“Few states face the kind of complex, sustained security challenges that Israel does,” writes Dan Kurtzer. “But for exactly that reason, I have been confused — dumbfounded, in fact — by Israel’s posture toward the Iran nuclear agreement.”

In an interview, the U.S. secretary of state calls the Iran nuclear pact “as pro-Israel as it gets.” He also casts doubt on the charge that the Iranian regime seeks the destruction of the Jewish state.

President Obama stressed during meet with more than 20 U.S. Jewish leaders that Israel would bear the brunt of any military escalation with Iran.

Israeli PM says Iran nuclear deal “will bring war” as he attempts to mobilise Jewish Americans against the pact.

“Sanders’s criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu and his support for the two-state solution and Iran nuclear deal are all firmly in the liberal mainstream,” writes David Weigel. “For the time being, he’s winning over audience with a succinct, limited answer about Israel. That could change if there’s another flare-up before the primaries.”

While authorities vow to crack down on settler violence against Palestinians, studies by rights groups show Israel has a poor track record in bringing Jewish terrorists to justice.

“It is no accident that eight Palestinian neighborhoods of Jerusalem wound up beyond the separation barrier. Since annexing Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has manipulated migratory trends toward an unstated goal: absorbing the land without the people,” writes Betty Herschman.

“When the Israeli army repeatedly kills young Palestinians in non-life-threatening situations, should we be surprised by the emergence of Jewish terrorism?” asks Henry Siegman.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday raised alarm over a $100 million shortfall in funding for the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees and called for urgent donations.

Hamas-affiliated detainees in prisons across Israel threatened a campaign of disobedience Wednesday after the Israeli Prison Service said it plans to separate prisoners affiliated to Hamas in Nafha prison from those affiliated to Fatah, a prisoners’ rights group said.

“Amid several seemingly hopeful news reports on easing Gaza’s deteriorating economic and social conditions, almost nothing has been seriously considered and translated into efficient action. The only thing that gets better in Gaza is the amount of media coverage,” writes Gaza native Msallam Abu Khalil.

The U.S. government is moving closer to intervening in a high-stakes civil case over deadly Palestinian terror attacks as officials met Tuesday with victims’ families to discuss concerns over a jury verdict worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Israel has sent a message to the Palestinian Authority with a reassurance that it isn’t holding negotiations of any kind with the Islamist Hamas movement for a long-term ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources told The Times of Israel. The message came amid suspicions in the PA that representatives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have been negotiating with Hamas over the terms of a five-year truce in the wake of last summer’s brutal war in the Strip.