divisions and the need to pursue diplomacy to become a sovereign state represent the core geographic challenges for the Palestinian Territories.  

SITUATION REPORTS

West Bank: Gunmen Entering From Jordan Injure Two Israeli Soldiers

Israel, Gaza: Hamas Leader's Death Broaches Question of Succession

Israel, U.S.: Poor Humanitarian Conditions in Gaza Endanger U.S. Military Aid for Israel

U.S.: Pro-Palestinian Hackers Claim DDoS Attack on Internet Archive Amid Data Breach, Website Defacement

Palestinian Territories: Hamas, Fatah To Hold More Unity Talks in Cairo

Saudi Arabia, Palestinian Territories: Saudi Arabia Pledges $60M to Palestinian Authority

Israel, Gaza: Israel Proposes New Gaza Cease-Fire Outline, but Constraints Remain

Israel, Palestinian Territories: U.N. General Assembly Adopts Resolution for End to Israeli Occupation

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