Iran reopens uranium plant after 9 years to step up enrichment
Iran on Wednesday reopened a nuclear enrichment plant that has been inactive since 2009, as Tehran geared up to bolster its enrichment activities should the 2015 nuclear deal collapse.
Israel
US Army inks $193 million deal to buy Israeli tank defense system
The US Army on Tuesday awarded a contract worth nearly $200 million for Israel’s TROPHY defense system to shield its Abrams tanks, according to the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems contractor.
Prince William heads to West Bank for meetings with Abbas, Palestinians
Britain’s visiting Prince William heads to Ramallah on Wednesday to visit the Palestinian Authority, after touring Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and meeting Israeli leaders on Monday and Tuesday.
At least 13 rockets launched from Gaza after army strikes Hamas cell’s car
Rocket sirens blared throughout the predawn hours of Wednesday morning in the Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip as Palestinians launched over a dozen rockets at southern Israel after the military struck a Hamas vehicle in the center of the coastal enclave.
US judge orders separated migrant families reunited within 30 days
A judge in California on Tuesday ordered US border authorities to reunite separated migrant families within 30 days, setting a hard deadline in a process that has so far yielded uncertainty about when children might again see their parents.
Presbyterian Church USA’s General Assembly Passes Resolutions Critical of Israel
The Presbyterian Church USA passed several resolutions critical of Israel on Friday during the denomination’s 223rd General Assembly held in St. Louis, Mo.
Prince William touches down in Israel for historic royal visit
Prince William arrived in Israel on Monday for the first-ever official visit of a member of the British royal family to the tumultuous region London once ruled.
Israel reportedly agrees to set up seaport for Gaza in Cyprus
Israel has reportedly agreed to set up a floating dock in Cyprus to receive goods bound for the Gaza Strip as a way to ease the rehabilitation of the ailing Palestinian enclave, conditioning the plan on the return of two Israeli civilians and the bodies of two IDF soldiers held by the Hamas terror group.
Kushner and Greenblatt meet Netanyahu for a second time
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Saturday night for the second day in a row with US negotiators Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, even as the Palestinian Authority continues to boycott the team and characterize them as ‘spokespeople for the Israeli occupation’ intent on normalizing ‘Israeli apartheid.’
White House warns Palestinians of aid cut without end to ‘martyr’ payments
The Trump administration is warning Ramallah to end its policy of compensating the families of Palestinians convicted of murder and terrorism in Israel, as it reviews whether to cut foreign aid to the organization.
Lapid asks US lawmakers to recognize Israeli sovereignty of Golan Heights
Visiting the US capital on Monday, Yesh Atid party chairman Yair Lapid met with high-level American lawmakers, urging the United States to recognize Israeli sovereignty over in Golan Heights.
Pro-Assad troops take over Golan UN post in demilitarized area on Israeli border
Forces loyal to the regime of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad took control of an abandoned UN post in the no-man’s land between the Israeli and Syrian areas of the Golan Heights, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on Sunday.
Kushner to Palestinians: Don’t let your leaders reject a plan they haven’t seen
Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner appealed directly to the Palestinian people, urging them to not let their ‘scared’ leadership reject the Trump administration peace plan, which the Palestinian Authority has yet to see. Directly critiquing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, he said he was not sure Abbas truly wanted an accord.
Russian jets strike rebel-held town in south Syria, Breaking Ceasefire Deal
Russian jets struck an opposition held town in southwest Syria on Sunday, opposition sources said, in the first air cover provided by Moscow to an expanding Syrian army offensive to recapture the strategic area bordering Jordan and the Israeli Golan Heights.
Kushner, Greenblatt to arrive in Israel for talks on peace process
US President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Jason Greenblatt are due to arrive in Israel on Friday which is the last stop on their Middle East tour aimed at promoting President Trump’s Israel-Palestinian peace plan as well as focusing on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Sara Netanyahu charged for fraudulently spending $100K of state funds on meals
Wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sara Netanyahu, was charged on Thursday with fraud and breach of trust after a drawn-out police probe into allegations she falsified household expenses, said Israel’s justice ministry.
Israel’s Public Security Minister Hints at ‘Large-Scale Military Operation’ in Gaza Strip
Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Thursday that there is a ‘very high chance’ a military operation will occur in Gaza in the near future.
UN ‘deeply concerned’ about 750,000 Syrians in the south
A spokesman says the U.N. is ‘deeply concerned’ about the safety of an estimated 750,000 people in southern Syria amid an unraveling cease-fire.
Trump’s Mideast team gets close-up view of peace obstacles
On their current Mideast tour, senior Trump administration officials are getting a close-up view of some of the towering obstacles to their yet-to-be-released blueprint for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
White House Adviser Kushner, Saudi Crown Prince Meet on Israeli-Palestinian Peace Effort
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, met on Wednesday with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, as Kushner readies the administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.