Israel-Palestinian Conflict

The Israeli Air Force attacked four targets in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning, following an earlier rocket attack on Israeli territory.

Hezbollah fighters captured two hilltops from al-Qaida’s Syria-wing Nusra Front in areas close to the Lebanese border and have killed dozens of enemy combatants, Hezbollah-run al-Manar television reported Monday.

The United States on Friday blocked a global document aimed at ridding the world of nuclear weapons, saying Egypt and other states tried to “cynically manipulate” the process by setting a deadline for Israel and its neighbors to meet within months on a Middle East zone free of such weapons.

A senior Iranian military official warned on Thursday that any Israeli attack would unleash a firestorm of missiles on its cities fired by the Islamic Republic’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

The US State Department approved a massive sale of bombs and missiles worth $1.897 billion, pending final congressional authorization. The procurement package includes bunker buster munitions and its timing suggests the Americans are seeking to alleviate Israeli concerns over the developing deal with Iran.

The United Nations will explore options with Israel’s new government for a return to negotiations on creating a Palestinian state within a reasonable timeframe.

Jerusalem historically has been the only capital of the Jewish people, and so it will remain, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Sunday at the government’s official Jerusalem Day ceremony at Ammunition Hill.

Pope Francis warmly welcomed Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on the latter’s visit to the Vatican today (Saturday). The Pope even went so far as to call Abbas “an angel of peace.”

Wasal Abu Yousef, a member of the PLO leadership, said Thursday that Palestinians would not return to the negotiation table with Israel unless a deadline for the end of the Israeli “occupation” is set.

“I will never give up on the hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” said President Barack Obama, “Palestinians deserve an end to the occupation and the daily indignities that come with it. That’s why we’ve worked so hard over the years for a two-state solution and to develop innovative ways to address Israel’s security and Palestinian sovereignty needs.”

The Lebanese group Hezbollah has built up a massive arsenal of rockets and other advanced weapons in Shi’ite villages of southern Lebanon, a senior Israeli intelligence official said Wednesday, warning civilians would be at risk if war breaks out.

The Vatican officially recognized the state of Palestine in a new treaty finalized Wednesday, immediately sparking Israeli ire and accusations that the move hurt peace prospects.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he looks to the incoming Israeli government and the Palestinians to show a “genuine commitment to a two-state solution” and asserted that an agreement will have to resolve the humanitarian conflict caused by last summer’s war in the Gaza Strip.

The fluid and rapidly changing dynamics of politics in the Middle East, where allegiances can shift dramatically, is impacting Palestinian politics and the biggest loser appears to be the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian Authority (PA) which is losing support amongst its followers and being sidelined by Hamas.

The Palestinian Authority leadership is under pressure from the international community to resume the peace talks with Israel, a Palestinian official was quoted on Saturday.

Less than two hours before his deadline was set to expire on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hammered out a deal with Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett, allowing him to inform President Reuven Rivlin that he had successfully cobbled together a 61-seat coalition — the narrowest of Knesset majorities.

Secretary of State John Kerry sought to calm Israeli worries over an emerging nuclear deal with Iran in an interview aired Sunday, dismissing some concerns as brought on by “hysteria” over the possible agreement.

Hours after an Israeli air strike on militants along the Syrian border, Arab news networks al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya reported a new Israeli attack in Syrian territory early Monday morning, targeting missile launchers held by Hezbollah and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The use of Israeli military force against Iran’s nuclear facilities would be an act of “last resort,” Israel’s air force commander said Thursday, but part of his role is to ensure that the air force has “the genuine capacity to get the job done” if ordered to do so.

President Barack Obama is making overtures to repair his long-strained relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the efforts have more to do with currying favor with pro-Israel members of Congress and American Jews than with the Jewish State, according to The New York Times.