Israel-Palestinian Conflict

President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, his first meeting with a foreign leader since his inauguration.

The Trump administration has requested congressional approval for a $1 billion arms transfer to Israel, including 4,700 1,000-pound bombs worth over $700 million and Caterpillar-built armored bulldozers valued at $300 million, even as the White House works to maintain a fragile Gaza ceasefire, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with evangelical leaders, including the designated U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, in Washington, D.C., as he met with Evangelical American community leaders ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at Andrews Air Force Base on Sunday evening ahead of his scheduled meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The two leaders are set to discuss key issues, including redrawing the Middle East, the second stage of the Gaza ceasefire, the future of the Gaza Strip, and the Iranian nuclear threat.

Israel has released the Palestinian manager of the Gaza branch of World Vision, a prominent Christian aid organization, who had been behind bars since 2016.

Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners Thursday after Hamas fighters freed seven hostages – two Israelis and five Thais.

President Trump’s plan to transfer Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and Egypt expands on a contentious proposal previously rejected by Arab states, potentially indicating a major shift in U.S. foreign policy, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Saudi Arabia cannot normalize diplomatic relations with Israel unless the Palestinians are granted statehood, Riyadh’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, said during an interview with Times Radio that aired Sunday.

The United Nation’s Palestinian refugee agency prepared Wednesday to cease all operations in East Jerusalem after Israel ordered it to vacate its premises there.

World leaders and dozens of Holocaust survivors gathered Monday at the former site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its liberation by Soviet troops at the end of World War II.

Israel has asked the U.S. for 30 more days to complete its troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, just days before the 60-day ceasefire deadline with Hezbollah. While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will remain beyond day 60, the length of their stay is unclear. The situation was discussed by Israel’s defense officials and government on Thursday. This Sunday marks 60 days since the ceasefire began on November 27.

Israel, not the Palestinian Authority, will control the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the current four-day-old ceasefire with Hamas, the Associated Press reports.

Citing failure to protect Israel from the October 7 Hamas attack, IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi on Tuesday announced his resignation, Haaretz reports. Halevi will leave his post on March 6.

In exchange for the phased release of 33 living hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, Israel on January 19 agreed to the phased release of 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 110 who are serving life sentences for some of the most egregious murders of Israelis during terror attacks prior to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.