Even for a nation quite used to dramatic news, what happened within the span of four days – from Shabbat morning to Tuesday evening – came as a shock to Israelis.
The consortia owning Israel's two productive gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean—Tamar and Leviathan (with a U.S. company, Noble Energy, an important but not a majority partner in both)—have signed a huge gas deal with an Egyptian company, estimated at 15 billion dollars over 10 years.
Aiman Saif has a dream. He envisions a day in the not-so-distant future when the needs of Israel’s Arab minority are fully reflected in the government budget, signifying that they are considered as much a part of the Israeli population as the Jewish majority.
Two major, indeed vital, concerns drive the Israeli effort to draw clear red lines against the establishment of Syria as an Iranian base of operations.
In the wake of President Trump's decision on Jerusalem, the Palestinian leadership promptly decided to "fire" the American mediator – and pretend to look for alternatives – which the Russians, the Chinese, even the Japanese, seem eager to provide if possible.