Three quarters of highly educated, high income, publicly active US Democrats — the so-called “opinion elites” — believe Israel has too much influence on US foreign policy, almost half of them consider Israel to be a racist country, and fewer than half of them believe that Israel wants peace with its neighbors. These are among the findings of a new survey carried out by US political consultant Frank Luntz.

With communications between Washington and Jerusalem all but severed, Netanyahu is hedging his bets and preparing to fight Obama on Capitol Hill once a nuclear deal is announced.

“One of President Obama’s first breaks with Israel was when he disregarded what its foreign ministry considered an informal U.S. agreement to accept limited expansion of Jerusalem suburbs built on land Israel won in the 1967 Six-Day War. It turns out this decision — a flash point for Jerusalem — was quietly supported by Bush’s second secretary of state and first foreign policy tutor: Condoleezza Rice,” writes Eli Lake.

“The disappearance of Mahmoud Salfiti, a Salafist prisoner who had been granted a 24-hour leave to visit his family, raises questions about Hamas’ ability to control and secure the Gaza Strip,” writes Rasha Abou Jalal.

“By dreaming up an association between Hamas and Islamic State, Netanyahu hopes Israel will have it easy the next time it goes to war against Gaza,” writes Michael Omer-Man.

“Despite the continuous tensions between Israel and Hamas – the latter refuses to recognise Israel as a state and Israel remains persistent in labelling Hamas a terrorist organisation – both parties have been increasingly in contact through indirect exchange of messages. Is this increased contact and the slight ease of the Gaza blockade a real sign of a more sustainable truce between Israel and Hamas?” asks Omar Shaban. “Or will it once again be a temporary bandage on a wound that needs more extensive care and a longer time to heal?”

Ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would make the Middle East safer and more stable, as it would eliminate a recruitment tool used by extremists, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi told a delegation of American Jewish leaders in Cairo on Monday.

Israel’s economy could lose up to NIS 40 billion ($10.5 billion) per year and thousands of people could lose their jobs if the country is subject to a full international boycott, according to a Finance Ministry report unveiled last week.

“Instead of earnestly pursuing peace, consecutive Israeli governments have attempted three policies: separating the Palestinians, erasing borders and boundaries, and attempting to change the world’s perception of reality,” writes Dahlia Scheindlin. “All three have failed.”

“Around the world, more and more individuals – and, gradually, governments – reject Israel’s decades-long occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The prolonged denial of basic human rights to millions of Palestinians, all under the guise of a “temporary” measure, is perceived as both unjust and illegal,” writes Hagai El-Ad. “They are not anti-Semitic but rather anti-occupation.”

PA security forces arrest 170 Hamas men in connection with shooting attacks against Israelis, raising the wrath of Gaza’s ruling faction.

The leaders of Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) expressed outrage on Sunday over an Iranian decision to cut off financial support for their organization. Iran had been PIJ’s main backer for decades. The rupture reportedly arose over differences between Iran and PIJ on “many issues,” including PIJ’s refusal to publicly support the Iranian position on Yemen.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid called Monday for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign should world powers sign an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program, as it would prove he failed to fulfill his years-long pledge to scupper a bad agreement.

In a shocking twist which set off fireworks throughout the country’s political realm, Justice Hanan Melcer on Tuesday told the state that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot hold on to the several ministries he currently holds without revising the current law. Likud officials denied that Netanyahu would have to give up the ministries, suggesting that the law could be changed in the Knesset.