Pope Francis is making the first-ever papal trip to Bahrain this week, sparking calls from the country's majority Shiite opposition and human rights activists for the pontiff to raise human rights concerns in the small island nation.

The island off the coast of Saudi Arabia is ruled by a Sunni monarchy that violently quashed 2011 Arab Spring protests there with the aid of allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Algeria is hosting the 31st summit of the largest annual Arab conference on Tuesday and Wednesday as the region battles to find common ground over a series of divisive issues.

The 22-member Arab League last held its summit in 2019, before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. In the years since, new challenges have drastically reshaped the region's agenda, with the establishment of diplomatic ties between Israel and four more Arab League countries, as well as the fallout of the war in Ukraine.

Israel's election on Tuesday, the country's fifth since 2019, largely pits familiar faces against one another in a tight race. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, now the opposition leader, is hoping to return to power and replace his main rival, interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The election is once again seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's fitness to rule while he faces corruption charges. One new player has burst onto the scene. Far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir has been surging in opinion polls and could be key to lifting Netanyahu to victory.

Here's a look at the main players:

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu was within reach of a governing majority and of making a political comeback, initial projections showed after Tuesday's election, but the tally could shift as official results come in. 

Ahead of Israel's November 1 general election, the fifth in four years, AFP spoke to voters about their views on the polls, the main issues and the country's perpetual political crisis.

- Bar owner: 'Future stability' -

A rights group accused Syrian government forces Monday of burning bodies inside pits in an effort to make the corpses unidentifiable -- the latest in a slew of accusations of crimes by Damascus.

"This may reflect a broader practice of the Syrian government to destroy evidence of their crimes and deny the families of their victims their right to know the fates of their loved ones or receive their remains," the Washington-based Syrian Center for Justice and Accountability said in a report.

Arab leaders are to meet in the Algerian capital on Tuesday for their first summit since a string of normalization deals with Israel that have divided the region.

The 22-member Arab League held its last summit in 2019, prior to both the coronavirus pandemic and the UAE's historic U.S.-backed deal establishing diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.

One of Israel's most extremist politicians, known for his inflammatory anti-Arab speeches and stunts, is attracting new supporters from a previously untapped demographic — young ultra-Orthodox Jews, one of the fastest-growing segments of the country's population.

Itamar Ben-Gvir's sharp rise in popularity in the last three years has transformed him from a fringe provocateur to a central player in Tuesday's parliament election. Polls indicate his Religious Zionism party could emerge as the third-largest and help return former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to power.

Israeli voters appear to be hopelessly deadlocked as the country heads to elections once again on Tuesday, with opinion polls saying the race is too close to forecast.

Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who governed for 12 years before he was ousted last year, is asking voters to give him another chance, even as he stands trial on corruption charges. The current prime minister, Yair Lapid, has billed himself as a voice of decency and unity. He hopes his brief term as head of a caretaker government has shown voters that someone besides Netanyahu can lead the country.

Former premier Benjamin Netanyahu's record run as Israel's leader would not have been possible without the unwavering support of ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. But are they getting ready to part ways?