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A section of the Lebanese-Israeli border is seen near the village of Shtula in northern Israel on April 6, 2023. 

Military & Security

The attacks coincide with rising unrest in Israeli cities and the West Bank that could embolden the hawkish, far-right members of Israel’s new government.

In Israel, Rocket Fire From Lebanon Risks Spurring a Major Escalation

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Essential Geopolitics: Recent Trends in Israeli-Palestinian Violence

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After decades of isolation, Algiers plans to use its energy wealth to engage with the world, but its lack of economic diversification will hamper this process.

Algeria Emerges From Isolation, but Its Economy and Foreign Policy Will Limit Change

Learn more about the controversy surrounding new Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's recent visit to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Essential Geopolitics: The Geopolitics of the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque

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A supporter of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela waves the flag of Venezuela on Jan. 10, 2022, in Barinas, Venezuela. The four major political parties that comprise Venezuela's opposition coalition will vote Dec. 29 on a motion to eliminate the country's interim government.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Venezuela's Opposition Votes to Oust Guaido, Christmas Brings Currency to the Middle East

Several factors make the latest uptick in West Bank violence different from previous Israeli-Palestinian escalations.

Essential Geopolitics: Violence and Extremism in the West Bank

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On Security

A Palestinian youth throws a rock with a slingshot at Israeli security forces during Oct. 3, 2022, clashes at the northern entrance of the city of Ramallah in the West Bank. The recent sustained increase in Palestinian militant violence highlights both the short-and long-term threat West Bank militancy poses to Israeli-Palestinian security.

The recent sustained increase in Palestinian militant violence highlights both the short-and long-term threat West Bank militancy poses to Israeli-Palestinian security.

The Security Implications of Intensifying West Bank Militancy

Demonstrators wave the Israeli flag and the banner of the far-right Jewish group "Lehava" (Flame) gather for the "Flag March" on May 29, 2022, marking "Jerusalem Day" in the Old City of Jerusalem. Palestinian attacks and Israeli nationalist rhetoric appear to be increasing Israelis' support for far-right narratives and policies, with notable implications for Israel's national security.

Social Issues

Palestinian attacks and Israeli nationalist rhetoric appear to be increasing Israelis' support for far-right narratives and policies, with notable implications for Israel's national security.

Examining the Israeli Right Wing and Its Implications for National Security

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) listens to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) at the 2019 Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. 

The Weekly Rundown: Putin and Erdogan Head to Kazakhstan, Palestinian Leaders Head to Algeria

Who is Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and why should we care?

Essential Geopolitics: What's Behind Israel's Latest Flare-up of Violence?

A picture taken on Aug. 5, 2022, shows Palestinian rockets being fired from Gaza City in response to earlier Israeli airstrikes.

Israel's crackdown on the Palestinian territory's smaller and more radical PIJ militant group could eventually draw in Hamas, raising the specter of a greater conflict akin to that seen last year.

Reassessing the Risk of Another Gaza War

On Geopolitics

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A partial view shows a collapsed UNESCO-listed building in the old city of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Aug. 10 following heavy rains. 

The continued slowdown in fighting could see Yemen's war take the shape of those in Gaza and Syria, where surges of violence are often followed by longer periods of relative calm.

Yemen's Path to a Frozen Conflict

United States

The U.S. State Department criticized Israel's order to legalize the Jewish Homesh outpost in the northern West Bank, a settlement that was evacuated as part of the 2005 Gaza disengagement law under which Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post reported on May 29.

U.S., Israel: Washington Criticizes Israeli Reoccupation of West Bank Outpost

Israeli military authorities on May 18 approved the rebuilding of the Jewish settlement Homesh in the West Bank, which the Israeli government unilaterally evacuated in 2005 as part of efforts to end the second Intifada (Palestinian uprising), The Times of Israel reported May 22.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israeli Authorities Approve Settlement Construction in West Bank, Jerusalem

An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) went into effect on May 13, The Times of Israel reported the next day.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Cease-Fire Reduces Risks of Violence

Gaza-based militant organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired 289 rockets at Israel, many of which fell short of their targets and hit the Gaza Strip, and Israel's air defenses intercepted most of the rest, The Times of Israel reported on May 10.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Fighting Continues With More Rocket Attacks

The Israeli military is preparing for a prolonged campaign following the targeted killings of three Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leaders overnight on May 8-9 in the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported on May 9.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Braces for Prolonged Gaza Conflict Following Strikes on PIJ Leaders

Lawmakers who are members of Israel's Otzma Yehudit party, which belongs to the ruling coalition, boycotted the Knesset after accusing the government of a "feeble" response to Gaza rockets that wounded three people in Israel's south the day before, The Times of Israel reported on May 3.

Israel: Gaza Flare-Up Causes Tensions Inside Coalition

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Saudi Arabia to see Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while a delegation from Gaza-based militant group Hamas, led by politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, was also reportedly in the kingdom, The Times of Israel reported on April 18.

Saudi Arabia, Palestinian Territories: Visits Dim Prospects of Saudi-Israeli Normalization

Syria

The leader of Palestinian Gaza-based militant group Hamas met with the leader of Lebanon's pro-Palestinian militant and political group Hezbollah in Lebanon, where they pledged to deepen their cooperation, The Jerusalem Post reported on April 9.

Israel: Hamas, Hezbollah Heads Meet After Israel Strikes Syria Over Rocket Fire

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

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Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

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A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

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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.  

Israel's Survival Strategy

The Pulse of Political Islam

Israeli warplanes struck targets in Gaza and Lebanon linked to the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas, and the number of casualties is unclear, The Times of Israel reported on April 7.

Israel: Airstrikes in Gaza, Lebanon Raise Sectarian Tensions

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Israel: Washington Criticizes Israeli Reoccupation of West Bank Outpost

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israeli Authorities Approve Settlement Construction in West Bank, Jerusalem

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Cease-Fire Reduces Risks of Violence

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Fighting Continues With More Rocket Attacks

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Braces for Prolonged Gaza Conflict Following Strikes on PIJ Leaders

Israel: Gaza Flare-Up Causes Tensions Inside Coalition

Saudi Arabia, Palestinian Territories: Visits Dim Prospects of Saudi-Israeli Normalization

Israel: Hamas, Hezbollah Heads Meet After Israel Strikes Syria Over Rocket Fire

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