Israel Election Live Updates: As Gantz Concedes, Netanyahu Set for Victory
The New York Times

The Israeli election for Prime Minister has been an unexpectedly close race, as current PM Netanyahu runs for his fifth consecutive term. The election is largely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has come under increasing scrutiny due to personal scandals.

 Image: Netanyahu talking to supporters on election night (Amir Levy/Getty Images).
 

Netanyahu Vows to Annex West Bank Settlements if Re-Elected
The Washington Post

“Netanyahu has promoted Jewish settlement expansion in his four terms as prime minister, but until now refrained from presenting a detailed vision for the West Bank, seen by the Palestinians as the heartland of a future state. An Israeli annexation of large parts of the West Bank is bound to snuff out any last flicker of hope for an Israeli-Palestinian deal on the terms of a Palestinian state on lands Israel captured in 1967.”

Image: PM Netanyahu (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters).
 

How the Battle Over Israel and Anti-Semitism Is Fracturing American Politics
The New York Times

“In the past several months, a fierce debate over American support for Israel has periodically dominated the news cycle and overshadowed the Democrats’ policy making agenda... While Democrats have been unified in opposing anti-Semitism, they are divided over Israel. This split, though never before so pronounced, is not new.”

Image: President Trump and PM Netanyahu (Wikimedia Commons).

For Religious Minorities Targeted by ISIS, New Schools and Clinics. But Where Are The People?
The Washington Post

“For Iraq’s non-Muslim minorities, in particular Christians whose communities are the Trump administration’s top priority, the protracted pace of reconstruction [after the Iraqi war] could push them past a tipping point. Already, barely one-seventh of Iraq’s Christian population before the war remains in the country.”

Image: Slow reconstruction in Iraq (Tamer El-Ghobashy/The Washington Post)

Israeli Troops Detained a 9-year-old Palestinian at School. It's 'Becoming Normal', Locals Say
CNN

“In 2018, [UNICEF] received testimony from 65 Palestinian children arrested or detained either at school, or on their way to or from classes. Numbers from the Israeli Prison Services show a monthly average of 271 Palestinian children detained in 2018 for alleged security offenses. This does not include the total number of children who come into contact with security forces but are released after a few hours.”

Image: Palestinian youth arrested at a protest (Ammar Awad/Reuters).
 

President Carter Issues Statement on BDS Act of 2019
The Carter Center

“‘Under our Constitution, people and legal entities have the right to express political views without fear of consequences,’ stated former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. ‘U.S. courts have protected the right of individuals to participate in boycotts as a form of political protest. The same protection applies to the right to advocate or oppose BDS.’”

Image: President Jimmy Carter (Ric Field/AP Photo).