House Speaker John Boehner’s invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress on Iran is an unprecedented rebuke of President Barack Obama as he and Congress are preparing for a battle over Iran sanctions, experts told TPM. “My reaction was that ‘Wow, Boehner really wanted to bigfoot President Obama’s State of the Union address,” Matt Duss, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, which advocates for a two-state solution, told TPM. “It’s part of a pattern we’ve seen, taking the Israel issue and using it as a partisan wedge.”

Secretary of State John Kerry said that an unnamed Israeli intelligence official had said the new sanctions bill would be “like throwing a grenade into the process.” But an initial warning from Israeli Mossad leaders was also delivered last week in Israel to a Congressional delegation — including Corker, Graham, McCain and fellow Republican John Barrasso; Democratic Senators Joe Donnelly and Tim Kaine; and independent Angus King — according to lawmakers who were present and staff members who were briefed on the exchange.

If the European Union wants to play a more active role in Israel-Palestine peacemaking it should first articulate a common policy and decide whether it can continue playing second fiddle to Washington.

Nearly a third of the state’s budget for subsidizing housing units has been transferred to the territories since Uri Ariel became housing and construction minister two years ago. Also, according to statistics released by the ministry and analyzed by Haaretz, 28 percent of the housing units subsidized by its rural affairs administration over the past four years were built in the settlements — even though the settlements comprise only 10 percent of the communities on the map of national priority areas.

Police on Wednesday night freed two members of the Itamar settlement’s security team, who are under investigation for shooting and wounding two Palestinians earlier this month.

Israeli authorities on Wednesday destroyed a Palestinian building in the Shufat neighborhood of East Jerusalem, the third such home demolition in the occupied city in the last two days.

Fatah believes Hamas is behind the recent spate of explosions in the Gaza Strip in an effort to add pressure on the Palestinian unity government.

A grieving father has recounted to NBC News how his five-month-old son froze to death after the family’s Gaza home was bombed by Israel. Sami Abu Khesi is among the Palestinians who have yet to rebuild in the wake of last summer’s conflict which left more than 2,100 people dead.