“UNRWA exists only to perpetuate war, grievance, and terrorism. They’re not there for solutions. They’re there to make war. UNRWA has to be dismantled if we want peace with Israel and Palestinians.” — Hillel Neuer in @CBNOnline

Analysts say Israel’s raid on a UNRWA facility in occupied East Jerusalem aims to erase Palestinian refugee rights and protections, construct 9,000 settlement units and hasten the annexation of the occupied West Bank. Read more:

🇺🇸 Bipartisan U.S. Congress Bill to Dismantle UNRWA: A bipartisan bill was introduced today directing the U.S. Government to lead an international coalition to dismantle terror-infested UNRWA.

In Gaza & the West Bank, @UNRWA continues to provide education, healthcare and humanitarian aid despite increasingly difficult conditions. Speaking to UN News, Roland Friedrich stressed the need for the “restoration of respect for the UN".

2026, day 229 Good morning from Asia. ‘Tehran-US MoU set to expire’ (AJ); ‘As Iran War Turns Into Economic Battle, a New U.S. Strategy Recalls Old Ones’ (NYT); ‘Inside Trump's secret backchannel to Iran's Revolutionary Guard’ (Axios); ‘Frustration with Trump grows among U.S.’s Persian Gulf allies, officials say’ (WaPo) - “Gulf leaders worry the president is unable to manage the diplomacy necessary to secure peace with Iran, according to Arab and Western officials”; ‘Iran offers US$30,000 bounty for killing or capturing US soldiers’ (AFP); ‘Over 200 Houthis killed in drone strikes, clashes in Yemen, military sources say’ (Al Arabiya); ‘Israel vows to go after Hezbollah as it names another killed’ (AFP); ‘Saudi Arabia, seven others condemn Israel’s rejection of Trump’s Gaza plan’ (Al Arabiya); ‘Kushner, Blair, BoP head Mladenov meet Hamas delegation in Cairo over Gaza roadmap, sources say’ (JPost); ‘Hamas leaders tell Kushner they will demilitarize Gaza, sources say’ (Axios); ‘IDF: Tank in Gaza hit by explosive device in ‘grave’ truce breach; no soldiers hurt’ (ToI); ‘UNRWA alleges Israeli takeover of agency buildings in East Jerusalem’ (ToI); ‘Jewish prayer books reportedly allowed onto Temple Mount for first time’ (ToI); ‘Ukraine presses drone attacks on Moscow and Russian logistics’ (FT); ‘Russia builds secret drone bases in striking distance of NATO’s (Telegraph); ‘Romania says Spanish fighter jet downs drone after airspace breach’ (AFP); ‘Trump directs Hegseth to reduce US joint exercises in South Korea’ (The Hill) - “Trump directs Hegseth to reduce US joint exercises in South Korea”; ‘South Korea responds to Trump's statement on reducing drills: 'Will proceed as planned'’ (AFP); ‘Inside Keating’s private push to steer Albanese on China and Trump ’ (Politico) - “A new book from James Curran shows the former PM advising the current leader on navigating the "two sharks."” ‘Nirupama Rao and Lin Minwang on the great India-China face-off’ (SCMP); ‘From cargo to combat: China urged to prepare civilian ships for wartime use’ (SCMP) - “ In geoeconomics, ‘Clock ticks down to new tariffs as Canadian negotiators try to strike deal with U.S.’ (Globe & Mail); ‘More interest in home-grown C919 lays bare demand-supply mismatch at Comac’ (SCMP); ‘Europe's heatwaves expose insurance gap as business losses mount’ (Reuters); ‘Extreme heat is tightening the food-energy link across Asia’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘AI could bring Mayo-quality health care to everyone’ (Axios); In politics, ‘'We live in the most partisan era in over a century,' Larry Sabato says’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘’Capitalism’s not working’: why Democrats are turning to socialism’ (FT); ‘His family fled socialism. He’s trying to spread it’ (WaPo); ‘Most US voters say they are worse off under Trump — FT poll’ (FT); ‘Blanche refuses to pledge DOJ will always act independently of White House’ (The Hill); Trump says White House needs ‘military complex’ as courts block his ballroom’ (WaPo); ‘Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says he’s ‘heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell’’ (The Hill); ‘How AOC is rewriting her own "Woke 1" history’ (Axios); ‘Angry at the Supreme Court, liberals push a slew of plans for overhauling it’ (WaPo); ‘The one French politician who’s not on vacation this summer’ (Politico) - “Gabriel Attal is forgoing the traditional holiday in a desperate attempt to catch up with his rivals”; ‘March for Fedorov reinstatement held in Kyiv as protests enter second month’ (Kyiv Independent); ‘Brazil's Lula launches reelection bid, aims to win back workers to his Workers Party’ (Reuters); In markets, ‘Stock-Picking Funds Are Performing as Poorly as Ever’ (WSJ) - “Just 13% of U.S. large-cap funds have outperformed indexes over the past decade, new data show”; ‘'A new Plaza Accord?' Japan's battle against yen bears enters new phase’ (Nikkei Asia); ‘Your love for yoghurt could be pushing up your insurance premiums’ (AFR)