As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his first full day of meetings with officials in the US after landing in Washington Tuesday morning, voices back in Jerusalem were demanding that he raise various issues during those meetings. Allies of his within the government, including a groups of MKs and activists, issued a statement calling on him to secure US President Donald Trump’s support for the idea of expanding construction in West Bank settlements, and even for outright annexation.

The city of Jerusalem added 1,700 new hotel rooms in 2015-2016 with around 5,000 more set to come into operation by 2022, creating thousands of new jobs. “In recent years, we have doubled the number of tourists visiting the city to four million a year,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. “Hand in hand with the government, we are constantly developing and strengthening the city’s tourist industry, which supports the municipal economy and Jerusalem.”

Al Jazeera reported on Monday that the Islamist terror militia Hamas which rules the Gaza Strip had elected an new leader for its military wing in the Strip, the Izzadin Kassam Brigades. The man named is Yahya Sinwar, described as a “hardliner” even within Hamas, who was released from an Israeli prison in 2011 as part of the exchange for IDF soldier Gilad Schalit. Security analysts in Israel said the ascendance of Sinwar indicates that Hamas is preparing to attack Israel sooner rather than later.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday that the leadership of the Lebanese Shi’ite terror militia Hezbollah is optimistic about the new Trump Administration in the US, believing it to be incompetent and will leave Israel and US-allied Sunni regimes in the Middle East vulnerable. “We are not worried, but very optimistic because when an idiot resides in the White House, this is the beginning of the release for the oppressed in the world,” he said Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah.

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein hosted his counterpart, Speaker of British House of Commons John Bercow at the Knesset on Monday. “The UK and Israel share a significant joint history,” said Edelstein. “I hope that we could continue strengthening our parliamentarian relations. I also wish to praise Britain on its unambiguous stance and its input in the fight against anti-Semitism.”

Israeli’s from Dan to Beer Sheeva endured unusually cold temperatures, rain, wind and snow Tuesday with the forecast calling for more of the same through the end of the week. The ski resort on Mount Hermon was closed due to the conditions, but the heavy snowfall there gave many people hope for a fun weekend.

The phrase “two-state solution” is repeated daily by international leaders and organizations. However, the phrase is bandied about without a full awareness of its history or of the practical aspects of its implementation in the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

The Iranian-backed terror militia has sustained serious losses but also gained valuable operational experience from its participation in the Syrian conflict. The IDF gives its assessment of the threat to Israel’s northern border from one of Israel’s most dangerous enemies.