In the three days since the long-anticipated invasion began, Israel’s military has operated with a similar ambiguity, defying expectations by carrying out a more incremental ground operation than was initially anticipated.

Israeli forces are moving slowly in their ground offensive in Gaza in part to keep open the possibility of drawing Hamas militants to negotiate the release of more than 200 hostages, military specialists consulted by Reuters said.

On a tactical level, the smaller than expected footprint meant ground troops could more easily be provided with close air support — crucial cover for entering parts of northern Gaza where Hamas has spent years preparing defences, according to one person familiar with Israel’s battle plans.

Qatar doesn’t want another war in our region. Our objectives since the start of the current conflict have been clear: to secure the release of the hostages, establish humanitarian corridors for essential aid to Palestinian civilians, and to end the bloodshed and prevent further escalation.

The leaders of the free world must demand that Qatar choose. Will it behave like a responsible peace-seeking country or remain a part of the axis of evil, creating chaos and terror?

Doha’s sway over Hamas might be the only hope for families desperate for a reunion with their abducted sons, daughters, grandparents, and other loved ones.

…behind the scenes, the enlightened despot and de facto ruler of the kingdom seems to be still swaying the nation away from Gaza and toward Israel. Exhibit A: when an anchor on a Saudi state news outlet grilled former Hamas head Khaled Meshaal.

With war clouds covering much of the region, one thing is clear. Saudi Arabia, having flirted with China and Russia, recognizes that the U.S. is its best—its only—security option. Whether that will lead it to recognize the Jewish state in the current environment is unclear.

The Hamas attack has put an abrupt end to these plans. First, it has effectively frozen the normalisation process between Israel and Saudi Arabia, thwarting the conclusion of a regional security arrangement.

Lifshitz is not proving that Hamas is humane; she is proving that she is.

Lifshitz’s handshake can effect no atonement for the murder of 1,400 Israelis. Nor was it intended to.

This is a disaster for Israel’s public diplomacy… How is it possible that no individual or official spokesperson came to manage an event like this…?

…the White House’s all-of-the-above approach to AI may also reflect a desire to avoid upsetting different constituencies in the constellation of AI governance — whether that’s progressive voters and organizations key to the Democratic grassroots, or the top tech companies like OpenAI, or hawkish voices like Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner…

The scope of the order is impressive, especially given that the generative-AI boom began just about a year ago. But the document’s many parts—and there are many—are at times in tension, revealing a broader confusion over what, exactly, America’s primary attitude toward AI should be: Is it a threat to national security, or a just society? Is it a geopolitical weapon? Is it a way to help people?

The White House has released a sweeping executive order on artificial intelligence, which is notable in a number of ways. Most significantly, it establishes an early stage means of regulation for the controversial technology which promises to have a vast impact on our lives.

I sat down with Yaniv Iczkovits, author of “The Slaughterman’s Daughter,” an exuberant, picaresque tale of a daring 19th-century heroine, Fanny, and the colorful cast of characters she meets along her journey. I wanted to know if he set out to write a feminist story, who inspired him, and what role his philosophy Ph.D. plays in his fiction.

Jews invented Superman, Spider-Man, Captain America, The Hulk, the Avengers and X-Men. Aside from the mainstream, Jews have contributed heavily to the indie comic book scene as well.

Now, the Jewish community’s contributions to comics is on display at the Center for Jewish History in New York City.

An exciting acquisition I made this week is a rare and early publication printed in London, in 1707, with the circumstances leading up to its publication rather interesting. The background of this book printing reads like a novel, with gambling, escape to a foreign land, a herem and the traditional Jewish way of ending a fight…