Here are brief portraits of Israel's key political and military leaders, including Ariel Sharon, Shimon Peres, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Shaul Mofaz, the Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff.

Since the current uprising began, in September 2000, popular support for radical Islamist militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad has surged, while new players such as the secular Al Aqsa Brigades, with ties to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, have emerged on the scene. Here's an overview of the Palestinian political organizations and militant groups and their ideologies.