On May 19, two weeks before the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, celebrity chef and cookbook author Jamie Geller, who now serves as the spokesperson and chief communications officer of the Jewish educational organization, Aish, set out with her team—including the writer of this article— to taste and rate some of the best cheesecakes in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem has a plethora of bakeries, each with its unique style of cheesecake presentation. “We aimed to sample as wide a variety of different kinds of cheesecakes as we could in one morning,” said Geller, who helps curate Jewlish, a Jewish food website and sub-section of Aish.com., named after one of her best-selling books.

“Shavuot is my favorite holiday,” Geller exclaimed. “Even though all dairy commemorates the tradition, Shavuot has become known as the cheesecake holiday, and I fully enjoy one day of dairy bliss. This is the only time that I reflect on my time in America and fondly remember having a two-day holiday, a full 48 hours, to indulge in cheesecake and all things dairy.”  

In modern times, cheesecake has become entwined with celebrating Shavuot, a tradition for which many reasons are given. The most prominent of these is that Jews were given culinary (kashrut) laws regarding the proper treatment of meat at Mount Sinai on Shabbat and were forbidden from slaughtering or cooking meat that day, so instead they ate dairy.

Another reason is that Mount Sinai is called Har Gavnunim (mountain of peaks) in Hebrew and its etymology is close to the Hebrew word for cheese—gvina. A third reason given is that by eating dairy products, we give thanks to God for giving the Jews the land of Milk and Honey. 

While Geller eats only in restaurants with a "mehadrin" or "badatz" level of kashrut supervision, she brought her team to help explore some of the popular hotspots around the city with different kashrut certifications.

Ahead of the cheesecake crawl, Geller described her ideal cheesecake to JNS: “To me, the perfect cheesecake is New York-style—creamy, semi-rich, a bit savory and full-bodied. It’s a mile high with a small token layer of crust on the bottom."

She added, with a smile, "Cheesecake can also be classified as a protein, so I get to indulge with no guilt on this holiday. The rest of the holidays, aside from Chanukah, we’re pretty much rolling in meat and potatoes.” 

The first stop saw the team visit Marzipan Bakery on Agrippas Street, mostly famous for its melt-in-your-mouth rugelach. The bakery also had a wide variety of (frozen) cheesecakes available.

Geller’s team, which aimed to try different styles in each place, chose the typical Israeli "crumb" cheesecake after discussing with the staff what their top recommendation would be. “Growing up, my Israeli aunt Zehava used to make this style of cheesecake with crumbs, it took me back a bit to that memory,” Geller said.

Overall, the team determined that the cheesecake was well-rounded and creamy, with a lemon undertone. It was a solid cheesecake and received a respectable 7 out of 10 from the 6 tasters who judged it based on composition, taste, heaviness or lightness of cheese and how well the crust complements the cheese.
 

“The classic Israeli cheesecake with crumbs on top is the typical kind that all the kids bring home from gan (pre-school), and you know there were 25 fingers in that cake, but you let the kids eat it anyway,” Geller quipped. 

The next stop was Berman Bakery, also on Agrippas Street. There, the team sampled a cheese log that was labeled "baked cheesecake."

“This was more of a cake than a cheesecake,” the team determined. “It wasn’t what we were looking for today,” Geller added. 

Next came the Oreo cheesecake from English Cake, across Agrippas from the Machane Yehuda shuk (outdoor market). This cake was really exciting; its appearance enthralled some of the team members, but they said the cheese was far more of a gelatinous cream than a typical cheese. The cake was rated a 6 out of 10.

Following that, the crew stepped into Boutique Central, where they tried a classic New York-style cheesecake. “This was terrific,” one of the team tasters exclaimed. “It has everything I was looking for, a full-bodied cheese, a light crust that complemented the entirety of the cake, and a second layer of creamy cheese on top.” The overall score for the cake was 8.5 out of 10.

Leaving the shuk area, the team headed to King George Street to sample two cheesecakes from the French-style patisserie, Yehuda Bakery. One was a pecan cheesecake, the other a caramel-topped version.

They said the pecan headed toward a more gelatinous consistency with nut flavoring diffusing into it, while the caramel held a stronger cheese body and more varied flavor. The overall scores given by their team were 6 for the pecan and 7 for the caramel.

From there, the group headed down to Yoel Solomon Street to sample Napoleon Patisserie’s lotus cheesecake. It came in a small circular torte-like shape that, the team determined, was full of cheesecake flavor.

“This is a 10!” Geller exclaimed after tasting just the first bite of the lotus cheesecake, half-covered by lotus cookie-flavored crust and half by a delicious cream. 

“This is a little piece of heaven. It is exactly what I hoped for and wish to have this Shavuot!” 

The entire team ranked the lotus cheesecake fairly highly, scoring an average of 9.5 from the six team members, having garnered perfect scores from both Geller and another taster. 

It came time for the last stop on the crawl, which brought the team to Kadosh Café Patisserie. Here, the group faced a challenge: there was no cheesecake left!

After speaking with several staff members and explaining what was taking place, a waiter headed into the kitchen and found a single piece of Basque-style cheesecake in the back of a fridge.

As the team of tasters dug in, it became apparent that Kadosh, which has a reputation for serving delicious, tantalizing cakes, once again did not disappoint. The darkness of the basque-style cheesecake was in full play, as was the full body of the cheese itself. The piece of forgotten cheesecake ranked at a lofty 8.5. It left us all wondering how good it would have been if it were freshly made right out of the oven. 

“The inspiration for the cheesecake crawl came about as a culmination of several different factors,” Geller said. “We were looking for a team-building experience themed around the holidays that could also be used as a cool piece of social media content that will help other people celebrate the holiday. As we were sitting around eating the different cheesecakes, we went around the table and discussed different reasons for the tradition of why we eat cheesecake and dairy on the holiday of Shavuot. We did some research, we learned about the holiday and a lot about cheesecakes in Jerusalem. It was a win-win on many levels.”

Waxing philosophical, she added, “This is exactly what food during the holidays is for. It is a means to an end to get us all together, as families, as friends, around a table, to talk, to connect with one another.  After all, the food, the cheesecake, is just a means to bring us together around the table to spend the holiday together, to learn, to love and to live."

Concluding the cheesecake search in Jerusalem, Geller said, "We will certainly be doing similar projects in the future, and I encourage anyone who can do so, to conduct their own crawl or taste test with their family or work colleagues. It helps get everyone into the holiday spirit. I wish everyone who reads this a happy and joy-filled holiday.” 

For more information, go to jamiegeller.com/holidays/top-5-tips-for-kosher-cheesecake-perfection/

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Tuesday that Moataz Deeb, the commander of Hamas's missile and rocket array in the northern Gaza Strip, was killed in an airstrike on May 17.

According to the IDF, Deeb was responsible for planning and directing terror attacks against IDF aircraft inside the Strip, in addition to launching unmanned aerial vehicles targeting Israeli civilians.

Over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force conducted more than 100 strikes on targets throughout the Gaza Strip, the IDF stated. In northern Gaza, these included a weapons depot, armed terrorists, a facility used by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as underground infrastructure.

In the southern Strip, the IAF targeted terrorists, terrorist compounds, and observation posts, according to the army statement on Tuesday.

The IDF's 401st Brigade and 162nd Armored Division had begun operations in Gaza's north as part of "Operation Gideon's Chariots," the IDF announced earlier on Tuesday.

Forces of the 401st Brigade's combat team are working to destroy terrorist structures in the area, and eliminated dozens of gunmen.

Meanwhile, the Givati ​​Brigade began operating in the Tel al-Za'tar neighborhood of Beit Lahiya over the past 24 hours, according to the IDF. The soldiers were said to have destroyed numerous military structures belonging to local terrorist groups while eliminating dozens of terrorists in the area, working in cooperation with the air force.

The 215th Brigade has so far attacked over 30 terror infrastructure targets, including arms depots, booby-trapped buildings and observation posts.

"IDF forces continue to operate against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, in order to protect the security of the citizens of the State of Israel," the military said.

On Sunday, the IDF announced the official start of the ground phase of the operation.

"Over the past 24 hours, forces of the IDF's Southern Command, both regular and reserve, have started a large-scale ground operation across the northern and southern Gaza Strip as part of the beginning of 'Operation Gideon's Chariots,'" the army said.

"So far, the forces have eliminated dozens of terrorists, destroyed terrorist infrastructure both above and below ground, and are now taking control of strategic areas within the Strip," the statement continued.

The IDF reported on Monday that it had carried out more than 160 strikes across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours prior, and had expanded its ground activity targeting Hamas infrastructure.

The current military campaign will continue "as long as necessary" to neutralize Hamas's remaining strongholds, military officials have said.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Tuesday that ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas have stalled, with “deep divisions” preventing progress.

Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, Al Thani declared that “the talks are going nowhere,” confirming that weeks of mediation efforts have failed to bridge critical gaps between the sides.

“When Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander was released, we thought that moment would open a door to end this tragedy, but the response was a more violent wave of strikes,” he said. “This irresponsible, aggressive behavior undermines any potential chance for peace.”

Qatar has been hosting negotiations based on the “Witkoff framework,” a phased plan proposing a 40- to 50-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10 living hostages. Under the proposal, Hamas would later disclose the status of remaining captives as talks continue toward a broader agreement to end the war.

Israel on Sunday announced that it is pursuing a broader framework for ending the war in Gaza, one that includes the release of all hostages, the expulsion of Hamas terrorists and the disarmament of the Strip.

The Israeli negotiating team in Doha is working to exhaust every opportunity to reach an agreement, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. Talks are being conducted under multiple frameworks, including one proposed by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Israel reportedly considered withdrawing its delegation from Doha on Monday due to lack of progress, but opted to keep the team in place for now.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday advanced a bill to designate Qatar as a “terror-supporting state,” clearing the way for the coalition proposal to be put to a preliminary vote in the Knesset.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague announced on Tuesday that deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang would be taking over from ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan following the accusations of sexual misconduct against him.

In a statement published by the court, the two prosecutors stressed that they would ensure their office's continuity "across all areas of work, and particularly in its mission to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes with independence and impartiality."

The ICC's Office of the Prosecutor reaffirmed its "commitment to the continued effective implementation of its mandate to deliver justice for victims of Rome Statute crimes, across all situations and cases globally."

Karim Khan has taken indefinite leave pending the outcome of a probe by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services about allegations that he repeatedly assaulted a Malaysian colleague while urging her not to pursue charges as they might hinder his war crimes case against Israeli leaders.

"Think about the Palestinian arrest warrants," the chief prosecutor was cited as saying, according to his accuser. He has denied all allegations.

In May 2024, Khan announced that he would request arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant for "crimes against humanity" in the Gaza Strip.

The Hague-based tribunal, which independently prosecutes the gravest crimes and is not part of the United Nations, issued the arrest warrants in November.

U.N. Watch, a Geneva-based NGO that monitors anti-Israel bias at the world body and other international organizations, denounced Nazhat Shameem Khan as "unethical" in a social media post on Monday.

In her previous capacity as president of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Khan repeatedly "violated freedom of speech to appease the world's worst tyrannies," the NGO stated, accusing her of being directly responsible for shielding Hamas terrorists working for the United Nations.

U.N. Watch noted that, as ICC deputy prosecutor, Khan met in The Hague with prominent anti-Israel activists—including Navi Pillay and Miloon Kothari—whom she had previously appointed to the U.N. Human Rights Council commission of inquiry targeting Israel.

A mere 19 days after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel, Khan met in The Hague with top Palestine Liberation Organization official Riyad al-Malki to receive evidence of "Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people."

Israel has denied that the ICC has jurisdiction to arrest or try its citizens because Jerusalem is not a party to the Rome Statute, the founding document that established the ICC in 2002.

The Associated Press reported last week that the ICC probe against the Jewish state's leaders has ground to a halt in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order in February to sanction Khan and the court. Khan, who is British, has reportedly been frozen out of his U.K. bank accounts and lost all access to his work email accounts.

In a joint operation at the end of April, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Police’s Lahav 433 unit arrested two Israeli citizens on suspicion of perpetrating security-related offenses on behalf of Iranian operatives, according to a statement released by police on Tuesday.

Investigators allege that during 2025, Roi Mizrahi established contact with Iranian agents and undertook a series of sensitive tasks under their direction, some of them in coordination with the second suspect, Almog Atias. The activities focused on the town of Kfar Ahim, where Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz resides. Both suspects are 25 years old.

Both suspects were aware they were being handled by hostile foreign actors and that their actions posed a threat to national security, according to the Shin Bet. Neither is thought to have been previously involved with criminal activities; as both were deeply in debt, financial gain is believed to be the likely motivation.

Among the tasks attributed to Mizrahi was purchasing a camera that transmitted real-time video and installing it at crowded checkpoints in Haifa. He was subsequently expected to transfer control of the cameras to his operators. In one particularly alarming instance, Mizrahi was allegedly instructed to dig up a buried bag—believed to contain an explosive device—and transfer it from one location to another. Authorities say he followed the orders precisely.

The Shin Bet emphasized that the case highlights ongoing efforts by Iranian intelligence to exploit Israeli civilians via digital channels for espionage and terrorism.

The Central District Prosecutor’s Office is expected to file serious charges against both suspects in the coming days. Authorities continue to urge the public to report suspicious contacts or offers involving mysterious tasks or unexplained compensation.

This incident also marks the second time in as many days that Israel’s security service has released information about Iranian operatives targeting young Israelis to carry out espionage activities on the Islamic Republic’s behalf.

On Monday, it was reported that an 18-year-old Israeli from the central city of Yavne was arrested on suspicion of accepting Iranian orders to collect intelligence on the security detail of former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett during his recent hospital treatment.

Hungary’s parliament voted on Tuesday to initiate the country’s formal withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, a move hailed by senior Israeli officials as a stand against the court's political targeting of the Jewish state.

The bill, submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, passed with 134 lawmakers in favor and 37 opposed. The legislation cited concern over the ICC being used “as instruments of political influence,” echoing longstanding Israeli objections to the court’s legitimacy.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government first announced the withdrawal plan on April 3, coinciding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s state visit to Budapest—one of only two trips Netanyahu has made abroad since the ICC issued an arrest warrant for him and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Orbán has condemned the warrants and vowed Hungary would not honor it. The withdrawal would make Hungary the only European Union member state that does not recognize the ICC’s authority.

“Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organisations—in particular criminal courts—as instruments of political influence,” the bill states, according to the Hungarian parliament’s website.

Netanyahu praised the decision, calling it “bold and principled" and reiterating that Israel is being unfairly targeted over its war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza. He has denied all allegations brought by the court.

“I praise the Hungarian Parliament for its just and historic decision this morning to approve the withdrawal from the ICC,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted on X. “The so-called ‘International Criminal Court’ has lost all moral credibility in its zest to remove Israel’s basic right to defend itself. Thank you Hungary and @PM_ViktorOrban!”

In an earlier post, Sa’ar called the move a vital correction. “The so-called ‘International Criminal Court’ lost its moral authority after trampling the fundamental principles of international law in its zest for harming Israel’s right to self-defense,” he wrote in April.

The ICC, established over 20 years ago to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity, relies on its member states for enforcement. Israel and the United States are not parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.

In a joint press conference during his visit to Hungary, Netanyahu thanked Orbán for ensuring that the ICC warrant would have “no impact whatsoever on the Hungarian-Israeli alliance and friendship.” Orbán also promised Netanyahu safety and freedom while in the country.

Hungary’s exit from the ICC will become official one year after the United Nations Secretary-General receives formal notification.

The disclosure on Sunday of Joe Biden’s aggressive prostate cancer “with metastasis to the bone” wasn’t as surprising as it might have been under other circumstances.

The former U.S. president’s waning health and impaired cognitive abilities have been obvious for years. Ditto for the lies perpetrated by his inner circle and perpetuated by a complicit media.

The latter is documented by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson of Axios in a new book—Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again—excerpts of which indicate that the gaslighting was even more extensive than anyone with a pair of eyes already realized.

Ironically, the timing of the announcement about Biden’s diagnosis fit right in with his family’s mendacity and manipulations. Indeed, it came on the heels of the Hur-tapes release and two days before the Tapper-Thomson revelations were set to hit the stands.

But if former First Lady Jill Biden imagined that sympathy for her husband’s dire condition would upstage, if not put the kibosh on, the depth of the conspiratorial deception, she’s in for a rude awakening. Now that members of the press and previous White House staffers are rushing to shove her under the proverbial bus, she’s on her own.

Still, she might just be flattered by her depiction in Original Sin as the real power in the White House, running the show—if not, heaven forbid, the country—with an iron fist. This allegedly entailed, among other things, taking extreme measures to shield her spouse from scrutiny.

As though Americans couldn’t witness his stumbling and mumbling for themselves. Long before the disastrous June 27 debate with Donald Trump that spurred Democrat bigwigs to force him to bow out of the race and let Vice President Kamala Harris replace him as their puppet.

This wasn’t the only thing on display throughout Joe’s less-than-four-year tenure that gave new meaning to the term “cringe-worthy.” Equally apparent, to the point of horrifying, was Jill’s utter disregard for and obliviousness to Joe’s distress.

Rather than subjecting him to endless humiliation, she should have protected him from it. Of course, that would have meant forfeiting her coveted status as the grande dame of the Oval Office. One with a PhD, no less, not to mention a fawning cover story in Vogue magazine.

That lengthy feature article by Jonathan Van Meter referred to her as a “goddess in stilettos”—a “key player in her husband’s administration, a West Wing surrogate and policy advocate.”

Yes, “Dr. Jill” loves embracing her ill-gotten reputation as the embodiment of feminism and femininity, neither of which apply to her in a genuine sense. A much better description of the “educator” would be a woman who rose to fame through a man whose well-being she was willing to sacrifice when the chips were down.

So awful has she been that even Biden’s harshest critics can’t help experiencing twinges of pity for the man. After all, he’s had a long career as a senator, then as vice president under Barack Obama.

Jill’s propping him up like a ventriloquist's dummy, thus, has been particularly painful and hard to stomach. The couple’s embarrassing interview on ABC’s “The View” earlier this month, for example, caused several jaws to drop in dismay. Up until the news about Joe’s cancer, that is.

Here, again, Jill should be considered a “person of interest” where her husband’s deterioration is concerned. As famous urologist Dr. David Samadi (author of Prostate Cancer—Now What?: A Practical Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery) told broadcaster Megyn Kelly on Monday, there’s something awry with the report that Biden only found out about his stage-four cancer last week.

According to Samadi, Biden would have had regular annual check-ups to detect prostate irregularities, which, when caught early, are highly treatable. In addition, he stressed, it takes at least five to seven years for prostate cancer to spread.

 In other words, either the Bidens knew about it well before Joe ran for president the first time around and refused treatment, or they maintained secrecy surrounding management of the disease. Wherever the truth lies on this specific issue, Joe’s presidency was a sham, with Jill orchestrating the scam.

She’s dubbed in Original Sin as one of the most powerful first ladies in America. May she go down in history as among the world’s worst wives.

Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday advanced a bill to designate Qatar as a "terror-supporting state," clearing the way for the coalition proposal to be put to a preliminary vote in the Knesset.

The bill, initiated by Likud lawmakers Moshe Saada and Dan Illouz, Otzma Yehudit's Yitzhak Kroizer and Michal Woldiger of the Religious Zionism Party, advances as the Israeli negotiating team continues to pursue a hostage agreement with Hamas in Doha, where senior leadership of the terrorist organization has long been hosted.

"Qatar has been the financial lifeline of Hamas for years," Illouz told JNS on Monday. "It hosted Hamas leaders in Doha, poured billions into Gaza, gave platforms to Hezbollah and looked the other way as money flowed to jihadist groups. It dressed up its terror support in diplomacy and PR."

However, "the mask is off," the Likud member continued. "Qatar is a state sponsor of terror—and no amount of gas money will buy our silence."

Illouz explained to JNS that the legislation was unlikely to affect the current hostage talks, charging that what harmed the remaining 58 captives is "that Hamas lived like kings in Qatar for over a decade."

"Qatar played both arsonist and firefighter: funding Hamas while pretending to mediate. That's not diplomacy—that’s deceit," Illouz stated, adding: "The only way to stop this game is to call them out."

"Appeasement got us nowhere. Pressure is the only language they understand," the coalition member declared. "After Oct. 7, no one can afford to keep playing dumb. Qatar isn’t a neutral broker; it's part of the problem. And Israel has a duty to say it, loud and clear."

According to Illouz, Doha "bought silence" through gas deals, think-tank donations and PR campaigns, all while backing Hamas and legitimizing Hezbollah. Even their ties with the Taliban were dressed up as diplomacy," he added.

Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Yitzhak Kroizer on Tuesday accused Qatar of actively supporting terrorism, saying the Gulf state should no longer be regarded as a legitimate mediator in regional conflicts.

“Qatar has proven over the years that it finances, supports and assists terrorist organizations—led by Hamas, which carried out one of the worst attacks in Israel’s history on Oct. 7,” Kroizer told JNS.

“It is time for the State of Israel to recognize reality: A country that supports the murder of our citizens must be legally recognized as a state that supports terrorism,” he said.

Kroizer blamed the breakdown in hostage negotiations on both Hamas and Qatar. “The responsibility for damaging the talks lies first and foremost with the side that holds the hostages and with the one who finances them—Qatar. There is no contradiction between conducting talks to return the hostages and establishing a consistent and ethical policy against supporters of terrorism,” he added.

He further criticized Qatar’s international image, accusing the country of masking its actions behind diplomacy. “Qatar has tried to buy itself a moderate image, but in its actions—through financing terrorism, incitement and strategic investments that aid Israel’s enemies—it acts exactly like a terrorist state,” he said.

“The legislation aims to correct the absurdity of Qatar being perceived as a ‘legitimate mediator’ while being part of the problem itself,” he added.

Qatar, which has hosted Hamas's leadership and has provided the organization with hundreds of millions of dollars, played a role in mediating the freedom of some hostages held by the terror group.

Doha has deflected accusations of playing a double game, saying that the United States requested that it open the mediation channel with Hamas.

In April, after two of his aides were arrested on charges of allegedly having worked to advance Qatar's interests in the Jewish state, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Gulf nation as "a complex country, not a simple country," noting that Doha is "not an enemy country, and many praise it."

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the chances of a breakthrough in negotiations with the United States over Iran's nuclear program are slim, accusing the U.S. administration of making "nonsense statements."

“The Islamic Republic does not believe that the current negotiations with America will yield positive results, and no one knows what will follow,” he said at a ceremony commemorating former Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who both died in a helicopter crash in May, 2024, near the border with Azerbaijan.

“The Americans must stop making nonsense statements and issuing futile remarks,” said Khamenei, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency Mehr.

The Iranian leader pushed back against American demands to stop its enrichment of uranium, calling them “outrageous.”

“We are not waiting for anyone’s permission. The Islamic Republic has its own policies, its own path, and will pursue its strategies independently,” he said.

On Monday, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said that Washington will not accept enrichment of uranium in any deal with Tehran.

“We have one very, very clear red line, and that is enrichment. We cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability,” Witkoff said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”

An indispensable condition for an accord with Iran from U.S. President Donald Trump’s perspective, the envoy continued, is that it “does not include enrichment. We cannot have that. Because enrichment enables weaponization. And we will not allow a bomb to get here.”

He added that U.S.-Iran talks will resume this week in Europe, expressing optimism that they “will lead to some real positivity.”

Also on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi hosted a meeting with senior Hamas officials in Tehran, Mehr reported.

According to the Iranian outlet, the Hamas delegation included Basem Naim, a member of the terrorist organization’s “political bureau” based in Qatar, as well as Osama Hamdan, a Lebanon-based senior official.

The issues discussed during the meeting were not released to the media.