Free Republic

Minister Gantz to Journalists from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE: “We have the strategic tools to face Iran. We are stronger than them. Our collaborations give us new strategies and options, and the Iranians understand that too; The best strategy for regional stability is peace" In a teleconference earlier this evening organized by the Arab Council for Regional Integration, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz joined journalists from outlets in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain, including Al-Roeya, Al-Ayam, Alarabiya, amongst others, for a first-ever conversation between an Israeli defense minister and journalists from the Gulf states. Asked about the basis...

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Sunday shrugged off the brutal dismembering of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, just days after a United Nations report described how a team of Saudi assassins called Mr. Khashoggi a “sacrificial animal” before his murder. The U.N. report urged an F.B.I. investigation into the slaying. But in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mr. Trump said the episode had already been thoroughly investigated. He said the Middle East is “a vicious, hostile place” and noted that Saudi Arabia is an important trading partner with the United States. “I only say they spend $400...

Palestinian leadership said Saturday that White House adviser Jared Kushner's proposed economic plan was a non-starter unless it came coupled with a political solution for the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Reuters reported that leaders of both the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the West Bank and Hamas, the Islamist militant party that controls the Gaza strip, dismissed Kushner's proposal for a $50 billion plan that includes a global investment fund meant to improve economic opportunities in the Palestinian territories.