United Nations

Judge and president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Nawaf Salam (2nd R) delivers a nonbinding ruling on the legal consequences of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on July 19, 2024.

Turkey applies to join ICJ genocide case against Israel with a caveat

Turkey’s submission didn’t include a written commitment to accept the judgment as binding, which experts link to Ankara’s efforts to prevent the recognition of the mass killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as genocide.

Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani (C) kisses the Taliban flag as he reviews the newly recruited Afghan security personnel during their graduation ceremony at the police academy in Kabul on October 5, 2023. (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

What's behind Taliban's decision to attend UN conference in Qatar?

The attendance in and of itself signals progress and the possibility that the international community might find better ways to deal with the de facto rulers in Kabul.

Sudanese drivers rest on May 14, 2023 after transporting evacuees from Sudan into Egypt, in Wadi Karkar village near Aswan.

Egyptian authorities arbitrarily arresting Sudanese, Amnesty says

The alleged mass arrests and forced expulsions of Sudanese coincide with the raging war in Sudan, where fears of foreign interference are growing.

Members of the United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution during a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question at the United Nations headquarters on June 10, 2024 in New York City. The UN Security Council held a vote on a resolution drafted by the U.S. backing a proposal outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The first phase of the resolution consists of an "immediate, full and complete ceasefire"

Breaking | Last Updated: June 14, 2024, 11:05 am

UN Security Council approves US-sponsored Gaza cease-fire resolution

The resolution said that Israel has “accepted” the deal outlined by President Joe Biden on May 31 and “calls upon” Hamas to do the same.

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Analysis

After Modi's win, can Turkey-India ties grow despite Kashmir, IMEC differences?

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Israel unlikely to heed ICJ on Rafah halt, prepares for diplomatic fallout

ICJ

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

‘Bracing for the worst’: Aid groups draw up Rafah contingency plans

People walk past trucks carrying humanitarian aid that entered Gaza by truck through the Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) border crossing.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

US vetoes Palestinian membership at United Nations

The United Nations Security Council meets on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at UN headquarters in New York City on April 18, 2024. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday painted a dark picture of the situation in the Middle East, warning that spiraling tensions over the war in Gaza and Iran's attack on Israel could devolve into a "full-scale regional conflict." (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinian UN envoy: US 'holding us hostage' ahead of membership vote

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

The UN Security Council holds an emergency meeting on the risk of famine and attacks on humanitarian workers in Gaza, UN headquarters, New York, April 5, 2024.

US readies another veto as Palestinians seek elusive UN membership

The United States is poised for another UN Security Council showdown as the Palestinians seek full UN membership for the second time.

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour speaks.

Interview

Palestine to bid for full UN membership this month, says ambassador

Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour spoke to Al-Monitor about Arab solidarity on Gaza, Palestine’s efforts to become a full member of the UN, reconciliation with Hamas and alleged sexual crimes on both sides of the conflict.

Riyad Mansour

With Riyad Mansour

Palestine Ambassador to the UN

Palestinians check the rubble of buildings that were destroyed following overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 27, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

White House: No Rafah invasion until Israeli delegation talks alternatives

"We don’t support a major ground operation," White House NSC coordinator John Kirby emphasized on Thursday, as an Israeli delegation is expected to discuss alternatives with top officials in Washington next week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 16, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.

In latest about-face, Netanyahu agrees to resend canceled US delegation to discuss Rafah

The White House said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed for his top aides to travel to Washington to discuss the situation in Rafah after the Israeli leader canceled the delegation Monday.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Israel's Gallant seeks arms in Washington, Netanyahu picks fight with Biden

The Israeli premier's decision to cancel a major diplomatic visit to Washington will add to the distance between his country and the United States, but that may be precisely his plan.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) talks with Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (L) as part of their meeting in Tel Aviv on Jan. 9, 2024, during his week-long trip aimed at calming tensions across the Middle East, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Israel’s Gallant kicks off US visit with weapons, Rafah on agenda

Washington still seeks to avert an Israeli operation in Rafah, even as Netanyahu cancels a delegation of top advisers over the US abstention on a UN Security Council vote.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on Sept. 27, 2023.

Breaking | Last Updated: March 27, 2024, 1:33 pm

Netanyahu cancels Washington delegation visit after US abstains from UN cease-fire vote

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Strategic Minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi will not travel to Washington after the United States refrained from vetoing a UN resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Breaking | Last Updated: March 25, 2024, 5:38 pm

UN Security Council adopts Gaza cease-fire resolution after US abstains

The vote marks the first time the UN Security Council has backed a cease-fire in Gaza and comes days after Russia and China vetoed a similar measure put forward by the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and French President Emmanuel Macron (L) hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem on Oct. 24, 2023.

Macron warns Netanyahu forced population transfer in Gaza would be war crime

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Paris is against a military operation in Rafah and against any attempt to transfer displaced Gazans.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield attends a UN Security Council meeting on the Israel-Hamas war, at UN Headquarters in New York City on Feb. 20, 2024.

Breaking | Last Updated: March 22, 2024, 12:58 pm

Russia, China veto US-backed UN resolution on Gaza cease-fire

The failed resolution backed an “immediate and sustained cease-fire” and a hostage deal to free the remaining captives.

French Ambassador to the United Nations Nicolas de Riviere speaks during a UN Security Council vote on the Israel-Hamas war, UN Headquarters, New York City, Feb. 20, 2024.

France to submit Gaza UN resolution that can ‘actually be adopted,’ rivaling US draft

France says its proposal will not compete with or contradict a draft resolution sponsored by the US currently in circulation.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield listens as Algerian Ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama speaks.

US changes tune on Gaza ‘cease-fire’ as Rafah fears grow

Under pressure internationally and from Democratic voters, the Biden administration has begun to call for a "temporary cease-fire" in Gaza.