This is a moment of transition in the Middle East. Iran is weakened. New governments in Syria and Lebanon want to keep it that way. Gulf monarchs are keen on detente with both Iran and Turkey, their regional rivals. Mr Trump talks hopefully of a “bright new day”, a Middle East focused on commerce rather than conflict.

The White House said Thursday that Israel had accepted US President Donald Trump's proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, while discussions were "continuing" with Hamas.The Palestinian militant group had earlier said it was examining a new deal proposed by Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff,

The Trump administration should not make the mistake of thinking that an agreement with Iran requires concomitant concessions to the Israelis and Saudis.

On May 26th Israel launched a distribution network, using “hubs” to hand out weekly rations. The next day thousands of hungry people mobbed the area and work was suspended. Aid groups say the plan is woefully insufficient.

President Donald Trump believes his administration is “very close to a solution” on an Iran nuclear agreement and he has personally warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to disrupt the talks,

For decades, Israel has leveraged its special relationship with the United States to serve as a gatekeeper to Washington. From the Camp David Treaty with Egypt to the Abraham Accords brokered by Trump in his first term,

That lawmaker, Catherine Connolly, an Independent, accused the government of not doing enough to punish Israel for its 19-month-long war on Gaza, which has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, more than half of them children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israel is facing growing international pressure as aid distribution efforts in Gaza devolved into chaos during the first days of a controversial new mechanism backed by the United States and Israel.