* Netanyahu Salutes Israel's 'Freedom and Independence' in Passover Message Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his social media platforms in the hours before the start of the Jewish festival of Passover to salute Israel's burgeoning place in the world.
* Macron congratulates Netanyahu on election win, says he hopes PM will seek peace French president: Next Israeli government should 'make it possible to decisively revive the Middle East peace process and to achieve a two-state solution'.
* Kushner: No Middle East Peace Plan Till Early June White House senior adviser Jared Kushner reportedly told a group of ambassadors on Wednesday that the highly anticipated Mideast peace plan for the Israelis and Palestinians will be released after Israel forms a new government and after the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, which starts on May 5 and concludes on June 4.
* As Turkey drifts away from the US, will Russia give it what it wants? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's reliance on Russia is growing as Turkey's ties with the United States deteriorate and move toward what might be a breakup of historic proportions.
* Could Russia Be the Broker of an Israeli-Palestinian Deal? The Palestinians are unwilling to negotiate a deal with Israel under the auspices of the United States, but could Russia step in to fill that role?
* Poll: US synagogue membership stable, as number of churchgoers plummets Slightly over half of American Jews are members of a place of worship, Gallup finds; for Christian worshipers, biggest drops are seen among Democrats and Hispanics.
* Explainer: How the EU will vote and why it matters A poll for the European Parliament showed that last-minute British participation in next month's elections to the European Union's legislature means eurosceptic groups will gain ground but pro-EU parties will keep a majority.
* Report: Senior Israeli, Lebanese officials meet in Moscow Lebanese source says meeting mediated by Russia included discussion on maritime border, Assad regime, Hezbollah and Iran.
* Russia and Arabs agree on US, spar over Iran On April 16, Moscow hosted the fifth ministerial session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum, which was attended by an unprecedented number of top Arab diplomats.
* WATCH: Iran threatens to act 'only against the Zionists' How should Israel respond to Iran's threat against the Jewish state?