On Busy Diplomacy Day, Netanyahu Offers an Apology

On a potentially big day of diplomacy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare apology. During his visit to the White House to meet with President Trump on Monday, Netanyahu called his counterpart in Qatar to apologize for Israel's airstrike in that country earlier this month, reports Reuters. The call to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al suggests a deal might be in the offing, notes Axios: Qatar had demanded an apology before it agreed to resume its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas.

The Israeli strike on Sept. 9 was aimed at senior Hamas figures but ended up killing only lower-level officials. It also drew strong condemnation from Arab leaders across the region. Trump, meanwhile, is pushing a new US peace plan, and he sounded an optimistic note before the meeting with Netanyahu began.