The Biden administration announced yesterday that it was restoring relations with the Palestinians and renewing contributions to the U.N. agency that provides them aid, a sharp reversal of Trump administration policy. Richard Mills, acting U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, also informed the UN Security Council that the Biden administration would again seek a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Mills announced the policy changes during

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to annex up to 30 percent of Palestinian land in the West Bank including the Jordan Valley and all Jewish settlements. The United Nations, the European Union and the international community generally have warned Israel that the annexation plan violates international law and threatened sanctions. Washington Post: "The annexation proposal has been widely condemned, with Jordan warning it would mean an end to its peace treaty with

Donald Trump unveiled a Mideast peace plan yesterday, authored by his son-in-law Jared Kushner. The proposal was crafted without Palestinian input, so it's more of a wish-list formulated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was quick to endorse the plan, calling Trump, "the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.” The deal would allow Israel to retain its illegal settlements and permit them to annex the Jordan Valley, a strategic and fertile strip

President Trump met with reporters in the Oval Office yesterday and said, among other things, ..."I think that any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty." The "great disloyalty" comment has garnered quite a bit of [deserved] criticism as an anti-Semitic "dual loyalty" trope, much like comments that Rep. Ilhan Omar apologized for in February. It assumes, without evidence, based solely on stereotyping, that

The Irish Senate voted yesterday to ban products manufactured in Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories considered illegal under international law. The dollar amount of such imports is small, but Israel fears that it could set a precedent in Europe that other nations might follow. The Guardian: "The bill, which has faced angry Israeli opposition, prohibits “trade with and economic support for illegal settlements in territories deemed occupied under internatio

As the world mourns the loss of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, he's remembered for taking a stand on behalf of the isolated Palestinians in Gaza. (photo credit: gazamom.com) #gaza #Israel