Security forces in Jerusalem were on high alert following a shooting attack near the Lions Gate on the Temple Mount in the Old City on Friday morning. Three terrorists opened fire, killing two police officers and wounding another before being shot dead themselves by responding police. “Today’s terrorist attack is a serious and severe event in which red lines were crossed,” Security Minister Gilad Erdan said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with his political allies on Thursday evening to address several ongoing investigations into his personal and professional conduct, related most notably to allegations of impropriety in the purchase of submarines from Germany and improper relationships with telecom giant Bezeq. “There is a political campaign of politicians and the press who have come together to topple me and the Likud government,” Netanyahu said. “Behind the mud-slinging there are no facts. The opposite is true.”

Leaders of the Lebanese Shi’ite terror militia Hezbollah issued dark warnings to Israel this week to mark the 11th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War. The warnings came amidst reports in various media outlets suggesting Hezbollah has made serious upgrades to its offensive military capabilities in recent years. “We take everything seriously. We are certainly aware of the reports and we will do what needs to be done. This is a significant phenomenon and we cannot ignore it,” Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said in a recent briefing to journalists.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a directive this week that wines produced in whole or in part in the West Bank and labelled as “Products of Israel” may not be sold but retracted the directive almost immediately following a massive protest by Christian and Jewish supporters of Israel. ICEJ’s Canadian Director Donna Holbrook was heavily involved in the campaign to have the directive reversed and expressed satisfaction Friday that these efforts were effective.

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace team continued to hold talks with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials this week, with Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat telling the Voice of Palestine, an official PA radio station, on Wednesday that “We discussed the issue [settlements] for a long time and…they [the Americans] said they told Netanyahu that restricting settlement construction is necessary.” A Trump Administration official familiar with the talks flatly refuted Erekat, saying “That conversation never took place.”

The winds of war blowing between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as Iranian subversion, are destabilizing the Persian Gulf principalities. To make matters worse, the economic situation, which has worsened in recent years because of ill-advised decisions, is stoking fears of popular uprisings and widespread disturbances.

One year after the failed coup of July 15, 2016, Turkey is in crisis. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used the post-coup crackdown on the junta plotters to cast a wide net over his opponents, from leftists to seculars and Kurdish nationalists. Furthermore, this crisis is shaping not only Turkey’s role as a U.S. ally against the Islamic State in Syria but also its ties to NATO, Russia, and the EU.