Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein met at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Thursday, formally initiating a 21-day period in which any MK could obtain the support of a majority of the Knesset members and form a government following the failure of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to form a governing coalition. Addressing all 120 elected MKs, Rivlin said “You must show awareness of our sovereignty, statesmanship and responsibility for the people of this dear land. During these 21 days, consider your go obligation to the people.”

Haunting pictures of burnt out government buildings, banks and police stations began to emerge from Iran just hours after President Hassan Rouhani’s triumphant statement Wednesday that the riots which broke out last weekend following the announcement of gasoline tax increases, had ended. Rouhani said that the security crackdown which ended the riots that some analysts estimate resulted in over 200 deaths and many more injuries and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property damage, represented a victory for the clerical regime which rules Iran over its foreign and domestic enemies. However, unconfirmed reports from several cities inside Iran indicated that demonstrations were continuing even as Rouhani was speaking.

Palestinian Authority officials issued statements this week welcoming a decision by Canada to switch its vote in the General Assembly on the question of Palestinian self-determination from “no” to “yes.” “We appreciated this principled position by the Canadian government,” a Palestinian envoy told the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee on Tuesday. “We are very disappointed that the government of Canada did not stand firm in opposition to the annual Israel-bashing ritual at the UN General Assembly,” said Jeffrey Rosenthal, cochairman of Canada’s Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs.

The Dutch government announced on Wednesday that it is cutting the usual funding to the Palestinian Authority due to the stipends it gives to jailed Palestinian terrorists and to the families of terrorists killed while carrying out terrorist attacks. The announcement included an explanation that talks had been held with PA officials to try and find a solution but that those talks “did not lead to the desired outcome.”

Large-scale demonstrations were reported in several Iraqi cities on Wednesday with violent confrontations between demonstrators and security services shutting down major roads and oil production facilities. “Export and import activities have stopped because trucks cannot enter Khor Al Zubair or Umm Qasr ports,” one official at Basra’s port authority said.

Anytime in the next 21 days, a 61 MK majority is now entitled to submit a written request to President Reuven Rivlin to give the role of forming a government to a specific MK, who agrees to it in writing. Rivlin then is charged with giving the mandate to form a government within two days. Once Rivlin gives the MK the mandate, this MK would have 14 days to form a government.

What is the relationship between the environment and conflict in the Middle East? Peter Schwartzstein, an environmental journalist based in the Middle East, joins host Jon Alterman this week to discuss how climate change concerns exacerbate conflict, and how regional leaders should respond. Then, Jon, Will, and Amber explore how environmental concerns factor into policy discussions on the Middle East.