The final weeks of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rule saw a huge upsurge in violence between Israel and Palestinian factions in Gaza. While that could have put negotiations with the Palestinians back on the agenda, a change in direction from Israel’s new coalition government is unlikely.

Iran’s presidential election this Friday will take place amid widespread public apathy, as voters choose from a list of candidates that has been heavily vetted. The reformists saw all their candidates excluded, raising the prospect that they could be shut out of government for at least the next four years.