Edward Finkelstein

A recent report commissioned by France’s Ministry of the Interior has pulled back the curtain on an alarming shift in the country’s diplomatic thinking: the idea that recognizing a Palestinian state could serve—not as a peace initiative—but as a tool to “appease” its own Muslim population.

A British-flagged yacht carrying 12 pro-Palestinian activists, including Swedish climate celebrity Greta Thunberg and French far-left MEP Rima Hassan, is inching its way toward Gaza in what critics are calling a calculated media stunt aimed more at headlines than humanitarian aid.

Somewhere between a misguided humanitarian mission and an awkward Mediterranean yacht party, the Madleen — a tiny sailboat carrying 12 impassioned activists, a few crates of juice, and a whole lot of attitude — is inching its way toward Gaza.

The so-called Freedom Flotilla, en route to Gaza on a mission of political defiance and symbolic aid, found itself unexpectedly docked — not in Palestinian waters, but in hot Libyan territory — after rescuing four migrants who jumped overboard to escape a police operation on shore.

Despite escalating international criticism over its military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen, Israel saw a record-breaking year in defense exports in 2024—much of it fueled by European buyers. 

Foreign investors returned to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in force last month, increasing their holdings despite ongoing conflict in Gaza and heightened regional tensions. Net foreign purchases reached an estimated NIS 2.5 billion ($700 million) in May, with much of the capital concentrated in the banking sector.

In a move that reinforces China’s growing industrial footprint across North Africa, Chinese steelmaker Jingdong Steel has announced a $500 million investment to build a major steel production facility in Algeria. 

Once again, we watched a familiar and infuriating pattern unfold this morning: Hamas issued unverified claims of an Israeli “massacre” at an aid distribution site in Rafah. 

Argentine President Javier Milei is scheduled to visit Israel in early June, where he is expected to reiterate his intention to relocate Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem—a controversial move that may not be realized until after the country’s congressional elections in October.

Paris erupted into celebration Saturday night as Paris Saint-Germain clinched their first-ever Champions League title, overpowering Inter Milan in a resounding victory.

Libya’s oil sector—central to its economy and global energy markets—is once again under threat, as political divisions between rival governments raise the prospect of export disruptions. 

As the Middle East remains embroiled in the fallout from the October 7 atrocities, French President Emmanuel Macron is once again taking refuge in empty rhetoric, declaring from a podium in Singapore that recognizing a Palestinian state is both a “moral duty” and a “political necessity.”