The Financial Times reports that, according to a senior US official, the US shale boom has made it possible for the Trump administration to take stronger positions in support of Israel, including recognising its sovereignty over the Golan Heights, because it is no longer dependent on imported oil. Dan Brouillette, Deputy Energy Secretary, told the Financial Times that the position of the US was “radically different” from 1973-74, when the oil embargo imposed by Arab members of OPEC during the Arab-Israeli war sent fuel prices soaring. Although the US was still part of the global oil market as an importer and exporter, and hence affected by international developments, he said, it was no longer dependent on foreign countries for its fuel.

The Guardian reports that, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli soldiers shot dead a teenage Palestinian medic in the West Bank. Sajid Muzher, 17, was killed at the Dheisheh refugee camp next to Bethlehem, the ministry said in a statement. Early on Wednesday morning, Israeli troops had entered the area, leading to a confrontation with residents, who threw stones. Medical teams rushed in to provide first aid. “The killing by the Occupation of the volunteer paramedic with live bullets in the stomach is a war crime,” the Palestinian health minister Jawad Awad said, in reference to Israel. Muzher had worked for the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, which later said he was shot while attempting to treat one of those wounded by Israeli fire. He died of his injuries in hospital and was buried on Wednesday afternoon. The Israeli military said in a statement that a “violent riot” was instigated during operational activity. “Dozens of rioters hurled blocks and firebombs at the troops, who responded with riot dispersal means.” The statement added:  “A report was received regarding an injured Palestinian.”

The Telegraph reports that Israeli TV has been forced to postpone broadcasting a comedy about a French Eurovision contestant being recruited by the Islamic State after it led to threats of France pulling out of the singing competition. Israeli producers began working on the programme, Douze Points, last year after an Israeli singer’s Eurovision victory meant that the final would be staged in Tel Aviv in May 2019.The comedy’s writers crafted an outlandish plot about how Isil hacked France’s Eurovision nomination so that a gay Muslim singer would represent the country.The jihadists then threaten the singer so he will go along with their plot to attack Israel. Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, initially held firm in the face of European outrage and said it would stick to plans to air the comedy 11 days before Eurovision begins on May 14. However, as the pressure mounted, Kan’s board eventually relented and agreed to delay the programme until after Eurovision.

The Independent reports that, according to the Lebanese President, Europe could face another refugee crisis if Lebanon’s struggling economy does not improve. More than 1.5 million Syrians are currently seeking refuge in Lebanon, making it home to the highest concentration of refugees per capita anywhere in the world. Lebanese president Michel Aoun said on Tuesday that “waves” of refugees could soon be heading to Europe. “Europe is directly interested in solving the situation, as Syrian refugees staying in Lebanon are not satisfied with the economic situation in the country, and new migrant waves to Europe will start soon,” Aoun said on Tuesday during a trip to Moscow to discuss the crisis, according to Russian news agency TASS.

The BBC reports that an Iraqi court has issued a warrant for the arrest on corruption charges of the former governor of Nineveh province after a deadly ferry sinking in Mosul. Parliament voted on Sunday to sack Nawfal al-Akoub as a consequence of last week’s accident in the River Tigris that killed almost 100 people. On Wednesday, Nineveh’s investigations court said he and several other officials were suspected of misusing their powers and wasting public money. Akoub has so far not commented. The ferry accident sparked protests by Mosul residents, who blamed negligence by the local authorities and demanded those responsible be held to account.

In the Financial Times, Sarah Helm reports on Jared Kushner’s “missing Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.” Helm writes that European diplomats are sitting by with no plan B as US President Donald Trump follows Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s agenda. Israel rejects the Palestinians’ right to return, writes Helm, adding that Kushner has reportedly been attempting to persuade Israel’s Arab neighbours to take in the refugees instead. Helm writes that she has been told however, that Jordan and Egypt have adamantly rejected the idea, which probably explains the delay in presenting a US plan. Helm argues that if Kushner continues to push for refugee resettlement without addressing the right to return, he is not only bound to fail; he will reignite the conflict on a horrifying scale. Arab nations will continue to refuse and Palestinians will see such a deal not as a “peace plan” but as a document of surrender, and they would be right. The European envoys appear to understand that a sustainable resolution depends on offering justice to both sides. Their shamefacedness about Kushner’s idea may also stem from an awareness that justice is a moral issue too. Helm concludes by pondering whether the Europeans are hoping that Kushner never shows up. If he does, they will wish they had spent this period drawing up a just and workable alternative — a much needed plan B.

In the Guardian, Joshua Leifer writes that: “Trump’s Golan Heights proclamation is a cynical, dangerous move”. Leifer argues that Trump’s recognition of Israeli rule over the Golan Heights could pave the way for Israel’s annexation, in part or whole, of the whole West Bank – a long time talking point on the hard right.

In the Times, Anthony Loyd reports on the battle for ISIS’s last patch of land in Syria, in Baghuz. He writes that, as one of the first Western reporters on the scene following the battle, he found an apocalyptic landscape and a lingering uncertainty over the fate of its hostages. Such was the ferocity of the battle as the last diehard Islamic State believers made good their pact with martyrdom that few had the chance to resort to self-detonation. They died instead in the maelstrom of airstrikes and bullets as western-backed Kurd and Arab forces stormed this last redoubt of ISIS on the banks of the Euphrates.

Reuters reports that, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters on Wednesday, US Energy Secretary Rick Perry has approved six secret authorisations by companies to sell nuclear power technology and assistance to Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration has quietly pursued a wider deal on sharing US nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia, which aims to build at least two nuclear power plants. Several countries including the United States, South Korea and Russia are in competition for that deal, and the winners are expected to be announced later this year by Saudi Arabia. Perry’s approvals, known as Part 810 authorisations, allow companies to do preliminary work on nuclear power ahead of any deal but not ship equipment that would go into a plant, a source with knowledge of the agreements said on condition of anonymity.

The Guardian and Telegraph report that eleven female Saudi Arabian activists have appeared in court in Riyadh for the latest hearing in their trial on unspecified charges relating to their human rights work and contacts with foreign journalists and diplomats. Reporters and foreign diplomats were barred from entering the courtroom and escorted from the building despite petitioning the authorities to attend the trial, which has drawn sharp criticism in the west. The Saudi Arabian public prosecutor’s office previously announced that the group undertook “coordinated activity to undermine the security, stability and social peace of the kingdom”. After the first trial session in March, Human Rights Watch said the charges related to human rights work, including promoting women’s rights and calling for an end to Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship system. Some of the charges fall under an article of the kingdom’s cybercrime law stipulating jail sentences of up to five years, other rights groups said.

Yediot Ahronoth, Maariv and Israel Hayom report on the high state of alert on the Gaza Border ahead of Land Day Events in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. Kan Radio reports that Israel asked Hamas via Egyptian mediators to keep demonstrators away from the border fence this Saturday. Israel fears that demonstrations to mark the first anniversary of the ‘marches of return’ will descend into violent rioting. Maariv reports that Palestinians continued to send incendiary balloons into Israel, and clashes erupted again at the border fence last night. Earlier in the day Hamas Political Bureau Director Ismail Haniya called on: “All members of the Palestinian people inside, outside and in the West Bank to go out on Land Day and to take part in the million-man march.”

Yossi Yehoshua in Yediot Ahronoth writes that a delegation of senior Egyptian intelligence officials met with Hamas’s leadership in Yahya Sinwar’s office in an attempt to secure a temporary arrangement. The Israeli assessment, however, is that no arrangement of that kind will be reached until the events on Saturday are over.

Amos Harel in Haaretz suggests that finding a solution will be difficult and: “Elections will make it even more difficult. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cut short his visit to the United States because of the rocket fire, is in an uncomfortable position due to the escalation in Gaza. Under these circumstances he will find it hard to provide the significant concessions that Hamas wants because his political rivals will immediately portray this as capitulating to terrorism. On the other hand, Hamas is also dealing with trying domestic circumstances. It managed to suppress the protests organised in recent weeks, but if it cannot show that it has extracted any sort of concession from Israel it may face another wave of criticism.”

Yoav Limor in Israel Hayom argues that: “Israel and Hamas are still playing with fire, but both sides have also been trying to keep things under control so as to avoid a wider conflagration. The mediators have been trying to find long-term solutions, be that extending the Qatari funding or new employment programs, but the road to an agreement between the sides is long and full of obstacles, such as Israel’s demand to resolve the issue of the soldiers’ bodies and two Israeli civilians being held in Gaza.” Regarding the expected large scale demonstrations this weekend, Limor writes: “Hamas doesn’t want war, but it has no choice but to encourage large-scale demonstrations. The challenge that Hamas and Israel face is to prevent things from spiraling out of control and deteriorating into an unwanted conflagration during a sensitive period—the run-up to elections in Israel and the Passover holiday.”

Yediot Ahronoth, Maariv, Haaretz and Israel Hayom focus on a report by the State Comptroller that alleges that senior representatives of the Fifth Dimension, whose CEO was Benny Gantz, were present at a police meeting to decide on a contract to purchase advanced technological systems. “The police representatives presented incorrect data to the tender committee about this company [Fifth Dimension] and there is concern that there was unequal competition among the bidding companies,” the report stated. The Likud last night called on the attorney general to start a criminal investigation of Gantz. Yariv Levin said at a press conference that this was a test for the law enforcement agencies and said that the public would not accept unequal enforcement of the law. State Comptroller’s Office officials clarified last night that there was no suspicion of criminal offences having been committed in the contract between the police and the Fifth Dimension. State Comptroller’s Office sources said that there were no grounds to question Gantz. They said that the inquiry has been completed and that its conclusions would be released soon and that some police officers might be indicted.

Haaretz reports that European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini released a statement Wednesday on behalf of all 28 member states saying: ” The position of the European Union as regards the status of the Golan Heights has not changed. In line with international law and UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 497, the European Union does not recognise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights.”

Kan Radio reports that Syrian officials said Syria successfully repelled an Israeli air strike last night in the Aleppo area and that it had intercepted several missiles. A Syrian army official said that a number of targets had been attacked in an industrial zone northeast of Aleppo. The official said that the only damage had been caused [i.e. there were no casualties]. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least four people were killed in a strike that was attributed to Israel in northeast Syria, most likely guards at an Iranian weapons storage depot that was attacked.  Aleppo residents reported that the air strikes caused a power cut throughout the city.

Kan Radio reports comments by Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s account of the sale of German submarines to Egypt was unreasonable. I only learned from the media about Israel’s approval to Germany to sell advanced submarines to Egypt, Pardo said in an interview to Kan Channel Eleven News. Pardo was Mossad director when Prime Minister Netanyahu approved the submarine deal with Egypt. He said that he did not believe that there was any security secret that the defense minister, the chief of staff and the Mossad director did not know about. The Prime Minister’s Office commented that there were such instances and there every prime minister in Israeli history had had instances of that kind.

Hahdashot news reported that the Blue and White party is concerned that its senior figures are being secretly recorded. The party believes that the recordings have not been made by someone in the party, but that this is being done by advanced technological means that do not require a physical presence in the location of the recording. The party reached that conclusion after an investigation of the places where Gantz spoke.