Global Outlook

  U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested on Tuesday that it was better to strike Iran rather than be forced to constantly deal with the Islamic State’s terror proxies. His comments come as the United States is increasing its military presence in the region amid threats to attack Iran in the wake of the violent repression of anti-government protests there. “Many plates of poison — Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis — are being served all out of the same kitchen, Tehran,” Huckabee said in conversation with JNS CEO Alex Traiman at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem. “You can change the menu; better to burn the kitchen down and not let them serve those plates anymore.” He said that Christians need to understand that they will be the next target of the Islamists. “You have been the appetizer; we are the entrée,” he said. Trump as the ‘ultimate pragmatist’ Huckabee said that he sees U.S. President Donald Trump as the “ultimate pragmat...

  The international focus often centers on the dramatic flare-ups: Houthi missile attacks, STC advances, or Saudi airstrikes. However, a more insidious and fundamental crisis has been festering for years—the near-total collapse of effective governance in areas under the internationally recognized government. This governance vacuum is the primary enabler of recurring conflict and the single largest obstacle to the "lasting stability" envisioned by U.S. policy. Without urgent and concerted support for government reform, any diplomatic framework will be built on sand. The Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), established in 2022 to unify anti-Houthi factions, has failed to become an effective executive authority. It is widely described as politically frail, strategically adrift, and crippled by internal divisions, often along lines reflecting the competing interests of its Saudi and Emirati patrons  . The STC's recent unilateral offensive is a direct symptom of this failure...

  Current events are often a product of long historical narratives. Florida’s December 2025 designation of the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist organizations can be traced through a specific timeline of events and allegations spanning decades. For a clear understanding, we must follow this thread. The origin point cited by proponents of the designation is 1928: the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood in Ismailia, Egypt, with the goal of promoting Islamic social values and governance. The next pivotal date is 1987. During the First Intifada, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a figure associated with the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza, founded Hamas. This direct lineage is a matter of historical record and is central to the argument of ideological and organizational connection. The 1990s and early 2000s saw increased U.S. scrutiny. In 1997, the U.S. State Department formally designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Subsequent terrorism financing investigations by the U.S. De...

  “Israel won’t do anything in the West Bank, don’t be afraid,” Donald Trump said at the White House in response to a French reporter’s question whether the Knesset vote for sovereignty over that territory was a challenge to him. The question arises from the fact that the right-wing rivals of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have narrowly passed a West Bank annexation bill in the first parliamentary reading, prompting criticism from the US, while the allies promote a peace plan for Gaza whose regional support depends on the recognition of Palestinian territorial claims. “Personally, I consider it an insult,” said US Vice-President J.D. Vance, at the end of his visit to Israel, in response to Wednesday’s vote in the Knesset, with 25 votes in favour and 24 against. Last month, Trump declared that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, an area where, along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, Palestinians want to establish an independent state. “Don’t worry abou...

  Documents show that the United States and Israel have sent complaint letters to top United Nations officials contesting the impartiality of their staff over the Gaza conflict, as hundreds of UN staff protested outside its European headquarters,   Reuters   reports. UN staff carried placards saying “Peace for Gaza” and “Not a Target”. They laid over 370 white roses next to a memorial plaque in Geneva to represent each UN aid worker killed in the nearly two-year conflict. “Today, the UN staff are coming together to say that enough is enough, to say that we cannot kill our colleagues in Gaza with such impunity and to say stop to all these murders,” Nathalie Meynet, president of the UN refugee agency staff council, told  Reuters  at the protest. The letters highlight the rising tensions between the UN and its top funder, the US, which has already disengaged from the UN Human Rights Council over what Washington says is its anti-Israel stance.

  U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in a bid to salvage Gaza truce talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis caused by Israel’s military assault in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine is unfolding. Shortly after Witkoff’s arrival, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social network: “The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!” The U.S. State Department also announced sanctions on officials of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, saying the groups were undermining peace efforts. It was Washington’s latest apparent diplomatic shift backing Israel against the Palestinians and diverging from its European allies. The PA and PLO, rivals of the Hamas fighters that control Gaza, are internationally accepted as the representatives of the Palestinian people and administrators of a Palestinian state that...

  Gaza ceasefire talks were dealt a new blow on Thursday when the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar, with the Trump administration saying Hamas is not acting in good faith. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his ceasefire negotiators will return to Israel from Qatar, a key mediator, for further consultations. Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, said the US was doing the same. They made the decision after Israel studied Hamas’s latest response on Wednesday to a proposal for a 60-day truce. Israel and Hamas agree on the broad outlines: 10 living and and around 18 deceased hostages would be freed from Gaza during the ceasefire, and a yet-to-be-determined number of Palestinians in Israeli jails would be released. The sides would also negotiate a permanent end to the war. Yet they disagree over the extent of the pullback of Israeli forces from territory in Gaza. In addition, Hamas — designated a terrorist orga...

  The United States has once again wielded its veto power at the UN Security Council, blocking a resolution demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. The move has drawn fierce backlash from the international community, with 14 out of 15 council members voting in favor of the measure. The resolution, proposed by ten nations, also called for the release of all hostages and unrestricted humanitarian aid access—a critical demand as Gaza faces famine-like conditions. But the US argued that the draft failed to condemn Hamas or demand its disarmament, calling it counterproductive to ongoing diplomatic efforts. Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea defended the veto, stating that the resolution would only embolden Hamas without addressing the group’s role in perpetuating the conflict. Israel has repeatedly insisted that any ceasefire must be conditional on Hamas surrendering and relinquishing control of Gaza. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon went further, accusing Security Coun...

  The latest Hamas-backed hostage deal has been flatly rejected by Israel, marking another setback in the ongoing Gaza conflict.  The proposal, delivered through backchannel negotiations involving Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, offered the release of five living Israeli hostages in exchange for major concessions — including an Israeli military withdrawal, expanded humanitarian aid, and indirect U.S. recognition of Hamas. But Israeli officials swiftly dismissed the plan as unrealistic, calling it a non-starter for any “responsible government.” Sources reveal that the deal was a modified version of the so-called “Witkoff outline,” a framework proposed by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff. The revised terms extended the ceasefire to 70 days and included the phased return of both living and deceased hostages. However, Israel deemed the conditions unacceptable, with one senior official stating that Hamas showed “no genuine willingness” to negotiate in good fait...

  The Israeli government has shocked the world by accepting a new cease-fire proposal after months of relentless bombardment in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his approval of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s latest plan, signaling a potential breakthrough in negotiations — but will Hamas agree, or is this just another temporary pause before more bloodshed? Netanyahu’s decision came amid mounting international condemnation over civilian casualties and growing pressure from hostage families. In a closed-door meeting with relatives of captives held in Gaza, the Israeli leader confirmed his government’s acceptance of Witkoff’s proposal, stating,  “Israel accepts the new Witkoff outline.”  The move suggests a shift in strategy, but critics question whether Netanyahu is genuinely committed to peace or simply buying time. Hamas, meanwhile, has remained cautious. While acknowledging receipt of the proposal, the group has not yet revealed its stance. In a statement, H...

  The Trump administration is preparing to place sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a U.S. official told HuffPost on Wednesday, signaling a significant move against one of the most outspoken critics of the ongoing U.S.-backed offensive in Gaza. The White House conveyed the directive to U.S. government agencies in recent hours, the official, who has direct knowledge of the matter, told HuffPost. The move is based on President  Donald Trump ’s executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court and anyone assisting its work. The measure likely would bar Albanese, an Italian national, from traveling to the U.S., as well as block any assets she has in the country and likely complicate her work by deterring U.S. companies and others from engaging with her. It was unclear Wednesday when the sanctions would be unveiled and how extensive they would be. Albanese, a human rights lawyer, has ...

  The Pentagon is gearing up for a high-stakes press conference to defend the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, after a leaked intelligence report suggested the damage was far less severe than President Trump claims. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top military officials will present what Trump calls “irrefutable” evidence that the strikes crippled Iran’s nuclear ambitions — contradicting initial Pentagon assessments that the attacks only set the program back by a short period. The briefing is framed as a defense of the mission’s success and the pilots who executed it, with Trump vowing to silence critics who downplayed the operation’s impact. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities, a claim backed by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who cited new intelligence showing severe damage that could take years to repair. Yet, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s preliminary repor...