Israel, Greece, and Cyprus are quietly advancing early talks to establish a joint rapid response military force in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to reports.

The initiative, still in the early planning stages, aims to strengthen regional security cooperation amid rising concerns over Turkey’s military buildup and its provocative “Blue Homeland” doctrine …. a strategic vision asserting broad maritime control over much of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Officials stress that this new force is not directed against any one state. Yet, few in the region doubt which power the alliance has in mind. The proposed brigade sized force, some 2,500 troops drawn from Israel, Greece, and Cyprus,  would protect critical undersea infrastructure, such as gas pipelines and communication cables, while ensuring a rapid, coordinated military response to any number of threats that may arise. This includes sharing everything from airbases, to intel, and manpower.

In recent years, Israel’s strategic alignment with Greece and Cyprus has deepened through defense pacts, intelligence sharing, and major energy projects such as the EastMed pipeline, designed to carry natural gas from the Levant Basin to Europe.

But following the recent war, which left Israel militarily and diplomatically stronger, Jerusalem views the Eastern Mediterranean as the next frontier for deterrence and partnership, especially against Erdogan.. Cyprus, in particular, has taken on new importance…. not just as a partner, but as a forward position for Israel.

This cooperation is a lot more than just symbolic. Cyprus has served as a logistical hub for Western operations, and Israel’s deployment of the Barak MX air defense system there in 2025 showing its commitment to the island’s security….Or at least it’s regional importance. 

Few outside the region realize that Turkey still occupies nearly 40 percent of Cyprus, a lasting consequence of its 1974 invasion. While all eyes on Israel, Islamism still manages to touch the most interesting parts of the world.

For years, Ankara has pursued regional dominance through a mix of military posturing, drone proliferation, and maritime revisionism. Now, Israel and its Mediterranean partners appear determined to draw a red line.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared that “Erdogan’s expansion plan will never happen,” a direct challenge to Turkey’s growing influence from North Africa to the Aegean. 

While no formal agreement has yet been signed, senior defense officials from all three nations met yesterday to discuss logistics and interoperability across land, sea, and air. The force, if established, would mark a new era of strategic alignment…. a message to both allies and adversaries that the Eastern Mediterranean is unified and not up for grabs.

As Europe looks for alternatives to Russian energy and as Turkey continues to test its limits, this emerging bloc led by Israel, Greece, and Cyprus could redefine the balance of power…Let’s wait and see

At Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 in Phoenix, what started as a memorial to its slain founder, Charlie Kirk, turned into a poll of where the MAGA movement stands, and where it’s headed. 

The poll results, shared by Charlie Kirk Show producer Blake Neff on X, quickly lit up conservative social media, showing a movement still defined by Kirk’s legacy: anti globalist, hard on immigration, skeptical of foreign reliance, and staunchly pro Israel.

Neff’s posts captured the straw poll results taken from attendees at AmericaFest, an audience of mostly young conservatives and Turning Point loyalists. 

The numbers are pretty wild:
JD Vance dominated the 2028 GOP nomination vote with 84%, a margin higher than Donald Trump’s showing at the same event two years earlier. “Vance is the heir to MAGA,” one post read… an idea that surprisingly echoed throughout the convention hall.

One of the more surprising findings: despite vocal online skepticism toward Israel from figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, a stunning 86.7% of attendees labeled Israel an ally. Neff highlighted this as evidence that the “real conservative base” remains grounded in Kirk’s worldview….. rejecting anti-Israel rhetoric that’s gained traction in certain corners of the right.

Where opinions were nearly unanimous was on immigration. A 90% endorsement for an immigration moratorium made border control the defining issue, alongside voter integrity as the top priority. By contrast, “ending the Ukraine war” came dead last, a clear signal that foreign conflicts have faded from the conservative agenda.

The most emotional point of Neff’s thread came when he revealed the movement’s choice for “Top Threat to America”: Radical Islam.
He called it “a testament to Charlie,” referencing Kirk’s fierce warnings about Islamism before his assassination earlier this year. 

Many at AmericaFest took the poll’s result as a symbolic reaffirmation of Kirk’s sharp nationalism, one that saw Islamism, socialism, and mass migration as interlinked threats.

More than 20,000 attendees filled the convention center this year. While grief for Kirk still hung in the air, not everyone knew how to read the room, particularly after Tucker Carlson used his speech to scold conservatives for “Islamophobia,” sparking audible pushback from the crowd. Let’s just say they didn't like that very much.

On X, Neff defended the poll’s findings, reminding critics that it reflected the attendee base, not all Republicans nationwide. So don’t take this as the end all be all…

Still, it captured something very real. The should and unity of the current movement…And, it’s a lot larger and more unified than we thought.

The Trump Cabinet approval list also revealed where loyalty remains strongest. Fox veteran Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr., and Marco Rubio topped the list, each earning over 78% approval. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who polled lowest, became an online punchline among attendees skeptical of her legal track record.

As one X user put it, “The media says Gen Z conservatives are isolationists. The AmericaFest crowd just proved otherwise.”

Whether the straw poll reflects the future of the GOP is an open question. But in Phoenix, it was clear that Kirk’s movement is far from over, and they are defiant, energized, and unafraid to choose its enemies.

At a ceremony in Beit El on December 23, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Israel will never fully withdraw from Gaza, unveiling plans to establish new Nahal outposts in northern Gaza…. youth run agricultural/military communities to replace those dismantled in the 2005 pull out from the Gaza strip which displaced thousands of people.

“We will never leave all of Gaza,” Katz said. “When the time comes, we’ll rebuild Nahal outposts in place of the communities that were uprooted.”

Strong words. And a bit jarring at first glance. What could that possibly mean for foreign policy? And what is Israel’s solution to the glaring proble it currently has in the strip?

Katz called it an era of “practical sovereignty,” arguing that after October 7, Israel has a duty to secure Gaza permanently. “We’re deep inside Gaza and will never leave,” he said. “We’re there to protect and to prevent what happened from happening again.”

Katz’s stance marks a definitive break from the logic of Israel’s 2005 unilateral withdrawal, which sought to lower friction by evacuating all settlements and removing troops from the Strip. That policy, he implied, proved disastrous: Gaza became a launchpad for rockets, kidnapping tunnels, and eventually the Hamas terror war that claimed over 1,200 Israeli lives.

Now, Israeli policymakers across the political spectrum recognize a hard truth: any vacuum in Gaza becomes a threat zone.

The new Nahal outposts aim to replace the 21 communities dismantled in 2005, a reassertion of Israel’s right to self defense and renewal on land once wrongfully given up under duress. Katz’s focus on rebuilding where Israelis once lived carries emotional weight, especially among families evacuated two decades ago who now view his announcement as moral vindication. They would all love to return home.

While European governments and international organizations have condemned any talk of rebuilding in Gaza, domestic reaction in Israel has been overwhelmingly supportive of settling Gaza again. Even centrist and center left commentators have admitted that full withdrawal is no longer realistic after October 7. The Israeli public, once divided over disengagement, has largely united around deterrence….especially as Hamas remnants still operate in parts of Gaza under the pretense of ceasefire.

Diplomats in Washington may still promote phased withdrawal plans or “international stabilization forces,” but within Israel, such ideas are viewed as dangerously naïve. Few believe that foreign monitors, the UN, or even a future Palestinian Authority could prevent Gaza from again becoming a terror base.

As one senior IDF officer put it this week: “The only guarantee Gaza stays quiet is that the IDF stays in Gaza.”