On two-state solution, former US envoy for #Iran Robert Malley tells @TheNationalNews: “If that perfect alignment has never occurred, and we now are in a situation that is much worse than we were back in 1993, 1998, 2000, 2014, and all those times when people were seeking the

Ex UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the next secretary general should serve a single non-renewable 7-year term, arguing that the current convention of two 5-year stints leaves the SG too reliant on the security council’s five permanent members for reappointment.

🇺🇸🇮🇱 🇸🇾🇱🇧 🇹🇷🇸🇦 My comments to @TheNationalNews about Israel’s “periphery doctrine” and the risks of fragmentation https://t.co/YbpX4weqe4 “Karim Bitar, former dean at Lebanon’s Saint-Joseph University and lecturer in Middle East Studies at Sciences Po Paris, told The National

Politely disagree. Anyone who places his/her ambitions of reappointment above world peace shouldn’t be Secretary-General of the UN in the first place. And historically, no evidence whatsoever that UN chiefs become more risk-taking in their second term, quite the opposite.

Unilateral actions in Yemen will not clear path to peace, warns UN chief

NOW - Miriam Adelson says she spoke to Alan Dershowitz in Israel about the legality of Trump serving a third 4-year term: "We can do it!.. Think about it. I will give you another $250 million."

Trump orders blockade of sanctioned oil tankers in and out of Venezuela

Ban Ki-moon calls for single seven-year term for next UN chief

UNRWA did not perpetuate the refugee status of Palestinians. The occupation did. If the Palestinians had a state, it would assume responsibility for them | Opinion | @gideonle

‘They’re trying to get rich off it’: US contractors vie for Gaza reconstruction contracts, with ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ team in the lead. https://t.co/17Pr3Kb1fR by @AramRoston @catebrown12.

Is Turkey seeking to build up its influence in Lebanon, and, like Iran, might it derail the disarmament of its Lebanese allies? @MohanadHageAli asks these and many other questions in his latest for Diwan, examining the expanding Turkish sway in Lebanon:

Because antisemites hold the conduct of Israel against Jews in general, a highly repressive Israel -- genocide in Gaza, apartheid in the occupied territory -- endangers Jews around the world.

"The man police have in custody in connection with the Brown University mass shooting has been identified as 24-year-old Benjamin Erickson, three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News."

NEW: Murder investigation launched after 2 people found dead at home of film director Rob Reiner. Victims not yet identified, ages match those of Reiner and his wife - KABC

Video circulating on social media of a bystander, who disarmed one of the Bondi attackers, is earning global praise, including from Donald Trump. Here’s the moment he jumped into action during the deadly terrorist attack in Sydney: https://t.co/gIdOUKdeVg

“If Beirut and Damascus exclude minorities, marginalized Shiites will again turn to Iran for support; once conflict erupts, Iranian help with training, arms, and financing will follow,” write @MariaFantappie and @vali_nasr. https://t.co/8EwbiQ1HdA

🇦🇪🇸🇩 At the NYT DealBook Summit, former USAID head Samantha Power blamed waning student activism for the lack of pressure over the conflict in Sudan, suggesting young people today are preoccupied with things like personal insecurity, “whether they’ll have jobs,” and

“Paramount insists that the three foreign funds, along with Kushner’s investment firm, have agreed to waive their governance rights in the newly merged company, including appointing board members.” ⁦@BazziNYU⁩

US 'incredibly disappointed' over renewed violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo https://t.co/2iiGdxYekM

#Lebanon FM @YoussefRaggi: Beirut received warnings from Arab &intl parties that Israel is preparing for large-scale military operation &intense attacks on Lebanon. Raggi said Beirut is intensifying diplomatic efforts to keep Lebanon and its facilities out of any Israeli strike

A window of opportunity for reform in Lebanon (both security and financial) is closing fast, in part because everyone is on a different timetable. The PM wants to move faster than the president; MPs already have their eyes on elections in the spring.