Reasons the U.S. cares about Saudi Arabia’s newly named crown prince

Reasons the U.S. cares about Saudi Arabia's newly named crown prince King Salman named his son Mohammed bin Salman, 31, as next-in-line to the thrown. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2sS4xL0 In this May 14, 2012, file photo, Prince Mohammed bin Salman waits for Gulf Arab leaders ahead of the opening of Gulf Cooperation Council summit, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

White House Sends Jared Kushner into Israel to Kickstart Peace Efforts

On Wednesday, the President's son-in-law and envoy is to join national security aide Greenblatt, who arrived in the country on Monday, to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior aides in a first step to kick-start a peace process that has been largely stalled for 25 years. The White House acknowledged any deal would be lengthy, and difficult.

Jared Kushner will return to Jerusalem to jump-start peace talks

Jared Kushner, President Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, will visit the Middle East later for meetings in Jerusalem and the West Bank aimed at trying to jump-start peace talks. Kushner will arrive in Jerusalem Wednesday for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will then travel to Ramallah, in the West Bank, for meetings with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Likud planned anti-Obama campaign ads in 2015 – report

US President Barack Obama meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 3, 2014 During the 2015 election campaign, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party reportedly planned, and later scrapped, negative campaign ads against then-US president Barack Obama. It relied on internal polls of Israeli voters that indicated most were negatively predisposed toward the US leader.

Senate to hear from Comey; Dems raise new Session questions

In this file photo, then-FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. Comey, ousted last month amid a federal investigation into connections between Russia and the Trump campaign, is set to testify before Congress next week in a highly anticipated hearing that could shed new light on his private conversations with the president in the weeks before the firing.

Trump Acts Like a Competent, Conventional President Abroadby Michael…

On May 19, President Donald Trump took off in Air Force One for the Middle East and Europe. He left behind a Washington and a nation buzzing about his firing of FBI director James Comey, the multiple reasons he had given for doing so, the meeting he'd had with the Russian foreign minister a day later and his statement that Comey is a "nut job."

Trump says he never ‘mentioned the word’ Israel in meeting with Russians

It's a far cry from Trump's campaign rhetoric that accused Muslims of hating America - even repeating unfounded claims that hundreds of Arabs cheered the destruction of the World Trade Center from across the river on 9/11. He pointedly sidestepped any mention of the thorny issues that have stymied all previous attempts at a peace deal, including the status of Jerusalem, Israeli settlement construction and the Palestinians' demand for a sovereign nation.

Trump, Abbas Call for Revival of Palestinian-Israeli Peace Talks

Palestinian protesters shout slogans and hold placards outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem during a demonstration in support of prisoners refusing food in Israeli jails, on May 23, 2017, during a visit of the US president to the West Bank town. President Donald Trump called for a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian relations after he met Tuesday in Bethlehem with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

President Trump’s Trailblazing Pro-Israel Actions

Many were waiting for President Trump's trip to Israel to decide whether Mr. Trump's pledges of friendship and support for Israel were as real today as what had been enunciated during his presidential campaign. Some had suggested that Mr. Trump had been "deep-stated" by those within the establishment who were ambivalent regarding the important alliance between our country and Israel.

May 24, 2017US embassy invites settler leader to Trump event

The US Embassy invited a settler leader to President Donald Trump's keynote speech at the Israel Museum on Tuesday. "Dear Guest: You are cordially invited to a speech by The Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America," read the simple email, which Ma'aleh Adumim Mayor Benny Kashriel received from the embassy on Sunday.

Israelis angry at Trumpa s failure to move U.S. embassy to Jerusalem as promised

Israeli officials say Trump has led them astray by failing to follow through on repeated promises to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "For the record, we recognize Washington, D.C.," said Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. who now serves as deputy minister for diplomacy in the Netanyahu government.

Trump arrives in Israel, with Israelis worrying about his mindset

US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, during the welcome ceremony, Flanking them are the Israeli President Rueben Rivlin and his wife, Nechama, on the left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sarah, Monday. US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, during the welcome ceremony, Flanking them are the Israeli President Rueben Rivlin and his wife, Nechama, on the left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sarah, Monday.

Iran hits back at Trump after Islam speech, Saudi arms deal

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaking at the 53rd Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich, February 19, 2017. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Sunday that the United States may be "milking" Saudi Arabia of $480 billion after Washington signed major deals with Tehran's regional rival over the weekend, incluing a $110 billion arms deal effective immediately.

Trump asks Mideast to extinguish extremism

Speaking Sunday to Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia, Trump described the conflict as a "battle between good and evil" rather than a clash between the West and Islam. Trump all but promised he would not publicly admonish Mideast rulers for human rights violations and oppressive reigns.

In Israel, Trump’s success hinges on the news back home

US President Donald Trump's first visit to Israel couldn't have come at a worst time for his presidency. With crises at home surrounding an escalating investigation into possible collusion between his campaign and Russian operatives, and new disclosures that bolster allegations he tried to shut down the probe by firing FBI head James Comey, the American president faces serious adversity as he takes on an ambitious international agenda.

Saudi King Confident Trump Can Solve Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Foreign Minister Says

The king of Saudi Arabia told President Donald Trump on Saturday that he's optimistic about the U.S. leader's ability to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians, according to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir. At a press conference alongside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Jubeir said Trump and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had a " very, very good and very wide-ranging conversation" that covered United States-Saudi relations, common concerns about Iran and combating extremist groups, the Syrian civil war and the Saudi war in Yemen.