After four deadlocked general elections in two years, with the daunting prospect of going into a fifth, Israel is on the verge of forming a coalition government that will bring to an end 12 years of often controversial rule of Benyamin Netanyahu.

Facing his first international crisis test US President Joe Biden sought to cushion Israel from facing reprimand at the UN Security Council, opting instead to publicly support its right to self defence while exerting pressure on Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in private to wra

Even before the eruption of the latest assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, Israel had suffered a serious public relations defeat; one that has tarnished its image, probably beyond repair, around the world.

Almost three years ago president Donald Trump took the illegal and unilateral step of recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s united capital. By doing so he and his top aides said the US had taken Jerusalem off the negotiations table.

A senior US delegation will visit the region this week, almost four months since President Joe Biden was sworn in as president. This will be the first high-level diplomatic contact between the US administration and regional officials.

Jordanians are being warned to expect critical water shortages this summer largely due to a poor rainy season, which only reached 60 per cent of the average annual rainfall.

The United States is finally leaving Afghanistan 20 years after it invaded that country in a bid to destroy Al Qaeda, and its host the Taliban, to avenge the victims of 9/11.

Whether it was a cyberattack or a deliberately planned explosion that caused a serious power blackout at Iran’s underground Natanz uranium enrichment plant on Sunday, it was most likely carried out by Israel.

The signing this week in Tehran of a 25-year comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement between China and Iran is a major breakthrough for the two countries and will have long-term effects on the geopolitical balance of the Gulf and the region as a whole.