May 23, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeMay 23, 2026UpdatesTrump posts graphic of Middle East with Iran painted in U.S. flag colorsU.S. President Donald Trump posts a graphic on Truth Social: 'United States of the Middle East? Credit: Truth Social/Donald TrumpU.S. President Donald Trump posts a graphic on Truth Social: 'United States of the Middle East? Credit: Truth Social/Donald TrumpPresident Donald Trump posted a map captioned "United States of the Middle East?" with Iran's landmass edited as a U.S. flag on Truth Social.Hundreds protest against crime in Arab society: 'Our blood is not in expendable'Hundreds of people demonstrated against the state's neglect of handling crime in Arab society in the northern Israeli Arab town of Jadeidi Makr, a week after a shooting in which the head of the city's local council and his deputy were shot while leaving an event.The organizers said that the demonstration was intended to convey a message of anger and distrust towards the authorities amid the continued escalation of violence in Arab society and the feeling that the country's leadership is not taking steps to address the issue of criminal organizations. According to protesters, the shooting represents an escalation and a line being crossed, with elected officials and heads of authorities now also becoming targets.Protesters carried signs reading, "The government is enabling crime," and "Our blood is not expendable," and briefly blocked traffic several times.The shooting is not the first time Suhail Melhem, head of the Jadeidi Makr local council, has been targeted. About three years ago, his personal security guard was seriously wounded in a shooting. Last year, shots were fired twice at Melhem's home and car, and in another incident, an explosive device was placed near the local council building. Previous incidents were linked, among other things, to disputes over tenders and the management of the local council. A tender for waste removal became a major dispute in the town, followed by several shootings and arson attacks.Following the shooting, Arab political and civic leaders called for action against the surge in violence, including the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, the Committee of Arab Local Council Heads, parties and political movements. Grassroots groups also called for protests after what they described as an attempted assassination.In recent years, Arab local authority heads have increasingly become targets of threats, shootings and other violence, whether directed at them personally, their homes or the municipal buildings they oversee. Earlier this year, shots were fired at the mayor of Arraba and the head of the city's popular committee. Several people accused of involvement in the shooting have been indicted.Read the full articleIsraeli forces retrieve 23 Israelis from Nablus after a Palestinian had invited them to a mealIsraeli security forces retrieved 23 deaf-mute Israeli civilians from Nablus, in the West Bank, after a Palestinian resident of the city, who is also deaf-mute, had invited them to a meal in his home.The IDF said that a Palestinian resident had reported a group of Israelis he noticed walking around the city's center. Palestinian security forces initially detained the group at a police station in the city, and after locating all the Israelis, handed them over to the IDF.Read the full articleIDF says it detained five Israeli civilians who crossed into Lebanon IDF troops returned and detained five Israeli civilians who had "crossed the border into Lebanese territory by a few meters," the IDF said.The civilians were transferred to the police, the military's statement said."The IDF strongly condemns this incident and emphasizes its severity, which constitutes a criminal offense that endangers civilians and IDF soldiers," the statement said.Five policemen killed in Israeli strike in northern Gaza, Palestinian police sayAn Israeli air strike targeting a Palestinian ‌police post in northern Gaza on Saturday killed ⁠at least five police officers and a 13-year-old ⁠boy, and wounded several others, Gaza police said, as Israel intensified attacks on the Hamas-run force.In a statement, the Gaza police directorate, charged with maintaining security ‌in areas of Gaza that fell under Hamas control ‌after a cease-fire brokered by the United States in October, said two missiles had hit a police post in the Tawam area.The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Hamas' nearly 10,000 police officers have emerged as a sticking point in talks to advance U.S. President Donald ⁠Trump's plan for Gaza. Hamas wants them included in a new police force envisaged under the ‌plan. Israel objects ⁠to the involvement of any officers with ‌Hamas affiliations.Those talks have also been deadlocked over Hamas' refusal to lay down its weapons, as ⁠well as near-daily Israeli attacks in the enclave, which health officials say have killed more than 880 Palestinians since the truce. At least four ‌Israeli soldiers have been killed in militant attacks over the same period.Iranian top negotiator says armed forces rebuilt during cease-fire, meets with Pakistani army chiefIran's top ‌negotiator and Parliament Speaker ⁠Mohammad Bagher ⁠Ghalibaf met Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir in Tehran ‌as part ‌of ongoing diplomatic efforts over regional tensions, Iranian state media reported on Saturday.Iran's top ‌negotiator and Parliament Speaker ⁠Mohammad Bagher ⁠Ghalibaf (R) and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday. Credit: Fars News AgencyIran's top ‌negotiator and Parliament Speaker ⁠Mohammad Bagher ⁠Ghalibaf (R) and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday. Credit: Fars News AgencyGhalibaf told Munir that Iran's Armed Forces "have rebuilt themselves during the cease-fire in such a way that if [U.S. President Donald] Trump foolishly restarts the war, they will definitely be more crushing and bitter for the U.S. than on the first day of the war."The Iranian top negotiator also said, "We will not compromise on the rights of our nation and country."Pakistan's army chief also held ⁠meetings with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian ‌in ⁠the ‌presence of Foreign Minister Abbas ⁠Araghchi during his visit to Iran.An Iranian Foreign Minister spokesperson said that the gaps are wide after Araghchi held a second meeting with Munir, Iran's state television reported.In the NewsIDF Soldier Killed by Explosive Drone in Northern Israel, Two WoundedDrones Strike North Israel as Lebanon Says 12 Killed by IDF Strikes in 24 HoursTrump Says U.S., Iran 'Getting a Lot Closer' to Finalizing AgreementHundreds Protest Against Crime in Arab Society: 'Our Blood Is Not Expendable'23 Israelis Retrieved From West Bank's Nablus, Six From JerichoRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIICC Prosecutor Seeks Warrants for Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Other Israeli OfficialsBen-Gvir Posts Video of Police Dragging Detained Gaza Flotilla ActivistsThe Most Consequential Republican Primary for Israel Is Happening in KentuckyUnmoved by Trump's Ticking Clock, Iran Forms a New Reality in the Persian Gulf`World Leaders Summon Israeli Envoys Over Ben-Gvir Gaza Flotilla Activists VideoOn Israel, Gaza and Palestine, Bigmouth Tucker Carlson Spoke Nothing but Truth