Middle East Crisis

Gaza War
US Witkoff to Israel – may travel to Gaza

US special envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Israel on Wednesday to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, two officials with knowledge of the matter told Axios.

“The president wants to know more about the humanitarian situation in Gaza so he can know how to provide more aid,” one of them said.

It will be Witkoff’s first trip to the country in three months.

Witkoff may also travel to Gaza to visit the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Israel-Palestine Conflict
Israel accuses countries of appeasing “terrorists”

Israel is hitting back after a group of eight countries announced they plan to recognize Palestine in September. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now accusing Britain, among others, of appeasing “jihadi terrorists,” reports the EU Observer.

The statement comes after Arab countries and seventeen other nations as well as the EU signed the statement signed at the UN meeting for a two-state solution.

France, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Australia, Canada, and Spain have signed the so-called “New York Declaration,” which outlines a plan to urge more countries to recognize Palestine.

Analysis: Starmer reverses on Palestine after pressure

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday that the country will recognize Palestine. But what finally made Downing Street swing on the issue?

The given answer is that it comes after pressure in a letter to the prime minister from more than 250 MPs, most of whom are from Labour, writes Jon Craig in an analysis in Sky News.

“Although he has bowed to pressure from MPs and cabinet ministers, Sir Keir has achieved a significant breakthrough in the last 48 hours,” writes Craig.

Another important factor in the U-turn, Craig believes, is that seven ministers, including Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, supported recognition.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that his country would recognize Palestine is also thought to have played a role, according to The Guardian’s Eleni Courea.

She also believes that Donald Trump gave the “green light” on Monday when Trump was asked if the prime minister should bow to demands for recognition. Trump replied: “I’m not going to take a position, I don’t mind him taking a position. I want to feed people right now.”