Dueling Diplomacy

Uncle Sam threatened to bomb Oman and held peace talks for Gaza this week.

President Trump said Monday he’d strike the Gulf nation if it “gets in the way” of efforts to put economic pressure on Iran via the Strait of Hormuz blockade. The U.S. ally and go-to mediator has been negotiating with Iran to ship ships through the Strait, compromising Washington’s leverage over the Iranian economy. Responding to #47’s Oman threat, Sen. Kaine (D-VA) plans to introduce a war powers resolution when Congress returns.

Meanwhile, U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Kushner met Hamas in Egypt and PM Netanyahu in Israel this week, trying (unsuccessfully) to advance Trump’s Board of Peace 15-point roadmap for Gaza. Sticking points remain: Hamas won’t disarm until Israel honors the ceasefire and withdraws; Israel won’t leave until Hamas disarms.

Verse to consider when you’re brokering peace deals between nations, guiding children through sibling squabbles, or navigating a fractured friendship… “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (CSB) (read full passage)