The Egyptians, as usual, will be called upon to help calm the situation, along with the UN's mission to Gaza. They've likely already engaged with the sides, but will only be able to make progress after the current tit-for-tat subsides.

Crass Israeli politicians like Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman are irresponsibly stirring anti-religious passions for electoral gain.

In a possible sign of widespread dissatisfaction with Iran's clerical rulers and the state of the economy, voter turnout in last week's parliamentary elections stood at 42.57 percent. In comparison, turnout was nearly 62% in the 2016 elections.

Without citing any specific proposals, Pope Francis speaks of "the still unresolved conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, with the danger of not fair solutions, and, thus, presaging new crises."

"By engaging in such an odious attack on this mainstream, bipartisan American political event, Senator Sanders is insulting his very own colleagues and the millions of Americans who stand with Israel,” AIPAC says in response.