Israeli Annexation

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Here are ten things to know about Israel's first major expansion of its sovereign borders in almost 40 years.

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Being socially and professionally distanced.

REGIONAL AFFAIRS: Middle East expert Dalia Dassa Kaye says Israel tends to paint a much rosier picture than reality warrants.

PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS: PA leaders say their diplomatic efforts forced Netanyahu to backtrack on July 1 annexation.

Critics say attaining sovereignty will undermine the peace process and ruin Israel's reputation abroad, but these myths do not hold up to scrutiny.

Whether this means a state or some other political entity remains to be seen, but a separate political existence for the Palestinian Arabs seems to be in the offing.

Knee-jerk foreign criticism is not surprising, but endless domestic bickering in Israel is baffling.

Those in favor of the move expressed disappointment that it didn’t appear to be happening on schedule. Those opposed took the opportunity to ridicule Netanyahu.

The pro-Israel protest was organized within 30 hours, and had more than double the attendance of the other protest.

The joint press conference was the first of its kind in several years between senior Fatah and Hamas officials.