As the JLBC went to press on Wednesday night, The Wall Street Journal reported Israel had agreed to a five-hour cease-fire on Thursday to allow aid into Gaza. At the same time, officials warned that the chances of a ground invasion are high and growing with each day that militants keep firing rockets into Israel.

Haaretz noted that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be the go-to address for Cairo. This week Abbas spoke with the leaders of Egypt, Turkey and Qatar and on Wednesday went to Egypt to work on a cease fire agreement with al-Sissi and intelligence officials. He is also supposed to meet with Hamas leaders Khaled Meshal and Moussa Abu Marzouk. Haaretz said the Egyptian proposal was discussed with Israel and Abbas before it was presented to Hamas because Cairo seeks to share responsibility for events in the Gaza Strip with Abbas, in order to strengthen Abbas’ status.

Hillary Clinton Appears On Jon Stewart

In an extended interview on www.thedailyshow.com, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton educated Jon Stewart in the history and nuances of the battles in the Middle East, explaining why Hamas militants and leadership are not good guys, and how they hold their own people hostage. She gives a succinct and interesting take on history, going back to the days when Ehud Barak and her husband,  President Bill Clinton, put together a deal in Taba and Arafat walked away to start the Intifada because he didn’t know how—and was afraid—to become a statesman instead of a guerilla. Her take taught Stewart, whose explanation of events was one of freedom fighters vs. the big bad army, about what is really going on and where the roots of the problem lie. See all four segments at www.thedailyshow.com.