Iranian President in Moscow

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was in Moscow on Monday for talks with Russian officials, with trade and energy officially at the top of the agenda, while most analysts speculate that far more important issues of mutual concern include the ongoing conflict in Syria and related conflicts throughout the Middle East. The trip comes a day after Iran announced “sanctions” on 15 US companies it said are engaged in “support for terrorism” and repression.

The two meetings held on Sunday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon failed t produce a solution to the dispute between the two over the Israel Broadcasting Authority, leaving open the possibility of early elections. In related news Yaakov Nagel, the acting head of the National Security Council and a close ally of Netanyahu, is leaving the government for “personal reasons” according to a recent statement.

Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa have made another breakthrough discovery with the potential to positively affect the lives of nearly every living human being. The new development is a method for the production of hydrogen from water which will save massive amounts of time and money on a process which previously rendered many forms of alternative energy production economically unviable.

The Islamist terror militia Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, accused Israel on Friday of assassinating Mazen Fuqaha, one of their most senior terror operatives in the Strip, with the help of unnamed Palestinian “collaborators” adding in an official statement by Hamas Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-that “The martyr Mazen Fuqaha was shot in the head, leading to his death.” Israeli officials had no comment.

Cathay Pacific, the flag carrier of Hong Kong, introduced a new route to Tel Aviv over the weekend, handing yet another defeat to international efforts to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) Israel and another boost to its rapidly expanding tourism industry.

On the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the Palestinians have launched a campaign calling for an official British apology and compensation. This effort illustrates the ways in which honor, internationalization, symbolism, and playing on Western guilt shape the Palestinian culture of denial, which impedes progress towards either a stable Palestinian state or peace with Israel.

In the aftermath of the Islamic State’s brutal attacks in Paris during 2015 that left 129 dead, there began a discussion in the international media of whether the terrorist attacks against Israelis could be compared with the newest jihadist assault on European capitals. Recent events have challenged this European distinction.