'But Khamenei has yet to decide on the plans. He is concerned a direct attack could backfire with the projectiles being intercepted and Israel responding with a massive retaliation on Iran’s strategic infrastructure.' wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Everyone is at an impasse in Gaza. Ceasefire talks are stuck on the same issues that have bedeviled them for months. The fighting is neither ending nor advancing. And Biden is angry with Israel but unwilling to change course. economist.com/middle-east-an…

You will be shocked to learn that Netanyahu was lying when he said 'there is a date' for the Rafah offensive haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

'I think what he's doing is a mistake,' and I will continue to provide him with unlimited military and diplomatic support so he can prolong that mistake for as long as he wants politico.com/news/2024/04/0…

'Turkey did not provide details on how it would carry out its ban, making it difficult to calculate the exact impact of the curbs. Metals were among Turkey's biggest exports to Israel last year, accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars in trade.' ft.com/content/73edc1…

'The optimism heard in recent days in Cairo, Doha and Jerusalem about an impending deal to free the hostages should be met with a healthy dose of skepticism... it appears for now to be little more than an exercise in collective positive thinking.' haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

Skeptical that America could convince Israel to agree to this: 'The US proposal includes a gradual and almost complete withdrawal of Israel from the corridor that splits Gaza... checkpoints that prevent passage to the north will be completely removed.' axios.com/2024/04/08/us-…

And that date is May 35th

A Rafah offensive isn't happening soon. So the pullout from Khan Younis starts a phase in which the Gaza war is at a stalemate but doesn't end, a state of affairs that (on the Israeli side) serves Netanyahu and no one else. nytimes.com/2024/04/07/wor…

Agree with this from Dalia Dassa Kaye: 'Israel may view the Gaza war as expanding rather than constraining its room to maneuver against Iran. If that's the case, it's possible that Israel is underestimating the unpredictability of the current regional climate.' foreignaffairs.com/israel/israel-…

'The fact that food provision in Gaza is now in the hands of private aid organisations running a deadly gauntlet illustrates the anarchy there as Israel declines to take full responsibility for distributing sustenance.' economist.com/middle-east-an…