Middle East Diplomacy

What event does each of these three headlines from last week refer to? What could cause such turmoil? A third intifada? War between Israel and Gaza? Rocket attacks from Lebanon?

• “Hamas Warns Ben-Gvir Could ‘Blow Up the Situation’ If …” (Times of Israel, January 5)
• “[Hezbollah] Warns of ‘Explosion’ in Region After …” (Israel Hayom, January 4)
• “UN Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on …” (Haaretz, January 5)

The correct answer: One Jew visited Judaism’s holiest site for about 13 minutes. Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s new national security minister, visited the Temple Mount on January 3, a few days after the government was inaugurated. This was the first visit from a high-level Israeli government official in years.

Read more at “Why Is Middle East Diplomacy Collapsing?”