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The article discusses a reported resurgence in anti-Semitism in Hungary which is causing many Jews to consider leaving the country as of April 2013, focusing on the nation's allegedly declining economy and the poor treatment of Hungarian Jews. It states that Budapest, Hungary has the largest population of Jews in Central Europe and is home to dozens of community centers and synagogues. Sociologist Andras Kovacs claims that 20 percent of Hungarians qualified as fervent anti-Semites in 2010. The radical right political party Jobbik (the Movement for a Better Hungary) is mentioned, along with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The article discusses the reported power of Israeli news anchor-turned political leader Yair Lapid as of February 2013, focusing on an analysis of the January 22, 2012 election day success of Lapid's Yesh Atid (There Is a Future) political party in Israel, as well as Lapid's work as a weekly columnist in the "Yediot Aharnont" newspaper. Israeli political scientist Reuven Hazan compares Lapid to American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Right-wing activism in Israel is addressed, along with the country's secular middle class.

The article discusses armed conflict between Israel and Palestine on the Gaza Strip as of December 2012, with a focus on the history of political violence between Gaza and Israel. Topics include missiles fired by militant Palestinian groups; Israel's military capacity displayed in its aerial bombing campaign of Gaza known as Operation Pillar of Defense; Israel's antimissile shield; and the level of civilian casualties in Palestine. The improving weapons range of Hamas, the ruling group in Palestine, is presented, along with Egypt's claim to the Gaza area.

The article presents information on the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population in Jerusalem. The author looks at the impact that the ultra-Orthodox are having on Israel's national identity, the neighborhood of Kiryat Yovel which houses many secular Jews, and the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The article also discusses the relations between ultra-Orthodox Jews such as Elhanan Gibli and New Jews such as Noam Pinchasi in Jerusalem and the changing demography in the city due to an increase in the ultra-Orthodox population.

The article discusses the violent regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the deteriorating conditions within the borders of Syria as of August 6, 2012. It states that the country could actually take a turn for the worse if the killings in country, including those carried out by Assad's Alawite militia known as Shabiha, continue to increase. It also mentions that Syria could get worse if the nation's conflict reaches out beyond its borders into the neighboring lands of Iraq or Lebanon, or if chemical or biological weapons are used.

The article considers the election of Mohamed Morsy, the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood political movement, as President of Egypt in 2012. The continued dominant role of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in Egypt's government due to limits it placed on the powers of the President prior to Morsy's election is considered. The role of Egypt's armed forces in the revolution of 2011 is discussed. Efforts by Morsy to reconcile with secular opposition groups prominent in the 2011 revolution are examined.

The article reports on Israeli culture and society as of September 13, 2010. It is said that Israelis in general feel well-off and secure, and are largely uninterested in political efforts to resolve their country's longstanding conflict with the Palestinian Arabs. Several Israelis are quoted expressing the opinion that focusing on having fun in the present is both more pleasant and more achievable than trying to resolve intractable political quarrels or worrying about the future. The prosperity of the city of Tel Aviv, Israel, and its vibrant beach culture are discussed, and the widespread Israeli belief that Palestinians are neither interested in peace nor interesting is noted.

The article discusses the political climate in Israel in the aftermath of the raid on the flotilla ship Mavi Marmara in May 2010. The flotilla had been attempting to break through Israel's naval blockade of Gaza when Israeli commandos boarded the ship, killing nine people. According to the author, Israel has been reflexively using military force irrespective of the problems it faces, causing condemnation from not only many in the international community but also within Israel. Ron Pundak, director of the Peres Center for Peace notes that Israel must determine how it wants to move forward into the future by choosing either to promote an image of innovation and democracy or one of occupation and confrontational rightist politics.

The article discusses the relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama. During March 2010 the relations between Israel and the U.S. deteriorated after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton informed Netanyahu that Obama was offended and hurt by Israel's decision to continue building settlements in occupied East Jerusalem. According to the author the two leaders have a very different worldview which complicates their attempts to communicate with each other on important issues including Iran's nuclear ambitions and the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East.

The authors claim that Israel cannot achieve national security by engaging militarily with political and military group Hamas. As Palestinian civilian deaths mount in Israel's intervention in the Gaza Strip, its moral standing is at stake, the authors assert. Instead, Israel must reach a political settlement with Hamas and ultimately agree to a Palestinian state alongside its own, according to the authors.

The article discusses the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel began an air assault of Gaza on December 27, 2008. Other topics include missiles fired from Gaza into Israel, a truce between Israel and Hamas that officially ended on December 19, 2008, and Palestinians that became collateral victims during the fighting. INSET: Brief Respite..

The article focuses on the conflict in the city of Jerusalem between Arabs and Israelis. The author states that people living with the strife have ways of avoiding trouble and know when they are too far into hostile territory. Palestinians argue that the city should be the capital of Israel, but Jews who won control of the city in the Six-Day War of 1967 will not relinquish the city. The author details time he spent in Jerusalem and discusses ways to end the conflict.

This article discusses the violence enacted by radicals in Palestine, and how the strategy taken by the U. S. and the world to weaken Palestinian radicals has to change. It discusses the war in Gaza, the rivalry between Hamas and Fatah, and the United States' relationship with President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas.

The article describes an Israeli settlement, called Migron, on land that many believe to be owned by Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert may re-open plans to remove settlers from the Gaza strip and continue Israel's disengagement from Palestine. Conflicts between radical settlers and Palestinians are described.

This article describes the situation that Palestinians face in Gaza. As a result of a blockade imposed by Israel, only humanitarian aid and foodstuffs originating in Israel are permitted into Gaza. Palestinians are barred from exporting any homegrown products, and Israeli shells have destroyed more than 40 greenhouses built by the aid agency CARE International. As air strikes continue, Palestinians continue to be threatened. At this point, Palestinians seem to think they are closer to seeing civil war.

This article reports on Ehud Olmert, prime minister of Israel. Elected in 2006, Olmert was thought to be a candidate committed to the peace process. However, when Hizballah struck in Israel, killing 8 soldiers and kidnapping 2, Olmert struck back ordering extensive air strikes and limited ground incursions in Lebanon, Hizballah's home ground. The move had provoked fears that it will escalate into a wider war in the Middle East.

The article focuses on increased escalating violence between Israel and the Hamas controlled Palestinian government and the Hizballah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Recent causes of the conflict are discussed, as well as diplomatic interventions by the United Nations, Arab countries interested in stability, or the United States through Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

This article focuses on the search in the Gaza Strip for Isreali solider, Corporal Gilad Shalit, abducted by Palestinian militants. The subsequent Isreali raid against Hamas is also seen as a message to the Palestinian leadership and an attempt to smash Hamas. The Isreali strategy may shatter hopes for the Middle East peace process.

The article focuses on the potential threat of a nuclear armed Iran under president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The article explores multiple questions surrounding the issue, including what Iran wants, how close the country is to gaining a nuclear bomb, and what the United States can do about it. Iran's boldness in the face of the international community may result from what it sees as a vulnerable Western world, with high oil prices and troops deployed in Iraq.

This article reports on the problems and priorities facing Hamas in the wake of its election victory in the Palestinian Territories. Speculates as to whether the militant organization is capable, or even willing, to lay down its arms and play a purely political role in the region. There are details of the election victory over rival Fatah and the reactions to the election from the United States and Israel.

The article discusses Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's military and political legacy. Sharon's career seems contradictory. The hawkish military leader became the best hope for the peace process. The man who was responsible for the Gaza settlements helped to dismantle them. Sharon moved between political parties, at times creating his own, in a way that left him free from constraining ideologies.

The article reports that the incapacitating stroke suffered by Israeli Prime MInister Ariel Sharon may derail the peace process in the Middle East. Sharon was trusted by Israelis to make tough and hawkish decisions in the name of peace. Ehud Olmert is currently acting Prime Minister, but he lacks the charisma to lead coalitions like the one that dismantled the Gaza settlements. An inset features potential successors.

The article discusses the possibility that Israel will use military force to stop Iran's nuclear development program. A senior Israeli official has said that due to the geographic dispersion of facilities in Iran and limitations to Israeli air power a strike against Iran would set the program back no more than a year. The article examines the 1981 destruction of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor and looks at nuclear facilities in Iran including the Natanz enrichment facility and the Fordow facility. Foreign relations between Israel and the U.S. and U.S. military power are also discussed.

The article focuses on the increasing number of Palestinian women who are choosing to become suicide bombers. The author expresses the concern that children of these women will follow in their mother's footsteps. Reportedly, these concerns are heightened by the April 25, 2007 announcement to abandon the cease fire truce with Israel by the militant wing of Hamas, the ruling Palestinian party.

The article looks at the turmoil that has swept Lebanon heading into 2007, as the country, on a the brink of civil war, is besieged by sectarian tension, radicalism and the growing influence of the Shi'ite militant group Hizballah, lead by Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. The 34-day war Hizballah waged against Israel and its impact on Lebanon is examined, with an emphasis on the damage Lebanon incurred. Syria's influence in Lebanon is also discussed, as are the ramifications of an all-out civil war.

The article reports that Israel and the international community will have a difficult task in disarming Hizballah. The group is firmly entrenched in Lebanon and its own government has had no success in convincing it to relinquish its terrorist tactics. Diplomatic efforts to create a cease-fire package include a prisoner exchange, a resolution to the dispute over Shebaa Farms, a cease-fire, deployment of foreign troops into areas of Lebanon and a pull-back of Israeli forces. INSET: "No Light at The End of The Tunnel".

This article profiles the Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert. Olmert formerly served as the mayor of Jerusalem and was appointed Deputy Prime Minister under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Olmert became acting Prime Minister when Sharon lapsed into a coma after having a stroke. Olmert is politically pushing for Israeli separation from Palestinians, and for the extension of Israel's borders.

The article discusses the conflict between Israeli military forces and the Palestinian Sunni Islamist ruling organization, Hamas. Topics include an overview of potential catalysts for the most recent Gaza war; the role of the political views of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in continuing the conflict; and Palestinian, Israeli, and International public opinion on the escalated conflict.

The article discusses the conservative, right-wing politics of Israel as of 2013, and mentions politicians such as Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett from the Jewish Home political party, and Avigdor Lieberman from the Yisrael Beiteinu party. The political activity of Israeli youth, Bennett's military and entrepreneurial careers, and Israel's relations with Palestine are also discussed.

The article presents world news briefs for the week of February 18, 2013. Israel has sent warplanes into Syria, officially starting to participate in the Syrian Revolution ongoing since 2011. Chokri Belaid, a Tunisian opposition politician, was assassinated, leading to protests. Schools in Mali reopened following the French ousting of Islamist militias that had occupied the country.

The article discusses conservative political parties in Israel ahead of the 2013 elections, with a focus on the Jewish Home party led by Israeli entrepreneur and former commando Naftali Bennett. Jewish Home proposes for Israel to annex the majority of the West Bank, making it popular among Israeli settlers living there. Topics include Bennett's political career and experience, prospects for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the election, and the future of negotiations between Israel and Palestinians in light of growing conservatism among Israeli voters.

The article discusses the work of the Ir David Foundation. Lead by David Be'eri, the Foundation has authority over most archeological excavation work in Jerusalem. Some see Ir David's true goal to be the establishment of Jewish settlements in Arab East Jerusalem. Eric Meyers of Duke University says the Foundation uses archaeology as a means of displacing Arabs.

The article focuses on Prime Minister of Israel Binyamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu will visit the U.S. for a May 18, 2009 meeting with President Barack Obama. Policy differences between the two leaders are discussed on the questions of Iran's nuclear energy program and an Israeli-Palestinian Arab peace agreement.

The article describes Abed Rabu's account of the deaths of two of his daughters during Israeli Hamas operations in Gaza. A soldier allegedly fired an M-16 rifle without warning at all three of Rabu's daughters and his mother. The incident resulted in the two deaths and the wounding of other family members. The author raises questions about the ethical conduct of Israeli soldiers fighting Hamas militants and the use of undue force against Palestinian civilians living in Gaza.

The article describes the situation of Israel's peace activists in Sderot after the Gaza offensive, which stopped on January 18, 2009, their distress and difficulty to make their voice strong among disillusioned Israelis. The author explains that whereas peace activists have been more and more hesitant on the legitimacy of their mission over the years since 1993, some of them, less and less influential, still stand firm on the belief that peace is in the long-term interest of Israel.

This article discusses the conflict between Israel and Palestine and how Israeli forces in Gaza are trying to prevent suicide-bomber attacks in the region. It is reported that Israel Defense Force uses a network of Palestinian collaborators who aid in the discovery and arrest of Palestinian militants. The article also reports on instances of violence in Israel and agreements between itself and the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

The author reports on Gaza and the West Bank, both under Palestinian control but with different leadership as of July 2007, by comparing their leaders and statistics about the two areas such as overall population, number of people in the labor force and the fertility rates. Descriptions are given in the article regarding what various leaders from Gaza and the West Bank including Ismail Haniya, Mohammed Deif and Mahmoud Abbas have done in the past.

The article reports on protests conducted by Israeli armed reservists after the stalemate in Lebanon. Reservists and their families staked out a camp outside of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office and plan to stay there until his resignation, which is hoped for by 63% of Israelis. According to the article, the biggest loss for Israel is its sense of invincibility against an Arab attack. Olmert faces the dilemma of reestablishing popular support while appeasing Palestine and the U.S.

This article focuses on information from a top Israeli intelligence official, suggesting that Israel's chief of staff in charge of strikes against Lebanon, Dan Halutz, is responsible for a number of poorly made decisions regarding weapons and defense which may have served to diminish the Israeli army's aura of invincibility. Decisions date back to Halutz's 2002 decline of the Pentagon's offer of a bunker-buster bomb supply which could have been useful in the 2006 attacks against Hizballah.

The author reports that, although there no clear evidence that Khaled Mashaal, the exiled Hamas leader, was responsible for the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit, he is No. 1 on Israel's hit list. Mashaal, an ex-physics professor who now lives in Damascus under Syrian protection, was once nearly assassinated by Israeli agents in 1997. Shalit's abduction is believed to have been planned by a radical Palestinian faction.

The article discusses the future of Palestine now that Hamas has taken political power. Designated a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union, U.S. President George W. Bush insists that his administration will not deal with a Hamas-led government unless the group renounces violence and recognizes Israel as a state.

The article discusses political violence on Egypt's Sinai peninsula as of November 2013 from the perspective that the peninsula is becoming the most dangerous place in the Middle East. The article notes St. Catherine on Mount Sinai's slopes, which was ordered closed due to Egypt's concern that Islamists and Bedouins would attack the Greek Orthodox monastery, was reopened in September. It also notes the region's lawlessness that threatens the security of Israel and the Suez Canal.

The article reports that Israel and the international community will have a difficult task in disarming Hizballah. The group is firmly entrenched in Lebanon and its own government has had no success in convincing it to relinquish its terrorist tactics. Diplomatic efforts to create a cease-fire package include a prisoner exchange, a resolution to the dispute over Shebaa Farms, a cease-fire, deployment of foreign troops into areas of Lebanon and a pull-back of Israeli forces.

The article reports on the conflict taking place in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. The rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, have renewed their fighting in the Gaza Strip. The author reports on the difficulty of a cease-fire, offers examples of violent acts conducted by both factions, provides statistics on the number of deaths since June, and discusses the actions of the politicians in the area.

The article focuses on the decline of traditional kibbutz style living in Israel, and about the changes happening at the oldest kibbutz in Degania. The article talks about Degania's history and also the idealism that many Israeli's had for kibbutzim (though few actually lived in one), and the reality. Those who lived in Degania or other kibbutzim complained that the socialist lifestyle was not working because people were not working the same amount so a more capitalist system will be adopted.

The article discusses the ending of the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. An Israeli shelling of a Gaza beach which killed eight people, including five members of one family, united the Palestinians in outrage. Hamas' military wing ended the cease-fire, which had held for 15 months, and launched at least 15 rockets into Israel. The article discusses the implications of this event for the peace process.