Israel’s Knesset passed a historic bill Monday evening retroactively legalizing nearly 4,000 homes built over the last several years in various communities in the West Bank on land whose ownership is disputed. It also imposes Israeli law in parts of Area C, setting in motion what many on the Left decried as a step towards Israeli annexation of the disputed territories.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrapped up a successful trip to London on Monday evening after meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Minister Boris Johnson. Netanyahu described his meetings with British officials as cordial and highly productive, giving him some diplomatic momentum as he prepares to visit US President Donald Trump in Washington next week.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel was in Jerusalem Tuesday afternoon for an official state visit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted his guest and in their brief joint press appearance voiced his hopes for a productive meeting and the strengthening in trade, security and diplomatic ties between the two countries.

A recent study conducted by the cloud accounting software firm Sage, Tel Aviv University is among the world’s leading institutions for training workers in the fields of computer and communications, with alumni joining a prestigious group of entrepreneurs who have started companies with a net worth of over $1 billion. The study came as an Israeli school program to train children as young as 5 to use the tools of the new Digital Communications safely and productively has begun to attract attention from educators worldwide.

Instead of fixating on an independent Palestinian state, the new US administration should look east to the Hashemite Kingdom as a stabilizing influence on Palestinian politics. President Trump has an opportunity to help Jordan prosper while furthering the interests of the US and its allies.

President Donald Trump addresses coalition representatives and senior U.S. commanders operating in the Middle East at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., 6 Feb, 2017.