“Virtually no one in the international diplomatic community wants an Israeli government that openly opposes the two-state solution—but the time has come to face the uncomfortable truth,” writes Mikhael Manekin. “The new government and recent appointments of hardliners to key ministries have made it clear that Netanyahu will not promote a two-state solution.”

“Throughout his political career, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has battled the 1993 Oslo Accord, backed it, objected to the two-state solution and then supported it again,” writes Akiva Eldar.

“Iran poses an existential threat to Israel and is the biggest security concern for the Jewish state. This mantra is constantly repeated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” writes Eli Clifton. “But one key group of experts doesn’t buy into that threat assessment: namely, the heads of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).”

A senior United States lawmaker and presidential hopeful on Wednesday threatened a “violent pushback” against any country that would support a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for Palestinian statehood.

“The Israeli prime minister’s overtures to discuss settlements to be annexed to Israel under a peace agreement is an effort to legitimize the settlements in the guise of a concession without making any commitments to the Palestinians,” writes Daoud Kuttab.

Today in Brussels, the World Bank will present its devastating report on the economic situation in Gaza before the bi-annual meeting of the ad hoc liaison committee, a forum of donors which coordinates international donor support for the Palestinians. It states that Gaza’s economy is on the “verge of collapse”, with the coastal enclave suffering from the highest rate of unemployment in the world.

Hamas is not talking to Israel about a long-term hudna or truce, either directly or indirectly, a senior Palestinian source told Middle East Eye.

The political leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip dismissed on Wednesday Israel’s stern warnings to the terror organization following a rocket attack on the south on Tuesday night, asserting that an escalation of violence would ultimately hurt the Jewish state more than the residents of the Palestinian enclave.

“Both the Israeli army and Shin Bet are in favor of issuing more work permits. We cannot allow hostility toward Hamas exacerbate the conditions in the Gaza Strip,” write the editors of Ha’aretz.