The prospect for real and substantial progress in the peace process seems currently out of reach. Yet that does not mean that progress can't be made by focusing on a narrower, yet critical, set of issues that would improve the lives and security of all in the region. The perfect place to start is water.

Is Israel a superpower? The question comes up and meets a number of answers and reactions. Some would answer that it is a miniature superpower, while others feel Israel is treated like a vassal state of the US.

Israel’s public diplomacy has so far focused on what many have said was an unrealistic demand for the complete dismantlement of Iran’s potentially military nuclear infrastructure. Softening that position, Israel’s minister of intelligence and strategic affairs, presented a list of desired modifications for the final agreement.

And so it came, after years of protracted negotiations, extended deadlines and a diplomatic dance of unprecedented proportions – a deal that could signal a new era for Iran’s relations with the world. (...) Beyond the technical details of the agreement lies a triumph of diplomacy and the potential, if not for a realignment of US interests in the Middle East, then certainly a significant adjustment which has concerned its traditional allies in the region.

On Tuesday, the Limón company was announced as one of three companies selected for the fifth iteration of DanceMotion USA, an initiative of the State Department, produced in partnership with the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Joining the Limón company are Dance Heginbotham and Bodytraffic, a Los Angeles troupe.

Previously strained US-Israel relations have turned “toxic,” in the words of former US secretary of state James Baker. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pre-election assertions are unlikely to be forgotten by Israel’s strongest ally, which has been committed for decades to the policy of two states for two peoples. While the US is currently reevaluating its options on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a pressing question remains: What can Netanyahu do in order to placate the White House and begin repairing this vital relationship? 

The Israeli government will host a gathering of young scientists later this year as part of efforts to improve the image of a state internationally associated with occupation and military brutality. An estimated 400 young scientists from around the world will meet in Jerusalem in August.