Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, said on Tuesday that he asked Israel to “aggressively investigate” the killing of the Florida-born Musallet, who was visiting family when he was attacked in the Palestinian town of Sinjil. “There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act,” Huckabee wrote in a social media post. “Saif was just 20 yrs old.” (Read more at Aljazeera)
It might have been naive to believe that the meeting was going to lead to an announcement of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu arrived in the US in a very different state of mind compared with his previous visits since the war started. He was much more confident. He is now convinced that Israel’s show of force in Iran, with Tehran’s proxies considerably weakened, and his success in pulling in the US to participate in an attack on Iran’s nuclear installations, have considerably elevated his status in Washington. Trump, who previously pledged he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu about ending the war in Gaza, on this occasion, and for no apparent reason, completely refrained from putting any pressure at all on the Israeli leader (Read more at Arabnews).
He was accused of harassing and intimidating pro-Palestinian students and staff members and left before any determination was made public. He has left the institution following a "mutual agreement" and will not return to teaching at the Ivy League school (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Settlers attacked and killed Sayfollah Musallet in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, on Friday. Musallet, also known as Saif al-Din Musalat, had travelled from his home in Florida to visit family in Palestine. “We are aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the West Bank,” Reuters reported a State Department spokesperson as saying. The official declined to comment further “out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones” of the reported victim (Read more at Aljazeera).
In a rare federal trial Wednesday in which university groups are challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian activists, the Department of Homeland Security shared how it got the names of some of the students who were targeted for deportation. During day three of the proceedings in Boston, Peter Hatch, a senior DHS investigations official, said most of the names of student protesters who were flagged to the agency for analysis came from Canary Mission. The anonymous group has published a detailed database of students, professors and others who it says have shared anti-Israel and antisemitic viewpoints (Read more at NBC News).
A senior legal adviser to the US State Department has issued a dramatic threat to the International Criminal Court's oversight body, warning that "all options are on the table" if the court does not drop investigations and arrest warrants against the US and Israel. Reed Rubinstein made the threat on Tuesday during a meeting of the Assembly of State Parties (ASP), the ICC's oversight body, in New York (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat for an interview on Tuesday with the Nelk Boys, a team of pro-Trump YouTubers and podcasters known for their pranks and popularity among young men. It's a sign Netanyahu recognizes the influence of the MAGA media universe and wants to build support for Israel and the prime minister's own policies within a key segment of Trump's base (Read more at MSN).
The unscheduled talks on Tuesday evening lasted just over an hour, with no media access. Ahead of the talks on Tuesday, Trump said he would be speaking with Netanyahu “almost exclusively” about Gaza. “We gotta get that solved. Gaza is – it’s a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to,” he said (Read more at Aljazeera).
The massive infrastructure programme includes the construction of airbase runways, helicopter hangars, ammunition storage, command centres, and a new headquarters for Israel’s elite naval commando unit, Shayetet 13. The project is being financed through military assistance provided under the terms of the $3.8 billion annual aid package agreed in 2016 by former US President Barack Obama (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
This week on One Decision In Brief, Sir Richard Dearlove and Kate McCann unpack the high-stakes meeting between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu as the world watches for a potential ceasefire. Plus, Chinese President Xi Jingping's puzzling withdrawal from the global stage and what UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron could reveal about Europe's new power dynamic (Listen here).
With intelligence assessments suggesting that Iran retains a hidden stockpile of enriched uranium and the technical capacity to rebuild, both Trump and Netanyahu know that their victory is more short-term than strategic. Trump says his priority is to lean on diplomacy, pursuing a limited objective of ensuring Iran never develops a nuclear weapon. In contrast, Netanyahu wants to use more force, compelling Tehran -- to the point of government collapse if necessary -- into fundamental concessions on quitting a nuclear enrichment programme seen by Israel as an existential threat.
Trump, eager to cast himself as a global peacemaker, is pushing for a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territory, but the contours of any post-war deal remain undefined and the endgame uncertain. Netanyahu, while publicly endorsing ceasefire talks, says he is committed to the total dismantling of Hamas, a strategic ally of Iran. The Israeli prime minister wants the remaining Hamas leadership deported, possibly to Algeria -- a demand Hamas flatly rejects. The gap between a temporary pause and a lasting resolution remains wide (Read more at Global Banking and Finance).
The current projects total more than $250m, with future ones expected to exceed $1bn. The US Army Corps of Engineers is using contractors to build ammunition depots and facilities for refuelling aircraft and helicopters, along with concrete structures for Israeli military bases. One project for hangers, maintenance rooms and storage facilities for new Boeing KC-46 tankers that Israel is expected to receive in the coming years is projected to cost over $100m. Another project to house CH-53K helicopters is projected to cost up to $250m (Read more at Middle East Eye).
But Netanyahu was more cagey on peace with the Palestinians and ruled out a full Palestinian state, saying that Israel will 'always' keep security control over the Gaza Strip (Read more at France 24).
Benjamin Netanyahu told Donald Trump that he would nominate him for the Nobel peace prize on Monday, as the two leaders met for the first time since the US launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear program as part of a short-lived war between Israel and Iran. Netanyahu presented Trump with a letter that he said he had sent to a committee for the Nobel peace prize commending Trump’s efforts to end conflicts in the Middle East (Read more at Guardian).
Israel is preparing for the possibility of further military action if Iran tries to revive its nuclear program, and Israeli officials think President Trump could green light renewed Israeli attacks. Netanyahu's top adviser, Ron Dermer, told officials in closed briefings that he came away from a recent visit to Washington with the impression that the Trump administration would back new Israeli strikes on Iran under certain circumstances, the sources say (Read more at Axios).
Trump says Qatari and Egyptian mediators will deliver the final ceasefire proposal to Hamas soon and says a deal is likely to go into effect as early as next week. “My representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalise the 60-day ceasefire, during which time we will work with all parties to end the war,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social (Read more at Euronews).
The trip will be Netanyahu’s third visit to the White House since Trump returned to office in January, and it comes after the United States inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran by attacking Iranian nuclear sites. After brokering a ceasefire between the two countries, Trump has signaled that he’s turning his attention to bringing a close to the fighting between Israel and Hamas (Read more at AP).
“Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back,” Trump posted Sunday on Truth Social platform. A senior security official, however, warned that expanding the fighting to new areas in Gaza may endanger the 20 remaining living hostages (Read more at New York Post).
“It is INSANITY doing what the out-of-control prosecutors are doing to Bibi Netanyahu,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that the judicial process was going to interfere with Netanyahu’s ability to conduct talks with Hamas, and Iran. “The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this,” Trump said (Read more at Dawn).
Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked Mr Trump on Sunday if he thought the attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities made it more likely that other countries would join the Abraham Accords. “Yes,” he replied. “We have some really great countries in there right now, and I think we're going to start loading them up, because Iran was the primary problem.” (Read more at The National)
A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to hold on Tuesday, with Israel’s military lifting emergency measures and Iran’s president declaring “the end of a 12‑day war that was imposed on the Iranian people” in a televised address. “Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally!” Mr. Trump posted on social media as he flew to a NATO summit in the Netherlands. “It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!” (Read more at Amu TV).
Israel’s military achievements in its war with Iran will mean little if they are not “anchored to a diplomatic agreement that will ensure that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons,” Shira Efron, research director of the Israel Policy Forum, said on the Haaretz Podcast. Without such a guarantee, she fears, the “fragile cease-fire” in place will not hold and there will be a regression into the “tit-for-tat war of attrition” that the Trump-imposed cease-fire managed to halt. Bringing the Iranians back to the negotiating table in good faith, however, she said, will be challenging. From their perspective, after they showed willingness to negotiate, Israel and the United States struck militarily (Listen here).
Trump wrote that he was "shocked to hear" that even after the war with Iran, the State of Israel "is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt" against Netanyahu. It isn't clear what prompted Trump's post. The president has rarely spoken publicly about Netanyahu's trial in the past and only yesterday he was visibly frustrated with the Israeli prime minister over the ceasefire with Iran (Read more at Axios).
Israelis responded calmly on Tuesday to U.S. President Donald Trump's criticisms and accusations their country had violated a truce he brokered with Iran, expressing gratitude for his mediation and relief at the conclusion of the 12-day war (Read more at Global Banking and Finance).
The State Department is sharing information with over 27,000 people about leaving the region and safety and security. The US started some limited assisted-departure flights for US citizens, lawful permanent residents and their immediate family members (Read more at Arabnews).
"The Israelis have accomplished much of their objectives ... and Iran was looking for an off-ramp,” said Jonathan Panikoff, a former deputy U.S. national intelligence officer for the Middle East. "The U.S. hopes this is the beginning of the end. The challenge is whether there is a strategy for what comes next." Questions also remain about what has actually been agreed to, even as Trump’s declaration raised hopes for the end of a conflict that has prompted fears of a broader regional war. Signaling a difficult path ahead, it took hours for Israel and Iran to even acknowledge that they had accepted the ceasefire that Trump said he had brokered. What is the future of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs? What happens to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium? There will be a need for negotiations - and these won’t be easy to resolve (Read more at Street Insider).
President Trump said Friday that it will be "very hard" to pause Israel's war against Iran in order to allow for direct negotiations with the U.S., noting that Israel is "doing well" in its efforts to take out Iran's nuclear program. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing," Trump said (Read more at Axios).
US President Donald Trump has made his administration “a subcontractor, a junior partner” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s objectives in the Middle East, argues Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. As the president mulls further involvement in Israel’s attack on Iran, Senator Van Hollen tells host Steve Clemons that “This notion that you can just drop a few big bombs and be done with it misunderstands history, because there is a real risk that the United States will get dragged deeper and deeper into this war.” (Listen here)
60% of 1,512 polled Americans think the U.S. military should not get involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran, according to an Economist/YouGov poll released this week. Only 16% support U.S. military action, and 24% are unsure (Read more at Axios).
"The best-case scenario for Israel is either an American attack on the underground Fordow nuclear site or an agreement that causes the Iranians to give up the uranium there," he said. "The worst case scenario is a war of attrition with Iran, in which we continue to bomb them but cannot fully eliminate some of their sites, and they continue to bomb us and wake us up three times every night with ballistic missiles." The 10 days before the Israeli strike were a joint American-Israeli trap set for the Iranians" in which U.S. President Donald Trump deceptively declared he was pressuring Israel to stand down in deference to diplomatic efforts (Listen here).
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced Wednesday that the United States is organizing evacuations of American citizens out of Israel, as the specter of the U.S. potentially striking against Iran looms (Read more at Politico).
The Israel-Iran conflict brings more instability to the Middle East, a region with extensive US interests. They'll be central to shaping president Donald Trump's strategy. So, what's at stake for Washington--and the pros and cons for Trump of further involvement? (Listen here)
Donald Trump loyalists are shaping a narrative of how the U.S. leader outfoxed Iran and lulled the mullahs into thinking he would restrain Benjamin Netanyahu. More likely the Israeli PM outthought them all (Read more at Politico).
British officials persuaded Trump administration not to sanction UK nationals involved in Israel case, including Amal Clooney, but fear more sanctions are still to come. The US has already imposed sanctions on the court's British chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, and four of its judges, but sanctioning the court itself could deal a fatal blow to its ability to function (Read more at Middle East Eye).
President Donald Trump said the United States could become involved in the Iran-Israel conflict, and that he would be “open” to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator. The Republican president also said talks over Iran’s nuclear program were continuing and that Tehran would “like to make a deal,” perhaps more quickly now that the Islamic Republic is trading massive strikes with Israel (Read more at Defense Post).
The modification is secret, but two US officials confirmed that Israel did not use mid-air refuelling during its Friday attack on Iran or land their warplanes for refuelling at any nearby countries. The F-35 is the only long-range stealth fighter in the world, and its features make it difficult for radar or infrared sensors to track it. The scale of Israel’s Friday attack and the surprise nature of it mean the improvement is a sea change for the F-35, the US officials said (Read more at Middle East Eye).
President Trump said after a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the war between Israel and Iran needs to end. Why it matters: Trump's call for ending the war comes less than 48 hours after Israel launched its attacks against Iran and shows the amount of concern at the White House from the escalating fighting (Read more at Axios).
Israel has asked the Trump administration over the past 48 hours to join the war with Iran in order to eliminate its nuclear program, according to two Israeli officials. The big picture: Israel lacks the bunker buster bombs and large bomber aircraft needed to destroy Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment site, which is built into a mountain and deep underground. The U.S. has both within flying distance of Iran (Read more at Axios).
The US State Department specifically named Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel in its alerts, urging Americans in certain areas to shelter in place and in some cases leave immediately (Read more at MSN).
Trump would have undoubtedly been regarded with less ill will in Tehran had he stuck to the “America First” policy that is the cornerstone of his second administration. As the name suggests, this policy ostensibly promotes a focus on US citizens and their needs rather than on, you know, bombing people in other countries. And yet the at least tacit endorsement extended by Trump for today’s attacks on Iran would seem to call into question American priorities – and raise the possibility that the US is instead putting “Israel First” (Read more at Aljazeera).
"I think it's been excellent. We gave them a chance and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more," Trump was quoted as saying by an ABC reporter (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Iran launched a major counterattack against Israel on Friday, firing around 100 missiles in two barrages, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The retaliatory attack began 18 hours after Israel launched a war against Iran, attacking its nuclear facilities and missile sites and killing top military leaders and nuclear scientists. The U.S. is helping to intercept incoming ballistic missiles, according to an Israeli official and a senior U.S. official (Read more at Axios).
The US sent around 300 Hellfire missiles to Israel. The transfer of such a large quantity of Hellfires suggests that the Trump administration was well-informed of Israel’s plans to attack the Islamic Republic of Iran (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Rev. Johnnie Moore, a White House adviser during President Donald Trump's first term, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, from the Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center, have promoted interfaith dialogue in Arab states for years (Read more at MSN).
The U.S. would almost certainly help Israel defend itself from Iranian retaliation, as it has during past Iranian attacks. While Israel could cause significant damage to Iran's nuclear program, an Israeli operation would be more limited than one involving U.S. participation (Read more at Axios).
MAGA erupted with warnings that the movement could fracture if President Trump green-lights — or fails to stop — Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Non-interventionism is one of the core pillars of the "America First" movement — arguably as important to the MAGA base as immigration and trade (Read more at Axios).
White House envoy Steve Witkoff privately warned top Senate Republicans last week that Iran could unleash a mass casualty response if Israel bombs their nuclear facilities (Read more at Axios).
“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense.” (Read more at New York Post)
The diplomatic demarche, sent on Tuesday, says countries that take "anti-Israel actions" following the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to U.S. foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences from Washington (Read more at Bundle).
"It will be one of the highest honors of my life to address the Israeli Knesset at this fateful moment. Our ties run deeper than military partnerships and trade agreements,” Johnson said in a statement (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
Netanyahu is interested in negotiating an updated security deal and working up towards a full peace agreement, according to a senior Israeli official. These would be the first such talks between Israel and Syria since 2011, and would be particularly remarkable given recent history. The Netanyahu government was highly concerned about the new Turkey-backed Syrian government, and lobbied the Trump administration to move cautiously in engaging with it (Read more at Axios).
Israelis are more than twice as likely (69%) as the average (34%) among citizens of 24 countries, which the Pew Research Center polled, to have at least some faith in U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policies. The only one of the 24 countries that had a higher degree of confidence in the president’s global approach was Nigeria (79%), followed, after Israel, by Kenya (64%), Hungary (53%) and India (52%). (Read more at JNS)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned sanctions imposed by the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two right-wing members of the Israeli Cabinet. "These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” Rubio said on X (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı)
Alexander’s release paved the way for the subsequent talks. But soon after the preliminary ceasefire deal was struck, Witkoff changed course and came up with a modified plan that was accepted by the Israelis, thus tossing the ball back into Hamas’s court. Clearly, Witkoff could not persuade the Israelis to accept what had been agreed with Hamas in Doha, instead adopting as his own Israel’s counterproposal - which, to Hamas, seemed nothing short of capitulation. The Israelis and their US backers might have concluded that after many months of war, Hamas had been severely battered and was too weak to reject the proposal. This is not the first time they’ve been proven wrong (Read more at Middle East Eye).
"We discussed a lot of things, and it went very well, very smooth. We'll see what happens," Trump said. "You know, we're trying to do something with a country we just spoke about, Iran," he added. Noting the difficulty of engaging with Iran, Trump said: "They are good negotiators, but they're tough. Sometimes they can be too tough, that's the problem." (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
“Where is the outrage for these two young victims?” Rep. Mike Johnson said. “We must stand up and protect our Jewish brothers and sisters.” They remembered Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday evening, as lawmakers of both political parties vowed to continue the fight against the Jew-hatred that has led to violence and the deaths of two young Israeli embassy employees on a Washington street earlier this month (Read more at JNS).
An Egyptian immigrant who had overstayed his visa in the US and was angry with Israel’s killings in Gaza was last week arrested and charged with a hate crime after he threw firebombs at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado. No act of violence should be condoned or encouraged. Eight people suffered severe burns and were hospitalized as a result of the attack, during which Soliman yelled “Free Palestine.” The problem is that Americans are the biggest hypocrites when it comes to the rule of law. Americans are the worst when it comes to embracing consistent morality. Americans scream when someone commits an act of aggression against them, but are silent when their country’s actions fuel acts of aggression against others (Read more at Arabnews).
Israel has sold a record amount of debt in the US since the war on Gaza erupted. The starting price for non-tradable retail Israeli bonds is as low as $36 (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The candidates were asked what their first foreign trip would be as mayor. “Given the hostility and the antisemitism that has been shown in New York, I would go to Israel,” said Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor. Zohran Mamdani, an anti-Israel New York state representative who just received the endorsement of far-left, progressive “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), said that he would stay in the city (Read more at JNS).
“It’s a very important time, especially with Israel at war, that both Republicans and Democrats come together with Jewish and Christian leaders to celebrate the undivided capital of Jerusalem,” Josh Reinstein, president of the Israel Allies Foundation and director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus said. “Jerusalem is the symbol of Israel, and it’s a symbol of unwavering bipartisan support for Israel as well,” he added (Read more at JNS).
US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem on Wednesday, reaffirming Washington's vision of a Syria that cannot be used as a launchpad for regional threats (Read more at Medyanews).
Judi Weinstein-Haggai and Gad Haggai from Kibbutz Nir Oz were murdered during the Oct. 7 attack while they were on their morning walk. Their bodies were held by a Hamas 0ff-shoot called "The Mujahideen Brigades" for more than 600 days (Read more at Axios).
The text, co-sponsored by Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Somalia – collectively known as the E-10 – received 14 votes in favour, with the US casting the lone vote against (Read more at UN News).
"The article failed to make clear if attributing the deaths to Israel was the position of the Gaza health ministry or a fact verified by The Post," the newspaper said. "The Post didn't give proper weight to Israel's denial and gave improper certitude about what was known about any Israeli role in the shootings," it added. An archived version of the article indicates that an Israeli military statement about being "currently unaware of injuries caused by" the army was included in the second paragraph (Read more at Middle East Eye).
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Israel “backed and supported” the new proposal. Hamas officials gave the Israeli-approved draft a cool response, but said they wanted to study the proposal more closely before giving a formal answer. “The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine,” Bassem Naim, a top Hamas official, told The Associated Press. He said it “does not respond to any of our people’s demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.” (Read more at AP)
The White House is optimistic a new proposal from Trump envoy Steve Witkoff could help bridge the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas and produce a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza soon. President Trump has made clear he wants to end a war that has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians and more than 1,600 Israelis. Over the past two weeks, Witkoff has been negotiating with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his top adviser Ron Dermer, and with Hamas leaders in Doha through Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah (Read more at Axios).
Asked if he warned Netanyahu not to attack Iran, Trump said "I would like to be honest, yes I did." Trump stressed he told Netanyahu a military strike on Iran in the current timing would be "inappropriate" because the U.S. and Iran are close to a deal. Trump said he believes the Iranian nuclear crisis can be solved with "a very strong document," and without military action (Read more at Axios).
A fringe faction of the Democratic Socialists of America is praising the murder of two Israeli diplomats outside a Washington, DC, Jewish museum, and lionizing suspected killer Elias Rodriguez, according to posts on social media. The DSA Liberation Caucus, a self-identified Marxist-Leninist-Maoist caucus within the DSA, glorified Rodriguez in a social media post that appeared to be a direct call for more domestic terrorism. “It is right to rebel against the enemy. This is Maoist law,” the post from the DSA Liberation Caucus read (Read more at New York Post).
The meeting was part of Noem’s larger jaunt to Italy, Bahrain and Poland, where she also spoke to world leaders about advancing US security interests. While in Israel, “the Secretary and Prime Minister had a candid conversation where the Secretary reiterated POTUS’s desire to bring peace to the region and for Iran to never have a nuclear weapon,” a readout of the meeting read (Read more at New York Post).
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter thanked Vance for the gesture (Read more at Vinnews).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed to JNS that former Hamas hostage Liri Albag was delayed for inspection at John F. Kennedy International Airport after she informed officials she had previously been held captive in Gaza (Read more at JNS).
Joseph Neumayer, 28, allegedly posted on social media that he planned to "burn down the embassy" in Tel Aviv before traveling there, writing, "Death to America," according to a DOJ release. Social media posts from an account believed to be used by him also revealed threats to assassinate President Trump, the DOJ said. Neumayer was taken into custody Sunday by FBI agents at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York after being deported from Israel, federal prosecutors said (Read more at Axios).
Kristi Noem, the U.S. secretary of homeland security, shared “unwavering support for the prime minister and the State of Israel” during a meeting on Sunday evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Jerusalem office, per an Israeli readout. “She also expressed great appreciation for the prime minister’s policy of building a fence along the Egyptian border and for his conduct of the war,” Netanyahu’s office stated (Read more at JNS).
The U.S. secretary of state said in testimony on Capitol Hill that American pressure led to Israel lifting the blockade on Gaza aid. Rubio, who was called upon for information about the U.S. State Department’s budget requests, told the panel that the Trump administration is taking measures to get additional aid into the enclave (Read more at JNS).
Netanyahu, who had previously made no public comment on the issue, told reporters at a news conference that he had spoken to Trump around ten days ago and the president had told him: “Bibi I want you to know, I have a complete commitment to you and I have a complete commitment to the state of Israel.” (Read more at Middle East Monitor)
“As we await additional details, one thing remains clear: antisemitism has no place in our country, and we need to take action to put an end to this vile hate as violence worsens both at home and around the globe,” stated Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.). (Read more at JNS).
The American Jewish Committee had been hosting an event at the Capital Jewish Museum aimed at bridge-building in the Middle East and North Africa. Lischinsky and Milgrim had exited the event when they were fatally shot around 9 p.m. After the shooting, the suspect walked into the museum looking “distraught,” JoJo Drake Kalin, who organized the Young Diplomats event, told Sky News. “I actually offered and gave him water, unbeknownst to me that I was actually looking evil in the eye,” Kalin said (Read more at NBC News).
Microsoft has fired an employee who interrupted a speech by CEO Satya Nadella to protest the company’s work supplying the Israeli military with technology used for the war in Gaza (Read more at AP).
Speaking before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Rubio said that while the United States has not followed European countries in issuing sanctions or public warnings over aid shortfalls, the administration has conveyed its expectations (Read more at JNS).
Resurfaced video shows New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a member of the state assembly, saying New York tax dollars were used to fund trips to Israel for state politicians (Read more at JNS).
Such a move would mark a “brazen break” from President Donald Trump’s diplomatic push. While no final decision has been made by Israeli leaders, “intercepted Israeli communications and observations of Israeli military movements” suggest an imminent strike. And the prospect of a Trump-negotiated US-Iran deal that doesn’t remove all of Iran’s uranium makes the chance of a strike more likely (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
As Gulf states shower him in riches, the US president seems ready to break with any diplomatic tradition in order to expand his 'America First' vision. The primary goal was to make “America First” a global brand - not just a vision for the United States and its people, but also a political and economic aspiration for as many other countries as possible, stemming from the exceptionalist belief that, regardless of whether a Republican or Democrat is in the White House, what’s good for the US is good for the world.
There is no doubt that over the last quarter of a century, “America” as a brand has suffered periods of extended reputational damage. Its endless wars in the Middle East fuelled chaos and illegal migration flows; its sanctions policies irked enemies and allies alike; and Wall Street’s unregulated financial schemes led to a global financial crisis with massive consequences. In rebranding the US according to Trump’s vision, there are no taboos. Even the most exorbitant privilege, the US dollar as the global reserve currency, can be discussed. Trump’s economic advisers now suggest that this status is no longer an asset, but rather a liability reflected in the country’s huge trade deficit (Read more at Middle East Eye).
He is upset by images of suffering of Palestinian children, and has told his aides to tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he wants him to wrap it up, two White House officials said (Read more at Axios).
From Gaza to Riyadh, the US president is making deals that undercut Israeli priorities. But these tactical shifts should not be misread as a break from America's imperial strategy (Read more at Middle East Eye).
American Jewish leaders, who attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass in Rome on Sunday and met with the pontiff at the Vatican the following day, are optimistic about the future of Jewish-Catholic relations. But they told JNS that they remain clear-eyed about what they think is likely to be a continuation of the Church’s approach of holding Israel uniquely responsible for the war that Hamas started on Oct. 7, 2023 (Read more at JNS).
A now-former Bloomberg News reporter was arrested when anti-Israel protesters took over Columbia University’s main library this month. Jason Kao, who also used to work at the New York Times, was charged with criminal trespass after NYPD officers entered Butler Library to regain control of the building on the elite Morningside Heights campus on May 7. The graphics reporter is no longer employed by the financial news outlet, a Bloomberg spokesperson said (Read more at New York Post).
An estimated 40,000 people, including members of Congress and the Knesset, Israeli ministers, local public officials and former hostages and their families, lined Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on Sunday as part of the 77th annual Celebrate Israel Day parade (Read more at JNS).
The U.S. official said Vance made the decision because he didn't want his trip to suggest the Trump administration endorsed the Israeli decision to launch a massive operation at a time when the U.S. is pushing for a ceasefire and hostage deal (Read more at Axios).
The Trump administration is trying to stave off a massive Israeli operation in Gaza, release more hostages, and allow aid into Gaza to prevent starvation and a humanitarian catastrophe. Now, White House envoy Steve Witkoff has given Israel and Hamas an updated proposal for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal and is pressing the parties to accept it (Read more at Axios)
Congresswoman says measure aims to recognise forced displacement of Palestinians during the establishment of the Israeli state. “The Nakba is well-documented and continues to play out today,” Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, wrote on Twitter. “We must acknowledge that the humanity of Palestinians is being denied when folks refuse to acknowledge the war crimes and human rights violations in apartheid Israel.” The Democratic congresswoman said the resolution is cosponsored by her fellow progressives Betty McCollum, Marie Newman, Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Read more at Aljazeera).
Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, visited Yad Vashem on Thursday to pay tribute to the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust (Read more at JNS).
Eight anti-Israel protesters were busted during a wild march late Thursday – and cops are still hunting a ski mask-wearing agitator who bashed an NYPD cop in the face with a metal barricade, police said (Read more at AOL).
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier rerouted from the South China Sea to the Middle East on Monday, a move that will put two U.S. aircraft carriers in the region as the conflict worsens between Israel and Iran. Dozens of Air Force refueling aircraft also left their U.S. bases this weekend in a new deployment to Europe, a preventative measure to support any operations in the Middle East (Read more at Politico).
United Nations: The United Nations said on Thursday it will not take part in a US-backed humanitarian operation in Gaza because it is not impartial, neutral or independent, while Israel pledged to facilitate the effort without being involved in aid deliveries (Read more at deccanherald).
One of the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream said that he could not call himself an American without putting his “body on the line” after he was arrested during a Senate health committee hearing for protesting against US support for Israel’s war on Gaza (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has concluded a series of extended meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and members of the negotiating team regarding the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza (Read more at JNS).
President Donald Trump urged Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords while giving a speech in the country on Tuesday as part of his first overseas trip in his second term (Read more at MSN).
US Special Envoy Adam Boehler and Steve Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle East, met families of hostages for almost two hours in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Of the 58 hostages held in Gaza, about 20 are said to be alive. US officials told families of hostages still held in Gaza they see a better chance of a deal for their release after Washington reached an accord with militant group Hamas for an American hostage that largely bypassed the Israeli government (Read more at MSN).
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) arrived in Turkey on Tuesday for “the express purpose of assessing the situation in Syria,” the senator stated. Although he would support relieving sanctions on Syria under the “right conditions,” Graham said that it is vital to remember that “the current leadership in Syria achieved its position through force of arms, not through the will of its people.” (Read more at JNS)
United States President Donald Trump says that forging formal relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel would be a “dream”, but he wants the kingdom to do it on its “own time” (Read more at Aljazeera).
"The message to the region was clear: Israel is no longer a top U.S. priority," wrote Itamar Eichner, diplomatic correspondent for Israeli news outlets ynet. One Israeli official said Trump's announcement on the Houthis was "kind of an embarrassment" and that the president acts "for good and for bad" (Read more at Daily Observer).
Negotiations for a possible deal to secure the release of all hostages in Gaza would continue “under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting,” Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office. Hamas on Sunday said it would release Edan Alexander, a US-Israeli soldier held in Gaza, as the group revealed it was engaged in direct talks with the United States towards a ceasefire (Read more at Defense Post).
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Sunday that Israel fully endorses U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza aid. Trump recently repeated a U.S. pledge to help get food to Palestinians in Gaza. A U.S.-backed mechanism for getting aid into Gaza should take effect soon, Washington's envoy to Israel also said (Read more at MTV).
They discussed nuclear talks with Iran and Israel’s war in Gaza. Dermer met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday and had several meetings in the White House (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Trump appears to want the Middle East to have a respite from war and mass starvation during his trip to the oil-rich Gulf starting on Tuesday. He is signalling that he can leave Israel in the dust if it doesn’t go along for the ride. The ceasefire with the Houthis had the whiff of an “Aramco moment,” referring to Trump’s decision in 2019 not to respond to a massive drone attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthis on Saudi Arabia’s oil installations. Israeli media reports have said that Trump could unveil a new Gaza ceasefire plan this weekend. According to the reports, Trump could float a role for Hamas in Gaza's future governance (Read more at Middle East Eye).
"As long as they announced the cessation (of U.S. strikes) and they are actually committed to that, our position was self-defence so we will stop." Mohammed Abdulsalam, the chief Houthi negotiator said. He reiterated they would also carry out strikes against the U.S. if Washington resumes its attacks on Yemen (Read more at Reuters).
Other unnamed nations "would be invited to take part" in the provisional U.S.-led administration, which "would draw on Palestinian technocrats but would exclude Islamist group Hamas and the Palestinian Authority." (Read more at Common Dreams)
While the White House has never confirmed that Israel would be part of his upcoming trip, there have been widespread rumors in diplomatic and national security circles that he would extend his trip to visit the U.S. ally (Read more at Reuters).
Israel’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) is reportedly in “advanced talks” with the US to procure Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) from Lockheed Martin (Read more at Defense Post).
Sheba Medical Center, the largest hospital in Israel, announced on Wednesday that it will open its first U.S.-based health-care startup accelerator in Massachusetts in 2026 (Read more at JNS).
Concern about civilians in Gaza has risen since Republican President Donald Trump, who is a staunch supporter of Israel, began his second term on January 20. The six senators - Chris Van Hollen, Dick Durbin, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch - wrote to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro asking him to launch an investigation by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office of the U.S. government's implementation of laws regarding the delivery of humanitarian assistance (Read more at AOL).
Israel's NSO Group was handed a $168 million penalty by a federal jury in California on Tuesday for hijacking the servers of WhatsApp in order to hack users of the Meta-owned chat platform on behalf of foreign spy agencies. The case caps a six-year battle between the American social media giant and the surveillance firm. It has also cast an unusual amount of light on the inner workings of the spyware industry (Read more at Yahoo Finance).
Benjamin Netanyahu's government may have announced plans to intensify its Gaza offensive and call up thousands of reservists – but "many Israelis, and especially the IDF top brass, are actually hoping that President [Donald] Trump will again intervene and reach some kind of deal," Haaretz senior security analyst Amos Harel said on the Haaretz Podcast (Listen here).
This would be Hegseth's first trip to Israel since taking his role. It comes at a time when the U.S. and Israeli governments are divided over the possibility of military strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, and with the war in Gaza and the U.S. military campaign in Yemen ongoing (Read more at Axios).
The United States, Israel and representatives of a new international foundation are close to an agreement on how to resume the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza without it being controlled by Hamas (Resource: Yahoo).
A Jordanian national in Orlando, Florida, was sentenced to six years in U.S. federal prison for threats against and attacks on businesses over their perceived support for Israel, the U.S. Justice Department said. Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen, 44, described by prosecutors as "a Jordanian national residing illegally in Orlando," broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, Florida, in June 2024, according to prosecutors. He caused more than $450,000 in damage (Read more at MSN).
On the third day of hearings by the World Court in The Hague examining Israel’s legal humanitarian obligations in occupied Palestine, the US rejected the opinion held by the majority of states that Israel has breached international law in its attacks on UN and international organisations during its war on Gaza since October 2023 (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir concluded his visit to the United States on Monday with a meeting on Capitol Hill with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) (Read more at JNS).
The initiative was championed by Representative Mindy McAlindon and supported by American Friends of Judea and Samaria (AFJS). Founders Yigal Dilmoni and Rafi Lizerovitz praised the decision, calling it a powerful step in “spreading the historical truth about Judea and Samaria to the world.” Arkansas’ decision may set a precedent for other pro-Israel states across the country. Governor Sanders, daughter of newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, has made clear her strong support for Israel and its historical claims. Similar legislation is reportedly under consideration in Washington State (Read more at 5 Towns Central).
Last week, conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson featured a senior Department of Defence official who he claimed was ousted because he was seen as an obstacle to the US bombing Iran. Dan Caldwell, a top advisor to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, was removed from the Pentagon earlier this month on charges that he allegedly leaked classified information about Hegseth’s use of a Signal chat (Read more at Middle East Eye).
An upgraded trade pact would ease restrictions on data sharing that would enable significant collaboration. Most U.S. goods are already exempt from Israeli tariffs under a 1985 trade deal (Read more at AOL).
Israel told the US, its largest trading partner and closest ally, that it will ease import standards for US goods, the minister said, in line with a similar concession made to the European Union last year. That reform became known as ‘What’s Good for Europe is Good for Israel’ (Read more at Bloomberg).
Asked whether Israel would be willing to strike Iran's "military facilities" by itself, Dermer said he would not "talk about operational issues" but that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be believed when he said he would do whatever it takes to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon (Read more at MSN).
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday that police were investigating a series of incidents that have erupted from clashing pro-Palestinian protests and pro-Israeli counter-protests, including the reported assault on Thursday of two women by a pro-Israeli crowd. Demonstrations have taken place in recent days during a visit to New York by far-right Israeli national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a West Bank settler who has pressed for an intensification of U.S. ally Israel's war in the Gaza Strip (Read more at AOL).
No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militant group Hamas releases all remaining hostages. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked whether concerns about humanitarian aid access came up in his phone call with Netanyahu earlier this week. "Gaza came up and I said, 'We've got to be good to Gaza ... Those people are suffering,'" Trump said (Read more at APA Group).
“In total, six individuals were taken into custody,” the NYPD said. “Five of the individuals were issued criminal court summonses, and one was arrested.” (Read more at JNS).
"There are a number of things under discussion... but I can tell you that both sides are optimistic that we can reach an agreement," Barkat said in an interview during a visit to Abu Dhabi. The United States is Israel's largest trading partner and closest ally, with bilateral trade worth $34 billion in 2024 (Read more at MSN).
The phone call took place amid a stalemate in the Gaza negotiations after another failed attempt last week by the U.S. and Egypt to put forward a bridging proposal both sides could accept. The Trump administration wants to make another attempt this week to bring about a breakthrough, but Netanyahu has been reluctant to agree to anything beyond an interim deal that does not end the war. I've just spoken to Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, relative to numerous subjects including Trade, Iran, etc. The call went very well—We are on the same side of every issue," Trump said (Read more at Axios).
Ron Dermer and David Barnea, Israel's strategic affairs minister and the director of the Mossad intelligence agency, slipped into Paris for the low-profile meeting with Witkoff to try to influence the U.S. position ahead of the second round of talks with Iran in Rome (Read more at Axios).
A U.S. official stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the importance of de-escalation and coordination during his April 3 meeting in Washington with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Turkish officials have downplayed Washington’s involvement, noting that Türkiye already maintains deconfliction channels with Russia, Iran, and the U.S. in Syria. A Turkish official stated, “It’s not a big deal,” suggesting that adding Israel to these existing frameworks is routine (Read more at Turkiye Today).
Trump administration officials revealed to the New York Times that Israel had sought Washington’s assistance to carry out an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in May. According to the Times, the plan and its possible maneuvers were under consideration for months. But during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House last week, Trump told the Israelis he would not support an attack. The president instead publicly announced the direct talks with Tehran (Read more at Defense Post).
The $180-million deal covers the 8V199TE21-D power pack engines developed by Rolls-Royce and associated equipment for the fleet. It also incorporates technical assistance, engineering services, and logistics tasks to support the program (Read more at Defense post).
CENTCOM published a post in Hebrew on its X account, referencing a previous joint drill with Israel. The image attached to it showed Israeli and American fighter jets, with the phrase “All units ready”—a clear reference to the popular song titled “Harbu Darbu“—Arabic slang for “War and Pain”—by Israeli hip hop musicians Ness and Stilla (Read more at JNS).
The former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate was tapped by President Donald Trump for the post just after the November election. He has never previously worked in a diplomatic or national security role for any U.S. administration (Read more at Politico).
Democrats are still more likely than Republicans to express a negative opinion of Israel by 69 percent to 37 percent, respectively. But the number of Republicans who hold negative opinions on Israel has increased 10 percentage points since 2022 (Read more at Middle East Eye).
1. Trump said the U.S. would hold direct talks starting Saturday with Iran over its nuclear weapons programs. 2. Trump said the U.S. is working to get hostages released by Hamas and put in place a new ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. 3. Trump appeared to raise U.S. military assistance to Israel as potential leverage amid trade negotiations. 4. Trump said to Netanyahu, “Any problem that you have with Turkey, I think I can solve. I mean, as long as you’re reasonable, you have to be reasonable. We have to be reasonable.” (Read more at The Hill)
Two U.S. House committee chairs want to know if American taxpayers helped fund the massive protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s 2023 judicial reform. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Foreign Relations Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.) asked six organizations for all relevant documents and communications regarding any funding from the U.S. State Department or through the U.S. Agency for International Development (Read more at JNS)
Israel is in “serious talks with several countries” to relocate large numbers of people out of the Gaza Strip, a senior diplomatic source told JNS and other media outlets during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary (Read more at JNS).
Trump said he spoke by phone with Netanyahu on Thursday and that after the call, he believes the Israeli leader is "going to be coming to our country sometime in the not so distant future -- maybe next week.” Netanyahu currently faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity carried out by his forces in Gaza (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
The State Department sent a notification to Congress on March 6 of the $24-million US sale of the Colt Carbine 5.56 mm calibre fully automatic rifles, saying the end user would be the Israeli National Police, according to the document (Read more at CBC).
As part of a sweeping new tariff policy announced by Trump, unspecified Israeli goods exports to the United States face a 17% tariff. The U.S. is Israel's closest ally and largest single trading partner. Netanyahu raised the issue in his phone call with Trump on Thursday, the Israeli officials said, while on a visit to Hungary. "Most of it can be solved," one of the senior officials said (Read more at Yahoo Finance).
Citi economist, Michel Nies, estimated a potential hit to Israel’s economy of as much as $3 billion, or 0.6 per cent of GDP. Ron Tomer, president of Israel’s Manufacturers’ Association, said the tariffs could harm Israel’s economic stability, deter foreign investments, weaken the competitiveness of Israeli companies in the US market and set back trade and investment relations between the countries (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
Sanders forced votes on two resolutions on Thursday, the first to block the sale of 35,000 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, worth $2 billion, and the second on the sale of tens of thousands of other bombs and JDAMs, worth $6.75 billion. Both resolutions failed with overwhelming bipartisan opposition, by a vote of 15 in favor and 82 against the first vote and 83 against for the second. Similar votes on Joint Resolutions of Disapproval brought by Sanders in November, to block $1 billion of tank rounds, mortar rounds, and JDAMs, failed but with smaller margins; several Democrats flipped their votes, despite the sales being pushed by the Trump administration this time around (Read more at Truthout).
“Cancelling the tariffs on American goods is another step in the policy led by my governments for over a decade to open the market to competition, introduce diversity into the economy, and reduce the cost of living," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said (Read more at bne intellinews).
He said the tactic would pave the way for Israel to take control of Gaza and implement “the Trump plan" to evict Palestinians from the enclave. Mr Netanyahu's remarks, along with the move to appoint an official to lead a newly created body aimed at advancing the “voluntary” displacement of Gazans, suggest his government is pursuing Mr Trump's proposals for the enclave (Read more at The National).
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected a pair of anti-Israel amendments to a bill to scrutinize foreign funding at American universities. The Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, which the House passed on Thursday without the two amendments, lowers the threshold at which colleges and universities have to report foreign contracts and gifts from $250,000 to $50,000. It also bars schools from contracts with China, Iran, North Korea and Russia (Read more at JNS).
US Senator Bernie Sanders said he would force votes next week on resolutions that would block $8.8 billion in arms sales to Israel, citing the human rights crisis faced by Palestinians in Gaza after Israel's bombardment of the enclave and its blocking of aid deliveries. "Netanyahu has clearly violated U.S. and international law in this brutal war, and we must end our complicity in the carnage," Sanders said in a statement announcing his plan (Read more at New Arab).
A bipartisan group of 15 members of Congress endorsed the Hostages and Missing Families Forum for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in a letter to the selection committee. “Through unfathomable anguish and heartbreak, these families have become the conscience of the world,” the letter to the Nobel Committee stated (Read more at JNS).
Nobody seriously believes that the U.S. Senate will reject President Donald Trump’s nomination of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Republicans managed to get far more controversial nominees. However, the political arm of Reform Judaism is publicly opposing Huckabee. So too are the left-wing lobby J Street and the Jewish Democratic Council of America. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, an umbrella group of Jewish community relations councils around the country, didn’t condemn the nomination outright but made clear its disdain for him with comments deprecating him as a “Christian nationalist.” (Read more at JNS)
Ilan Goldenberg, a former senior adviser of Vice President Harris who served as director for Jewish outreach during her 2024 presidential campaign, is joining liberal pro-Israel Jewish organization J Street (Read more at Axios).
The White House has singled out Saudi Arabia as a possible participant in the accords, although the Saudis have qualms about Israel due to the Gaza war (Read more at MSN).
”This has nothing to do with my scholarship or teaching,” he writes. “It is a political hit job over my support for Palestine and for trying to protect our student protesters last year from physical attack, by nonviolently subjecting my own body to assault by the Northwestern Police instead of our students.” (Read more at Campus Reform)
The lawsuit, filed on Monday in Manhattan federal court, names Khalil as one of the heads of the anti-Israel protests that engulfed the Morningside Heights campus last year, which the families claimed effectively helped to spread Hamas’ hateful rhetoric (Read more at NYPost).
Morgan Ortagus told Fox News that Biden had made Israel 'fight with one hand tied behind their back' by limiting arms exports. The US is the biggest arms supplier to Israel, accounting for 66 percent of the country's weapons imports between 2020 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In January 2025, weeks before Biden was set to leave office, Washington approved the sale of $20bn in military equipment, including air-to-air missiles, Hellfire missiles, artillery shells and bombs, to Israel. In March, the Trump administration bypassed a normal congressional review to approve a nearly $3bn arms sale to Israel (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night directed his negotiating team to prepare for renewed hostage-ceasefire talks based on U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal that seeks the immediate release of 11 living captives and half of the bodies still being held by Hamas in Gaza. The decision was made following a ministerial meeting in Jerusalem, and amid an apparent impasse in negotiations in Doha (Read more at JNS).
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Council official Eric Tager presented the proposal in Qatar. The proposal calls for Hamas to continue releasing hostages in exchange for prisoners based on a previously established formula. It also extends the phase-1 ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to Gaza (Read more at Business Standard).
This move comes after a media blitz in which Boehler referred to Hamas as “nice guys” and said he didn’t “really care about” the concerns of Ron Dermer, Israel’s strategic affairs minister. He also stated that the United States was “not an agent of Israel.” A senior U.S. official said Adam Boehler will still work on other Mideast-related matters with Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East (Read more at JNS).
The Council on American Islamic Relations said it recorded the highest number of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab complaints, 8,658, in 2024, since it began publishing data in 1996. Most complaints were in the categories of employment discrimination (15.4 percent), immigration and asylum (14.8 percent), education discrimination (9.8 percent) and hate crimes (7.5 percent). (Read more at New Arab)
The Proportion of Americans who sympathise with the Palestinians is at its highest since Gallup started collecting data. Only 46 percent of Americans polled said their sympathies are with the Israelis rather than the Palestinians during Israel’s current assault on Gaza. The second lowest approval rating was 51 percent in 2001, a year after the Second Intifada (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Israel's concerns over the Trump administration's secret negotiations with Hamas erupted in a contentious call Tuesday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-hand man and the U.S. official leading the talks. When Trump aides sounded out Israeli officials in early February about the possibility of engaging directly with Hamas, the Israelis advised them not to do it — particularly not without preconditions. Israel found out through other channels that the U.S. was moving ahead anyway (Read more at Axios).
U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Eli Sharabi and other Israeli freed hostages to a meeting at the White House after viewing portions of Sharabi’s testimony regarding his time in captivity. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday. Sharabi, 52, who was released by Hamas on Feb. 8 after 491 days in captivity in Gaza, has become a leading voice among the freed hostages. His emotional account of his time in captivity has gained international attention (Read more at JNS).
Israel has agreed to a new U.S. proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of about half of the remaining hostages — both living and dead — but Hamas has so far refused to accept it, the Prime Minister's Office claimed in a statement. Hamas has in recent days said the original agreement needs to be implemented. According to the deal, the ceasefire would continue as long as negotiations on the second phase of the deal were taking place. But there are currently no active negotiations and the fighting in Gaza could resume as soon as Sunday (Read more at Axios).
They accused the United States of blocking a solution. Despite winning top prizes in Europe and the United States, the film has yet to reach a deal for U.S. distribution, Abraham told Deadline last month. Asked why he thought U.S. distributors had passed on the film, Abraham told Deadline: “I believe it’s clear that it’s for political reasons. I hope that it will change." He said they decided not to wait on the theatrical release and released it in almost 100 theaters independently (Read more at USNews).
The US State Department told Congress on Friday that it plans to sell nearly $3 billion in weapons to Israel, including thousands of bombs and $295 million worth of armored bulldozers that had been held up by the previous administration over human rights concerns that US President Donald Trump has largely eschewed. The prospective weapons sales were notified to US Congress on an emergency basis, meaning they will not be subject to review by the House and Senate’s foreign relations committees (Read more at Times of Israel).
Israel works to counter Turkey's growing influence in Syria by lobbying the United States to keep it weak and decentralised, including by letting Russia keep its military bases in the country. Syria's new leadership is in talks with Russia over the fate of the military bases. Some experts say that the new U.S. President Donald Trump could be more open to Russia staying in Syria than his predecessor, Joe Biden. According to the report, Biden's administration considered offering to ease the sanctions on Syria in exchange for closing Russia's two military bases (Read more at Kyivindipendent).
Smotrich was invited by Bessent in a call two weeks ago. It would mark the first in-person talks between Smotrich, a fervent settler advocate at the helm of Israel’s settlement planning apparatus, and a Trump administration official — and it could have major implications for U.S. policy toward the settlements, which the international community largely considers illegal (Read more at ABC News).
On 23 January, faculty and staff from the City University of New York’s Professional Staff Congress (PSC) union voted 73-70 in favour of a resolution to divest from Israeli companies and government bonds and recommended the teachers’ pension divest $100m from Israeli companies and bonds. However, less than a month after the resolution passed, union leadership organised a re-vote on the divestment resolution - which led to a 113-63 vote against it on 20 February (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The United States and Israel also shared the company of North Korea, Belarus and Eritrea. The General Assembly adopted a European Union-backed resolution, which calls for de-escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution. The vote was 93-18 with 65 abstentions (Read more at JNS).
A US-based human rights group has formally submitted a referral at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against former US President Joe Biden and members of his administration for their complicity in Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. In a statement on Monday, Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn) called for a formal investigation into the actions of Biden, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, and other US officials (Read more at Middle East Eye).
US National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said Sunday that the White House supports Israel's decision to delay releasing 620 Palestinian prisoners as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. President Donald Trump is prepared to support Israel in "whatever course of action it chooses regarding Hamas," Hughes said (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
The three-stage ceasefire which came into effect on January 19 is now nearing the end of its first phase. "We have to get an extension of phase one. I'll be going to the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that and we are hopeful that we have the proper time to begin phase two and finish it off and get more hostages released," President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said (Read more at Reuters).
The embassy stated, “Following the February 20 explosions on public buses, and out of an abundance of caution, the US Embassy is temporarily prohibiting US government employees and their family members from using public buses and the light rail across Israel for 14 days... the security environment is complex and can change quickly.” (Read more at Shafaq)
A group of American Christian leaders are publicly reaffirming the Jewish people’s right to the biblical heartland of Israel, ahead of a key U.S. decision on Israeli sovereignty over the territory. The declaration will be made public at the annual National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Dallas (Read more at JNS).
Attorney General Pam Bondi said anti-Israel student protesters who are in the United States on visas and threatening American students "need to be kicked out of the country." "All of our students deserve to be safe," Bondi said on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington, D.C., while joining the stage with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Read more at AOL).
Gilad Erdan, the former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, called on U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Qatar to take in all the residents of the Gaza Strip, instead of Jordan and Egypt (Read more at JNS).
Attendees at the CPAC conference heard U.S. Vice President JD Vance tell hostage families that “our message is that President Trump loves you. He hasn’t forgotten your loved ones.” (Read more at JNS)
In an arrest report, police alleged that Brafman had “spontaneously stated that while he was driving his truck, he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both” (Read more at Aljazeera).
"Trump's plan regarding Gaza is the only one that can guarantee security for the residents of the south and the State of Israel after the lessons learned from the events of Oct. 7," said the Israeli defense minister (Read more at JNS).
In the wake of the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to the Jewish state this week, Netanyahu noted that he had cultivated his ties with Republican leaders not in a partisan way, but in “a Zionist way.” (Read more at JNS)
Israel and the United States are both determined to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its “aggression” in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Feb 16 following a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Read more at Strait Times).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Palestinians should be given the choice to leave Gaza. Speaking to Jewish American organisations gathered in Jerusalem, Netanyahu again praised US President Donald Trump's plan to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza. "Give them a choice. Not forcible eviction. Not ethnic cleansing," he said (Read more at Middle East Eye).
The Department of Defense announced that the State Department had approved a package for Israel worth an estimated $6.75 billion that included munitions, guidance kits and fuses with Boeing Co among the principal contractors. Democratic lawmakers requested that the sale be paused until he received more information (Read more at Ammon News).
Israel's former public security minister and far-right politician Itamar Ben Gvir said in a post on X that "encouraging" Gazans to migrate from the enclave was the only correct strategy at the end of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. He urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to adopt that policy "immediately". (Read more at AOL)
The US Justice Department formed a multi-agency task force on Feb 3 to fight anti-Semitism, with its first priority “rooting out” anti-Semitic harassment in schools and universities. The Department of Education said it was investigating five universities for allegations of anti-Semitic harassment (Read more at Strait Times).
The planned weapons sales include 4,700 1,000-pound bombs, worth more than $700 million, and armored bulldozers built by Caterpillar, worth more than $300 million (Read more at MSN).
During his trip, Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Gaza, hostages held by Hamas, and the confrontation with Iran and its regional allies (Read more at MSN).
The decision comes as negotiations on the second phase of the deal set to begin Monday. Additionally, Netanyahu reportedly canceled a planned meeting with Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and other senior negotiators, instead sending his military secretary, Roman Gofman, to inform them of the delay (Read more at Anadolu Agency).
The release includes U.S. and Israeli dual citizen Keith Siegel, 65, Yarden Bibas, 35, and Ofer Kalderon, 54. Kalderon also holds French citizenship. The three men were handed over Saturday morning to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, who transferred them to Israeli troops for the drive across the border into Israel. Bibas and Kalderon were handed over in Khan Younis, in Gaza's south; Seigel in Gaza City in the enclave's north (Read more at NPR).
US president's sanctions reversals, arms shipments and appointment of hawks will likely undermine the ceasefire and empower Israel's hardliners. Figures such as the Christian Zionist extremist and new ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee; new Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth; and nominee for Ambassador to the United Nations, Elise Stefanik, will be pleased to see this largesse extended to their Israeli allies (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to become the first foreign leader to meet with President Donald Trump during his second term. “I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbors, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries,” Trump wrote in a letter to Netanyahu (Read more at NBC News).
The U.S. military transferred around 90 Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel to Poland this week in order to deliver them to Ukraine. This is the most significant delivery of weapons from Israel to Ukraine since the Russian invasion almost three years ago (Read more at Axios).
Democrats in the United States Senate have blocked the passage of a bill. The vote on Tuesday saw the bill gain 54 votes in favour and 45 opposed, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance to a final vote. But many of the Democrats who voted against the measure still accused the court of taking unfair actions against Israel by issuing warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant (Read more at Aljazeera).
The US envoy to the UN has said that they support Israel’s “sovereign decision” to shutter UNRWA in Jerusalem and that the agency is “exaggerating” the impact of an Israeli ban that experts and UN officials have said would have catastrophic impacts on humanitarian support for Palestinians (Source: MTV).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he had had a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss bilateral matters. "We also discussed maintaining close contact with partners, particularly the United States and President Trump," he said on X (Source: Yahoo News).
The Harvard Management Company reinvested $150 million in Booking Holdings Inc., a company under fire for its operation in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In 2018, Human Rights Watch found that Booking.com connects travelers to rental properties in the Palestinian territories and alleged the company is complicit in human rights abuses against Palestinians. The student governments of at least three graduate schools — Harvard Law School, Harvard Divinity School, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design — passed resolutions urging the HMC to divest from institutions and companies that “aid the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine.” (Read more at Crimson)
A Pentagon readout states that the two men “discussed the importance of advancing mutual security interests and priorities, especially in the face of persistent threats.” Hegseth stressed that the United States “is fully committed, under President Trump’s leadership, to ensuring that Israel has the capabilities it needs to defend itself. “ (Read more at JNS)
“Thank you President Trump for keeping your promise to give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself, to confront our common enemies and to secure a future of peace and prosperity,” the premier said in a video message (Read more at JNS).
“We released them. We released them today. And they’ll have them. They paid for them and they’ve been waiting for them for a long time. They’ve been in storage,” Trump told reporters (Read more at Guardian).
Washington “celebrates the release of the four Israeli hostages held in captivity for 477 days. It is critical that the ceasefire implementation continues and that all of the hostages are freed from Hamas captivity and safely returned to their families,” according to a statement from the State Department (Read more at JNS).
The Lockheed Martin company will integrate mission systems and equipment designed according to IAF specifications and build a separate production line exclusively for modifying each aircraft. Sikorsky is currently assembling the CH-53K fleet at its Stratford, Connecticut, headquarters as part of Israel’s $2-billion foreign military sales order from the US in 2021 to replace its CH-53 Yas’ur helicopters, which have been operational since 1969 (Read more at Defense Post).
