Israel

Palestinian Territories

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, has declared a famine in the Gaza governorate, stating that more than 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza City and the surrounding area are facing "catastrophic" conditions, giving the area a Phase 5 classification -- the highest possible -- in an Aug. 22 report.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: IPC Officially Declares Famine in Gaza Governorate

Politics

Israel's Higher Planning Council formally approved the E1 settlement, which would separate east Jerusalem from the West Bank, on the same day that Israel began the initial stages of its Gaza City takeover, Reuters reported Aug. 20. 

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Begins Gaza City Takeover, Approves E1 Settlement

The Israel Defense Forces announced it was calling up 60,000 reservists to support the next phase of "Operation Gideon's Chariot" in the military's newly approved plan to conquer Gaza City, CBS News reported on Aug. 20. 

Israel, Gaza: IDF Calls Up More Reservists, Netanyahu Criticizes Ceasefire Proposal

Australia

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority after Australian authorities barred far-right Israeli lawmaker Simcha Rothman from entering the country and banned him from applying for another visa for three years, Reuters reported Aug. 18.

Israel, Australia: Israel Revokes Officials' Visas in Escalation of Diplomatic Dispute

Economics

​​Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and engaged in a grassroots strike on Aug. 17, calling for an end to the nearly two-year-long Hamas-Israel war and a deal to return the Israeli hostages who remain held in the Gaza Strip, The New York Times reported Aug. 18.

Israel: Nationwide Protests, Strikes Demand Hostage Deal, End to War

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved the long-frozen E1 settlement project, which would see the construction of more than 3,000 homes in the West Bank, BBC reported on Aug. 14.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Advances E1 Settlement Plan in West Bank

After vocal opposition, Israel Defense Forces Chief Gen. Eyal Zamir approved military plans for the conquest of Gaza City, and local sources in Gaza reported increased fighting ahead of the operation, The Times of Israel reported on Aug. 13.

Israel, Gaza: IDF Greenlights Conquest of Gaza City, Hamas Chief in Cairo for Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's expanded war plan to take control of Gaza City includes dismantling Hamas' presence in refugee camps in central Gaza, The Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 10.

Israel, Palestinian Territories: IDF To Expand Operations Against Hamas in Central Gaza Refugee Camps

Assessments

Bolivia

China

Russia

India

An aerial view shows a campaign poster of Bolivian presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina and his supporters marching during a rally in La Paz, Bolivia, on Aug. 12, 2025.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Bolivian Elections, a Controversial Israeli Settlement Plan 

United States

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) looks at Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 30, 2018, during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the coming days.

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

The Weekly Rundown: A Trump-Putin Summit, the Deadline for a U.S.-China Tariff Pause

Israeli troops are seen deployed at the border with the Gaza Strip on July 23, 2025.

Reoccupying the Strip would be expensive and stir controversy at home and abroad, making the strategy politically difficult to sustain in the likely case that a new Israeli government is elected next year. 

The Fallout From an Israeli Reoccupation of Gaza

A group of armed Israeli soldiers stands in a narrow alley of the Old City of Hebron, West Bank, on May 31, 2025. 

While it will likely curb immediate terror threats, the crackdown will also fuel Palestinian grievances, increasing the risk of a larger uprising and internal Israeli government tensions.

To Thwart Militant Attacks, Israel Cracks Down on the West Bank

Columns

On Geopolitics

An Israeli tank rolls along the fence on the border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2025. 

Uncertainty regarding who will govern post-war Gaza and fund its reconstruction increases the likelihood of a prolonged Israeli occupation that would empower Israel's far-right to push for annexation and more extensive population displacement.

Is Gaza Destined for Another Israeli Occupation?

Iran

Lebanon

Israel's parliament meets March 20, 2023, in Jerusalem. A caretaker government would likely make concessions in Gaza, while a new government would likely take a different approach than Netanyahu toward Hezbollah and Iran.

A caretaker government would likely make concessions in Gaza, while a new government would likely take a different approach than Netanyahu toward Hezbollah and Iran.

How a Government Collapse Could Alter Israeli Foreign Policy

Kenya

South Africa

Poland

Global Trade

The Weekly Rundown: A U.S. Tariff Ruling, Israel's Opposition Seeks To Dissolve the Knesset

Iraq

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) interacts with Oman Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad (second from right) as they prepare to pose for photos with leaders during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders' Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025.

Despite Trump's recent sharp words on his predecessor's "forever wars," U.S. trade and energy interests will keep him engaged in the region, though in ways that rely more on economic and diplomatic leverage, as opposed to military campaigns.

Is the Era of U.S. Interventionism in the Middle East Over?

Israeli soldiers conduct a raid in the West Bank on March 19, 2025. 

Israel's newly approved plan to expand its offensive against Hamas will invite more Houthi attacks on its territory, worsen Gaza's humanitarian crisis, and fuel backlash both at home and abroad. 

To Break Hamas, Israel Prepares to Reoccupy Gaza

Palestinian men walk amidst the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli strike on a residential area of Gaza City on April 9, 2025. 

With the U.S.'s tacit support, Israel will likely keep expanding its military operations in Gaza in the hopes of pressuring both Hamas and local civilians there to leave, thereby making it easier to reoccupy the Strip.

To Secure Gaza, Israel Pursues a Strategy of Occupation and Displacement

Somalia

Egypt

Europe

Philippe Lazzarini (C), the commissioner general for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, attends a humanitarian conference for Gaza in Cairo, Egypt, on Dec. 2, 2024, amid the continuing Israel-Hamas war.

Egypt's economic limitations will continue to restrain its assertiveness in foreign policy, constraining its ability to project power in the region.

Egypt's Economic Priorities Sideline Assertive Foreign Policy

Smoke billows during Israeli strikes west of Gaza City on March 18, 2025. 

In the coming days and weeks, Israel will likely carry out phased escalations and de-escalations to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages, returning Gaza to war by effectively collapsing the January ceasefire.

Large-Scale Israeli Airstrikes Plunge Gaza Back Into an Open-Ended Conflict

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

Israel, Palestinian Territories: IPC Officially Declares Famine in Gaza Governorate

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Begins Gaza City Takeover, Approves E1 Settlement

Israel, Gaza: IDF Calls Up More Reservists, Netanyahu Criticizes Ceasefire Proposal

Israel, Australia: Israel Revokes Officials' Visas in Escalation of Diplomatic Dispute

Israel: Nationwide Protests, Strikes Demand Hostage Deal, End to War

Israel, Palestinian Territories: Israel Advances E1 Settlement Plan in West Bank

Israel, Gaza: IDF Greenlights Conquest of Gaza City, Hamas Chief in Cairo for Talks

Israel, Palestinian Territories: IDF To Expand Operations Against Hamas in Central Gaza Refugee Camps

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