Reports emerged in Israeli and European media outlets on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during a recent discussion that he is prepared to “be tough” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convince him to accept the so-called “deal of the century” plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. During the conversation Trump reportedly added that he had given Israel many things and he expected reciprocation.

The effort to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel suffered another defeat this week as senior government officials from some of the world’s most powerful countries visited the Jewish State, including Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan and US Congresswoman Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Wang’s first stop after landing in Israel was the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, where he said he came to “see and touch history near the stones of the ancient wall.”

The IDF announced on Monday that it has identified an observation post operated by the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi’ite terror militia Hezbollah less than a kilometer from the Israeli border in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. The post, like others previously discovered by the IDF, was ostensibly being used by a Hezbollah front organization calling itself “Green Without Borders” and claiming to be interested in environmental issues.

Iran’s Supreme Court issued a ruling on Monday upholding a death sentence for two financial services workers who were previously convicted by a lower court of of illegal currency trading and “disrupting the economy” and “spreading corruption on earth” with a Judiciary spokesman adding that the speedy trail and impending execution of the two clerks should serve as a warning to others who might be tempted to also engage in such unconventional financial activities.

Residents and visitors to Israel’s capital city have a new way to enjoy Jerusalem, as Google launched a new feature of their popular Maps App which shows the over 100 km. of supervised bike paths in the city on Monday. Also on Monday, the Jerusalem Municipality announced that an additional 123 km. of bike paths are planned for the coming years.

The downing of a Russian air force plane by Syrian government forces during an Israeli F-16 strike in Syria was a predictable consequence of the overcrowding of the Syrian battleground. The Russians might genuinely be angry about what happened, but from a geopolitical perspective, they understand that Israel will not abstain from further military interventions in Syria when needed. Israel’s national interest is at stake, and Jerusalem will not allow Iran to increase its already substantial presence.

In the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict there are two dominant competing narratives. While Israel seeks to preserve its national security interests and settle some of the territories under its controls, the Palestinians aspire to establish a state of their-own and recall refugees and their descendants from the surround Arab countries with the aim of resettling them within Israel. In addition to the two dominant narratives –there is another more militant Palestinian narrative, which denies Israel’s right to exist.

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