ISIS Murders Coptic Christian Priest in Egypt

A draft of the long-awaited report by the so-called “Middle East Quartet” comprised of the US, EU, Russia and the UN, emerged Thursday. According toReuters, the draft includes recommendations that “Israel should stop building settlements, denying Palestinian development and designating land for exclusive Israeli use that Palestinians seek for a future state.” The report added that the Israeli policy “is steadily eroding the viability of the two state solution” as well as criticizing the PA for “incitement to violence” against Israelis.

A rash of violence in the Palestinian Authority administered city of Nablus and the village of Yaabad overnight Wednesday left five people dead and 16 others wounded, with several buildings also suffering severe damage from fires set by rival groups. Western-backed PA security forces struggled to restore order in the two towns while coming under withering criticism on Palestinian social media for the breakdown in order. Meanwhile, the Islamist terror militia Hamas issued a statement demanding that any violence carried out by Palestinians must be directed at Israel.

The Islamic State (IS) terror militia claimed credit for the murder of a Coptic Christian priest in the Egyptian city of El Arish, in the Sinai Penninsula, Thursday. The priest, Raphael Moussa, 46, was reportedly standing next to his car when an assassin walked up and shot him in the head at point-blank range. In their statement, IS said his murder was punishment for the “crime of combatting Islam.”

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke at a press conference to address allegations of anti-Semitism in his faction Thursday saying, among other things, “Our Jewish friends are no more responsible for the actions of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu than Muslims are for the self-styled Islamic State.” The statement, which many took to be comparing Israel’s leader to the IS terror militia, was roundly condemned across the political spectrum in Israel.

The results of Britain’s vote to leave the EU show a country in a state of uncertainty that will persist for years. The crisis in Europe will most likely weaken the ability of EU member countries to deal with Middle East issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On the other hand, Israel’s influence in its efforts against the increasing support for Muslim fundamentalist forces in Europe and growing anti-Semitism on the continent stands to decline following the British exit.

Three experts assess the past and future of American military involvement in the region and discuss whether it is possible to defend U.S. interests without creating open-ended quagmires.