Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz today announced that a committee will convene next week to authorize new housing units in the occupied West Bank for both Jewish settlers and for Palestinians living in "Area C," which is controlled by Israel.
Why it matters: West Bank settlements policy is among the most polarizing issues in Israel and could destabilize Bennett's ideologically diverse coalition. It's also one of the biggest challenges for Bennett to navigate as he prepares for an expected meeting with President Biden later this month.
Thousands in Germany are set to be revaccinated after it was discovered that a nurse had injected patients with a saline solution in place of a COVID vaccine, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The nurse, who has not been identified, admitted to injecting a few patients with saline but antibody testing showed a much wider group of people may have been impacted. About 8,600 people may have received the salt solution instead of the genuine vaccine, leaving them at risk.
Sudan is entangled in several disputes with neighboring Ethiopia as its fragile government tries to play a mediating role in the region.
State of play: Refugees are pouring across Sudan's eastern borders from war-torn Tigray and straining the country's limited resources. A separate border dispute has produced low-level military clashes. Meanwhile, tensions over access to the Nile's waters as Ethiopia fills the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are still running high.
Top Pentagon officials defended U.S. arms sales to Egypt at a Senate hearing on Tuesday, while also stressing the need to limit China's military presence in the Middle East.
Driving the news: Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee for the Middle East, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul was pressed by senators including Chair Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on whether arms sales to Egypt still serve U.S. national security interests.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is attempting to organize a summit at the end of August that could get his neighboring rivals around the same table for the first time in years.
The big picture: Stuck between Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the Iraqi government is trying to turn that difficult situation to its advantage and help reduce tensions and mediate regional understandings.
RABAT, Morocco — Yair Lapid on Wednesday became the first Israeli foreign minister since 1999 to make an official bilateral visit to Morocco.
Why it matters: Lapid and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita signed several agreements today to build on last December's agreement to reestablish diplomatic ties. Lapid will officially inaugurate the Israeli diplomatic mission in Rabat on Thursday.
President Biden announced Wednesday that he will convene world leaders for a virtual "Summit for Democracy" in December, where participants will make commitments to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad.
Why it matters: The summit would fulfill a foreign policy promise Biden made on the campaign trail, where he vowed to "once more place America at the head of the table" in the international effort to fight corruption, defense against authoritarianism, and advance human rights.
The Taliban has stunned even some seasoned military and national security officials in the U.S. government with the speed of its conquests over the past week, sources with direct knowledge of the developments tell Axios.
Why it matters: President Biden isn't budging — resolved to get out by Aug. 31, no matter what — people briefed on his thinking say. He may not see much of a pause between his total withdrawal from Afghanistan and the country's total collapse into a bloody civil war.
