The "present" that US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran had given Washington was allowing the safe passage of a number of fuel tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, a senior Arab diplomat and a US official tell @TimesofIsrael (1/7) In trying to explain his decision to pursue talks with Iran, Trump told reporters on Tuesday that Tehran "did something yesterday that was amazing — they gave us a present… worth a tremendous amount of money... [it] arrived today.” (2/7)

🧵New: While Gulf countries cautioned Trump not to launch a war against Iran in the runup to the conflict, most of them are now urging Washington to continue striking the regime, 4 senior officials from GCC countries told @TimesofIsrael (1/21) timesofisrael.com/gulf-states-op… There is still frustration w/ way US & Israel are prosecuting war, but there's desire among Gulf countries — particularly UAE, Saudi, Bahrain & Qatar — to ensure Iran's military power sufficiently degraded to cease posing a threat to them, the officials said (2/21)

🧵NEW: Trump to @TimesofIsrael: It’ll be ‘mutual’ decision w/ Bibi regarding when Iran war ends

President clarifies he’ll make final call to end op ‘at right time’; says he & PM ‘working together destroyed a country that would've destroyed Israel’ (1/19)
timesofisrael.com/trump-to-times… The president was asked whether he alone would decide when the war with Iran ends or if Netanyahu would also have a say.
“I think it’s mutual… a little bit. We’ve been talking. I’ll make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account." (2/19)

🧵New: Trump is intent on avoiding a public spat with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even when there are gaps between the pair on key policies regarding the Middle East, a US official and a Republican source familiar told @TimesofIsrael (1/15)
timesofisrael.com/trumps-effusiv… Trump currently believes that public disagreements with Netanyahu will serve neither his political or strategic interests, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where he aims to announce a transition to phase two of his peace plan within weeks, the two sources said (2/15)

🧵New: The US threatened last month to personally sanction Mahmoud Abbas and other senior PA officials over illicit payments to Palestinian prisoners, but ultimately held off on the move after Abbas fired the minister who signed off on the stipends (1/15)
timesofisrael.com/us-shelved-san… US planned to designate Abbas, his deputy Hussein al-Sheikh, PA PM Mustafa, finance min Omar Bitar & senior PLO official Ahmad Majdalani as Specially Designated Global Terrorists after getting wind of prisoner payments through old mechanism based on length of their sentence(2/15)

🧵Analysis: US weighs which side’s red line to cross in implementing Gaza deal phase 2

Saudi, UAE, Jordan, Egypt conditioning help on PA role, which Israel rejects, while Qatari help has fewer strings; MBS Nov 18 DC visit seen as decision deadline (1/29)
timesofisrael.com/us-weighs-whic… The full 20 points of Trump plan were what was first presented to public in Sept as US rallied support for effort, Witkoff & Kushner decided to split them in 2, only securing Israeli & Hamas signatures on 1st phase pertaining to ceasefire, IDF pullback & hostage swap (2/29)

🧵Scoop: A major Jewish American community leader privately lobbied for the release of prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti as part of hostage deal b/n Israel & Hamas expected to commence on Monday, 3 sources familiar told @TimesofIsrael (1/17) timesofisrael.com/us-jewish-comm… As part of effort, World Jewish Congress pres Ron Lauder offered to travel to Sharm el-Sheikh where talks on deal were being finalized last week to make case for including Barghouti among 250 serving life sentences to be released for remaining 48 hostages (2/17)

🧵Scoop: The US proposal for ending the war in Gaza encourages Palestinians to remain in the Strip and provides for the creation of a pathway to a future Palestinian state, according to a copy of the plan obtained by The Times of Israel. (1/32) timesofisrael.com/revealed-us-21… The 21-point document shared by the US with a handful of Arab & Muslim countries this week on UNGA sidelines also contains clauses that have been staples in various proposals crafted by stakeholders — from the release of all hostages to Hamas’s removal from power. (2/32)

🧵France is advancing an initiative aimed at establishing an “International Stabilization Mission” that would replace the IDF in Gaza and work to disarm Hamas after the war ends, according to a draft of the proposal obtained by @TimesofIsrael (1/30) The proposal aims to operationalize an internationally-backed declaration from July calling for a two-state solution, the disarmament of Hamas and the gradual transfer of internal security in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority. (2/30)

🧵SCOOP: Trump has authorized Tony Blair to rally regional & international stakeholders around former UK PM's proposal to establish a post-war transitional body to govern Gaza until it can be handed over to PA, 4 sources familiar told @TimesofIsrael (1/29) timesofisrael.com/revealed-tony-… Blair began crafting the proposal in the early months of the war between Israel and Hamas, envisioning it as a plan for the so-called “day after.” But in recent months, the proposal has also evolved into a plan for effectively ending the war... (2/29)

The US is more optimistic than Egyptian and Qatari mediators about the chances that a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal can be reached this week, four sources familiar with the negotiations tell @TimesofIsrael (1/14) US special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff told reporters earlier Tuesday that he is hopeful a deal can be reached this week and that three of the four sticking points have been resolved over the past three days of proximity talks in Doha. (2/14)

Hamas will likely accept US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s latest hostage deal proposal, while submitting a series of reservations, an Arab diplomat and a second source familiar with the negotiations tell @TimesofIsrael (1/6) Hamas is disappointed with the proposal and feels that Witkoff made crucial changes after conferring with Dermer in Washington earlier this week

Still, it doesn't want to outright reject US proposal, fearing it would then be blamed for lack of agreement, the sources say. (2/6)

🧵New: The UAE lays into Israel over this week's Jerusalem Flag March, characterizing it as "annual spectacle of unchecked violence and extremist provocation" and issuing a rare warning against Israel if Jerusalem doesn't take "decisive steps" against the phenomenon. (1/11) "It is utterly unfathomable that, amid the ongoing carnage in Gaza, the Israeli gov—underscored by presence its ministers—continues to permit" the march a UAE official tells @TimesofIsrael shortly after UAE summoned Israel's amb to Abu Dhabi for rare reprimand. (2/11)

🧵New: Since hostage talks resumed in Doha on Wednesday, Witkoff has told other mediators that Washington doesn’t plan to force Israel to end the war in Gaza amid Netanyahu’s staunch refusal to do so, two Arab officials tell @TimesofIsrael (1/17) timesofisrael.com/witkoff-told-m… Qatari and Egyptian mediators had hoped the US would move in this direction, given comments from Trump and other top aides about their desire to end the war following Hamas’s Monday release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. (2/17)

🧵New: A backchannel between the United States and Hamas helped secure the Sunday announced release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, a source familiar with the matter and a Palestinian official revealed to @TimesofIsrael (1/12) timesofisrael.com/third-party-me… The backchannel was operated by a non-governmental individual who passed along messages between Hamas's leadership in Qatar and US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, the sources said, while declining to reveal the identity of the backchannel on the record. (2/12)

New w/ @manniefabian: Israel plans to radically alter way aid is distributed in Gaza when it begins allowing assistance into Strip in the coming weeks after what will have been a nearly 2.5 month freeze, Israeli & Arab officials told @TimesofIsrael (1/15) timesofisrael.com/idf-planning-m… The plan is to transition away from wholesale distribution and warehousing of aid and to instead have international organizations and private security contractors hand out boxes of food to individual Gazan families, according to the officials. (2/15)

The State Dept is planning to eliminate the office of the US Security Coordinator (USSC) in Jerusalem, which helps bolster security coordination b/n Israel & PA, a Trump official, congressional aide & 3rd source familiar told @TimesofIsrael (1/13)
timesofisrael.com/us-plans-to-el… The cut is part of a broader reorganization of the State Department that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is advancing, which will see the shuttering of dozens of offices around the globe, the sources said. The move was first reported by @BarakRavid (2/13) axios.com/2025/04/29/sta…

🧵Witkoff appeared to rationalize Hamas in the startling interview, employing some of rhetoric used by US hostage envoy Adam Boehler, who infuriated Israel earlier this month & sparked efforts by Netanyahu’s confidant Dermer to lobby for his removal (1/10) timesofisrael.com/witkoff-hamas-… Witkoff said Friday that he doesn’t believe Hamas is “ideologically intractable” and that Netanyahu is “well-motivated” but operating against Israeli public opinion that prioritizes freeing the remaining hostages from Gaza over the destruction of Hamas. (2/10)

Adam Boehler has withdrawn his nomination to serve as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, a senior US official tells @TimesofIsrael, clarifying that he will continue to manage the file, but with a lower level file that doesn’t require senate confirmation (1/11) The move comes amid anger in Israel over unprecedented direct talks Boehler held with Hamas in recent weeks aimed largely at securing the release of five remaining American hostages in Gaza. (2/11)

US envoy to Mideast Steve Witkoff goes public with many of the key terms of a "bridge proposal" he submitted on Wed in Doha, while dismissing as disingenuous the announcement Hamas made earlier today that it had agreed to release American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. (1/11) Witkoff demands that Hamas immediately release the 20-year-old soldier, and suggests that he has given the terror group a deadline for doing so, warning of consequences if that unspecified date passes. (2/11)

(1/27)

🧵NEW: Feeling heat from Trump to 'solve' Gaza, Arab states losing patience w/ PA's Abbas

Leaders of 7 Arab countries gathered for emergency summit last week in Riyadh w/ rounding out counterproposal to Trump Gaza takeover plan at top of agenda.

timesofisrael.com/feeling-heat-f… 2.

Trump, for now, is standing by his controversial poposal to "clean out" the Gaza Strip's entire population, though his aides have indicated idea aimed at spurring Arab allies to come up w/ own plan for post-war management of the enclave that removes Hamas from power.