Potential hurdles litter road as Israel and Hamas head to Gaza peace talks | Israel-Palestine conflict News– www.aljazeera.com Source Link Excerpt:
Delegations from Hamas, Israel and the United States are due to convene in Egypt for talks on US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza.
Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the 20-point plan are due to begin in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.
The talks, which come on the eve of the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel that led to the war, have raised hopes that the devastating conflict, which has killed tens of thousands in Gaza, could soon end. But at the same time, there are plenty of potential obstacles to sealing a deal.
Trump has insisted that both sides are on board with his peace framework and has called for the negotiations to “move fast” in reaching an agreement.
Despite the failure of several initiatives to try to end the conflict, including two brief ceasefires that collapsed, the bombardment of Gaza, which has now killed at least 67,160 people, wounded 169,679, and pushed the enclave’s two million or so people towards starvation, Trump said “the first phase should be completed this week”.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said there had been “very positive discussions with Hamas” and other governments over the weekend “to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought peace in the Middle East”.
Obama Judge Tosses Victims’ Case In Order to Protect UNRWA’s Terror Ties To Hamas Atrocities– gellerreport.com Source Link Excerpt:
Obama Judge Analisa Torres has dismissed a high-profile lawsuit accusing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of aiding and abetting Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.=
Victims of the Octover 7th massacre Victims have testified that they were attacked by UNWRA employees and held captive in UNWRA buildings.
Filed in New York by about 100 Israeli plaintiffs—including survivors, victims’ families, and a former hostage—the case sought more than $1 billion in damages, alleging UNRWA bolstered Hamas’s terror infrastructure through indirect funding and logistical support.
Israel intercepts Gaza aid flotilla, arrests Greta Thunberg, other activists – National– globalnews.ca Source Link Excerpt:
Israeli naval forces boarded most of the vessels in a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza on Thursday and detained dozens aboard, including European lawmakers, drawing widespread condemnation.
The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swaths of territory and killed tens of thousands of people.
Activists said they hoped that the sheer number of boats would make it more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all — but Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon.
Gaza peace plan agreed to by Trump, Netanyahu– www.chicagotribune.com Source Link Excerpt:
CAIRO — After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threw his support behind the U.S. peace plan for Gaza, the question now is whether Hamas will agree.
Hamas faces a bitter tradeoff — the proposal demands that the group effectively surrender in return for uncertain gains. But if it rejects the deal, the U.S. could give Israel an even freer hand to continue its punishing campaign in the already devastated territory.
Under the proposal, the group would have to disarm in return for an end to fighting, humanitarian aid for Palestinians, and the promise of reconstruction in Gaza — all desperately hoped for by its population.
But the proposal has only a vague promise that some day, perhaps, Palestinian statehood might be possible. For the foreseeable future, Gaza and its more than 2 million Palestinians would be put under international control. An international security force would move in, and a “Board of Peace” headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would oversee Gaza’s administration and reconstruction. The territory would remain surrounded by Israeli troops.
Trump and Netanyahu said they agreed on the plan Monday after talks at the White House.
The proposal includes one provision that Netanyahu and his hard-line government most strongly oppose: It says the Palestinian Authority will eventually govern Gaza. But Netanyahu is likely betting that will never come to pass. Israel also rejects any Palestinian state.
The White House issued the text on Monday of its 20-point proposal. Here is what to know.
The ceasefire
The plan calls for all hostilities to immediately end. Within 72 hours, Hamas would release all hostages it still holds, living or dead. The fighters still hold 48 hostages — 20 of whom are believed by Israel to be alive.
In return, Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in its prisons as well as 1,700 people detained from Gaza since the war began, including all women and children. Israel would also hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for each body of a hostage handed over.
Troop withdrawal
The plan calls for an Israeli troop withdrawal. But it would only take place after Hamas disarms and as the international security force deploys to fill in areas that Israeli forces leave.
Israel would also maintain a “security perimeter presence” – a vague phrasing that could mean it would keep a buffer zone inside Gaza.
Those terms could bring pushback from Hamas, which has said it will not release all its hostages unless it receives a “clear declaration” the war will end and Israel will leave Gaza completely.
The fate of Hamas and postwar Gaza
Hamas would have no part in administering Gaza, and all its military infrastructure — including tunnels — would be dismantled. Members who pledge to live peacefully would be granted amnesty, and those who wish to leave Gaza would be allowed to.
The international security force would ensure Hamas’ disarmament and keep order. It would also train Palestinian police to take over law enforcement. Mediator Egypt has said it is training thousands of Palestinian police to deploy to Gaza.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid would be allowed to flow into Gaza in large amounts and would be run by “neutral international bodies,” including the U.N. and the Red Crescent. It is unclear whether the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a controversial alternative food distribution system backed by Israel and the U.S., would continue to operate.
The plan also specifies that Palestinians will not be expelled from Gaza, and that there will be an international effort to rebuild the territory for Palestinians.
In normal cases, that might not need spelling out. But Palestinians have feared mass expulsion after both Trump and the Israeli government spoke of pushing out Gaza’s population — ostensibly in a “voluntary” manner — and rebuilding the strip as a sort of international real estate venture.
The interim administration of Palestinian technocrats would run day-to-day affairs in Gaza. But it would be overseen by the “Board of Peace.” The board would also supervise funding of reconstruction, a role that could give it enormous power over governing Gaza since that is the biggest task facing the territory, almost completely destroyed by Israel’s campaign.
The Palestinian Authority and statehood
During this interim administration, the Palestinian Authority would undergo reforms so it can eventually take over governing Gaza.
The plan has only a slight nod to the issue of statehood. It says that if the Palestinian Authority reforms sufficiently and Gaza redevelopment advances, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
The response so far
Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence chief shared the 20-point plan Monday evening with Hamas negotiators. The Hamas negotiators said they would review it in good faith and provide a response.
Hamas has so far rejected disarmament, saying it has a right to resist until Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands ends.
Arab countries appear to back the outline. The governments of Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates issued a joint statement applauding Trump’s proposal.
Netanyahu could face resistance from within his own ultra-nationalist coalition allies.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is part of Netanyahu’s security Cabinet, published a list of his “red lines” on X on Monday. Top among them, he wrote, any deal must not allow involvement of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza or allow a Palestinian state. Smotrich is one of the more vocal members of the right-wing bloc of Netanyahu’s coalition who have previously threatened to leave the government if Netanyahu halts the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu may see a loophole. The proposal makes PA involvement in Gaza conditional on it completing internal reforms, which it pledged to do, saying it welcomed Trump’s plan to end the war.
But in his comments alongside Trump on Monday, Netanyahu expressed his belief it will never successfully do so.
Netanyahu hails TikTok takeover as Israel’s new ‘weapon’ in information war– www.lifesitenews.com Source Link Excerpt:
NEW YORK (LifeSiteNews) — Benjamin Netanyahu described the expected purchase of the social media platform TikTok by allies of Israel as the acquisition of a “weapon” that is “most important” to “fight the fight.” And he believes this development “could be extremely consequential.”
The Israeli prime minister was speaking to a group of “pro-Israel influencers” in a meeting after his address at the United Nations General Assembly last Friday were an overwhelming majority of national delegations walked out in apparent protest to what is widely considered a genocidal war he and his nation are inflicting against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
A media release from Netanyahu’s office reported the prime minister spoke with this group of “pro-Israel American influencers” about “challenges in the new era, as well as the public diplomacy efforts and the influence of the social networks on the discourse for and against Israel.”
Asked about how to combat dangers to the Zionist cause due to a potential loss of Evangelical support in the United States, which is also impacted by popular Israel-critics Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, Netanyahu directed his listeners to considering social media as “tools for battle” and then emphasized the expected purchase of TikTok to be “most important” in serving Israel’s interests in this regard.
“What we have to do is we have to secure that part of the base of our support in the United States, that is being challenged systematically… How do we fight back? Our influencers, I think you should also talk to them if you have a chance,” the prime minister said. “And secondly, we’re going to have to use the tools of battle. The weapons change over time… we have to fight with the weapons that apply to the battlefields within which we’re engaged. And the most important ones are on social media.”
JIHAD IN ITALY: Muslims and Leftists Terrorize, Riot and Destroy Cities For Refusal to Recognize “Palestinian” Terror State– gellerreport.com Source Link Excerpt:
A mob of Muslim migrant gangs and far-left agitators are currently rioting and destroying the city because Italy refuses to recognize a “Palestinian” state.
Total chaos.
This is on those three stooges – Starmer, Macron and Carney (barker).
ITALY: Milan right now looks like a literal war zone.
A coalition of far-left activists and Muslim migrant gangs is currently rioting and destroying the city because Italy refuses to recognize a Palestinian state.
ITALY: Milan right now looks like a literal war zone.
A coalition of far-left activists and Muslim migrant gangs is currently rioting and destroying the city because Italy refuses to recognize a Palestinian state.
🇮🇹 Pro-Palestinian vandals have launched a major riot in Italy following the Meloni government’s refusal to recognize Palestine.
Striking dockworkers blocked access roads to ports in Italy in order to prevent Italy from being used as a staging post for the transfer of arms and… pic.twitter.com/khwIGYEXR4
Netanyahu Says ‘No Palestinian State’ After Three Countries Announce Formal Recognition – Haaretz Source Link Excerpt:
As far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that the recognition of a Palestinian state by the U.K., Canada and Australia requires ‘immediate application of sovereignty over the West Bank,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move is a ‘huge reward to terrorism’
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that no Palestinian state will be established and vowed to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank, following a formal recognition of a Palestinian state by the U.K., Canada and Australia on Sunday.
US again vetoes UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire call– www.channelnewsasia.com Source Link Excerpt:
UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Thursday (Sep 18) again wielded its veto and thwarted a UN Security Council call for a ceasefire in Gaza, shielding its ally Israel from meaningful diplomatic pressure.
The vote came as Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major new ground offensive, forcing Palestinians to flee south.
The resolution text seen by AFP had demanded “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties” as well as the immediate and unconditional release of hostages.
The US has repeatedly rejected that approach multiple times, most recently in June when it used its veto to back Israel.
This was the sixth time the US had cast a veto in the Security Council over the nearly two-year war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.
“Let this resolution send a clear message, a message that the Security Council is not turning its back on starving civilians, on the hostages and the demand for a ceasefire,” Denmark’s UN ambassador Christina Lassen said ahead of the vote.
“A generation risks being lost not only to war – but to hunger and despair. Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its military operation in Gaza City, further deepening the suffering of civilians as a result.
“It is this catastrophic situation, this humanitarian and human failure that has compelled us to act today.”
Video. Thousands march in Paris for recognition of Palestinian state– www.euronews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags ahead of France’s expected formal recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
In Malakoff, a suburb of Paris, the Palestinian flag has flown from the town hall since Friday despite government orders to remove it. Mayor Jacqueline Belhomme, who joined the Paris demonstration, said the display was a symbolic gesture of solidarity similar to the Ukrainian flag raised during Russia’s invasion.
Other towns have also raised flags, though some have taken them down following legal challenges. Socialist leader Olivier Faure has encouraged more municipalities to join the initiative despite warnings from the Interior Ministry. French leaders are expected to place the Gaza war and the wider conflict high on the agenda at the UN General Assembly this week.
Trump ‘grateful beyond words’ for second state visit to UK but key differences remain– www.euronews.com Source Link Excerpt:
US President Donald Trump wrapped up his historic second state visit to the United Kingdom on Thursday saying he was “tremendously thankful” for the pomp and pageantry but some key differences between him and Prime Minister Keir Starmer remain.
When asked about the lack of progress in brokering a deal to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “let me down.”
Starmer said he and Trump had discussed how to “decisively increase the pressure on Putin” and that Trump had “led the way here.”
Trump has also not made good on threats to impose new sanctions on Russia and King Charles, in his state banquet speech Wednesday night, offered Trump a gentle nudge, noting “as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”
While Starmer has played a major part in European efforts to shore up US support for Ukraine, Trump’s visit offered few major advancements,
The British government has also grown increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the suffering of Palestinian civilians.
China’s Gap Between Rhetoric and Action Perpetuates Status Quo in Gaza– chinadigitaltimes.net Source Link Excerpt:
On Monday, Reuters reported on the story of a man who tried to flee Gaza by crossing the border into Egypt and then flying to China in order to seek asylum, only to be denied and sent back. As his case illustrates, China’s well-known rhetorical support for Gaza has in many ways not translated into concrete action. In fact, China has appeared to soften its stance towards Israel over the past year. Its criticism over what a U.N. Commission of Inquiry described this week as genocide is directed more at the U.S. and other Western states that undergird Israel’s campaign, rather than at Israel itself. This selectivity serves to undermine the U.S.’ standing relative to China in the eyes of some other countries, while preserving China’s interests in Israel. However, Israel’s increasingly aggressive actions—including recently bombing Qatar’s capital—risk finally pushing Beijing to adopt a more confrontational stance backed by material consequences.
UK, Canada and Australia formally recognise Palestine, backing two-state solution– www.arabianbusiness.com Source Link Excerpt:
The UK, Canada and Australia have formally recognised the State of Palestine, moves framed by all three governments as essential to preserving the prospect of a two-state solution and lasting peace in the Middle East.
Gaza braces for Israel’s largest assault of the war — RT World News– www.rt.com Source Link Excerpt:
As Israeli troops push into the enclave’s heart, 600,000 civilians face an impossible choice: Flee into uncertainty or stay and risk annihilation
In the predawn hours of Tuesday, Israel pushed deeper into Gaza City, unleashing the most intense ground campaign since the war began nearly two years ago. For the 600,000 civilians still trapped in the enclave’s ruins, the offensive has turned daily survival into a grim gamble between death, displacement, and defiance.
What happened
Israel has launched a full-scale ground operation into Gaza City, marking a new and dangerous phase of a war that has already left more than 64,000 Palestinians dead since October 2023.
Two divisions of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the 162nd and the 98th, advanced deeper into the besieged enclave, with a third division expected to join in the coming days.
The offensive, officials say, is aimed at dismantling Hamas’ command and control, degrading its infrastructure in the heart of Gaza City – which houses up to 3,000 militants – and securing the release of hostages still held by the group.
The IDF says the operation emphasizes “security over speed” – a gradual entry accompanied by heavy fire support to protect advancing troops.
Israel says it has begun ground offensive in Gaza City, moving in thousands of troops– www.latimes.com Source Link Excerpt:
BEIRUT — Israel began a ground offensive into Gaza City, military officials said Tuesday, slow-rolling into the beleaguered city from multiple directions despite international opprobrium and even as hundreds of thousands of Palestinian residents remain within Gaza’s devastated confines.
Weeks of intense bombardment that all but leveled the Gaza Strip’s largest urban center made way for what Israeli military officials said was the ground maneuver phase of the operation to occupy the city.
“We are determined and offensive. We have defeated Hamas militarily wherever we have fought them, and we will act until Hamas rule is dismantled,” the Israeli military statement said.
Two divisions — comprising tens of thousands of soldiers — began entering the city late Monday from its western flank, with two other divisions encircling the city. Some 130,000 reservists are expected to be mobilized in the coming days, the Israeli military said.
“Gaza is burning,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X. “We will not relent or turn back until the mission is complete.”
Residents reported the Israeli military dispatched what they called “booby-trapped robots” — armored personnel carriers filled with explosives repurposed as unmanned drones — into city neighborhoods. Military officials quoted in Israeli media say troops are proceeding with caution, with the expectation of some 2,000 Hamas fighters bunkered in the city.
Israel begins ground offensive in Gaza City, thousands of residents flee – National– globalnews.ca Source Link Excerpt:
The Israeli military began its ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, slowly closing in on the Palestinian territory’s largest city, where block after block has already been destroyed in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Thousands of people streamed out in vehicles laden with their belongings, but hundreds of thousands more remain.
The operation marks yet another escalation in a conflict that has roiled the Middle East for nearly two years and likely pushes any ceasefire farther out of reach. The military wouldn’t offer a timeline for the offensive, which it says aims to “destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure,” but Israeli media suggested it could take months.
It began the same day that independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel fiercely rejected the allegation, calling the experts’ report “distorted and false.”
Israel committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says – National– globalnews.ca Source Link Excerpt:
A team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, issuing a report Tuesday that calls on the international community to end the genocide and take steps to punish those responsible for it.
The deeply documented findings by the three-member team are the latest accusations of genocide against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as Israel carries on with its conflict in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of people. Israel rejected what it called a “distorted and false” report.
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created four years ago, has repeatedly documented alleged human rights abuses and violations in Gaza since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel led by Hamas, and other Palestinian areas.
While neither the commission nor the 47-member-country council that it works for within the U.N. system can take action against a country, the findings could be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or the U.N.’s International Court of Justice.
Billionaire Bill Ackman convened stormy Israel ‘intervention’ with Charlie Kirk, sources say– thegrayzone.com Source Link Excerpt:
A month before Charlie Kirk’s killing, billionaire pro-Israel moneyman Bill Ackman arranged an intervention in the Hamptons during which sources say he and others “hammered” Kirk for the conservative leader’s growing criticism of Israeli influence in Washington. Kirk came away fretting about Israeli “blackmail,” sources say, as he contemplated a Catholic conversion.
On September 11, one day after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, billionaire pro-Israel moneyman Bill Ackman took to Twitter/X to trumpet his relationship with the late conservative operative. “I feel incredibly privileged to have spent a day and shared a meal with @charliekirk11 this summer. He was a giant of a man.”
The Grayzone has spoken to five people with intimate knowledge of Kirk’s meeting with Ackman, which was held in early August. According to one source, Kirk was left upset after the gathering turned into an “intervention” where he was “hammered” for his increasingly skeptical views on the US special relationship with Israel, and for platforming prominent conservative critics of Israel at his TPUSA events.
Britain Bans IDF Officers From Elite Military Academy Founded by Churchill– gellerreport.com Source Link Excerpt:
Why did they bother to fight the Nazis? How long before we see King Charles reciting the shahada?
This is what happens when a left-wing bankrupt nation sells out to barbarians.
According to news reports from September 14, 2025, the recent UK ban on Israeli nationals from enrolling at the Royal College of Defence Studies appears to be unprecedented.
This is the first time in the college’s history since its founding in 1927 that it has excluded students from a particular country.
The institution was established nearly a century ago following a recommendation from a committee led by Winston Churchill, then colonial secretary, with the vision of fostering “understanding between senior military officers, diplomats, civil servants and officials.”
Winston Churchill was a strong supporter of the Zionist movement and the creation of a Jewish National Home, which he believed would be a blessing to the world. He envisioned a Jewish state under British protection, becoming a reality through Jewish majority-rule and the reclamation of desert lands.
What it has come to!
An Israeli general is forced to invoke Churchill and remind Britain about British values, after the Royal College of Defense Studies decides to shamefully exclude Israeli participants. pic.twitter.com/jZSJ85QgZR
Netanyahu refuses to rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders abroad | World News– news.sky.com Source Link Excerpt:
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders abroad.
“The principle that terrorists should not have immunity wherever they are, wherever they may be, was not established by me,” he claimed.
Mr Netanyahu was speaking during a news conference with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who was visiting Jerusalem, a meeting which coincided with an emergency summit in Qatar of Arab and Islamic states convened in response to Israel’s attack last week on Hamas leaders in the Gulf state.
The strike killed six people – five members of Hamas and a local Qatari security force member.
Spanish government calls for sports ban on Israel, threatens to boycott Eurovision– www.france24.com Source Link Excerpt:
PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, September 16: We look at reactions from the Spanish press after the government calls for a sports and Eurovision boycott of Israel. Also, it’s been three years since Mahsa Amini died at the hands of Iran’s morality police – what has changed in the country? Plus: Armand Duplantis is celebrated for his new world record. Finally, in Britain, locals band together and save the world’s smallest theatre from demolition.
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says– www.bbc.com Source Link Excerpt:
A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
A new report says there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.
It cites statements by Israeli leaders, and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces, as evidence of genocidal intent.
Israel’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as “distorted and false”.
It accused the three experts on the commission of serving as “Hamas proxies” and relying “entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others” that had “already been thoroughly debunked”.
“In stark contrast to the lies in the report, Hamas is the party that attempted genocide in Israel – murdering 1,200 people, raping women, burning families alive, and openly declaring its goal of killing every Jew,” the ministry added.
Rubio vows continued US-Israel partnership amid ongoing Gaza war fallout– www.foxnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
JERUSALEM: Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists the U.S. relationship with Israel remains unchanged, despite the blowback over Israel’s strike targeting Hamas negotiators in Qatar last week.
“We’re going to continue to be strong allies and partners,” Rubio vowed in an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with Fox News in Jerusalem. “As the president said, he wasn’t happy with the way things went down. That doesn’t mean we’re going [to] stop being their partner and their ally.”
Rubio told Fox News he is now heading to Doha on Tuesday where he’ll urge Qatar to continue playing a “constructive role” in ending the war in Gaza and securing the release of hostages still being held by Hamas.
Congress to discuss Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria – JNS.org Source Link Excerpt:
Congress will hold a discussion next month on the application of Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, according to Yesha Council Chairman Yisrael Ganz.
“We are at a rare moment in time, with a friendly and supportive U.S. administration. This is the time to move forward with a historic step that will affect the security of the entire State of Israel,” said Ganz, who is currently in the United States promoting the sovereignty plan.
The Yesha Council is an umbrella group of local councils in Judea and Samaria.
Referring to last week’s deadly terror attack in Jerusalem, which left six people dead—including a resident of the Binyamin Regional Council—Ganz warned that unless Israeli sovereignty is extended to Judea and Samaria, “this is the reality that awaits us in Petah Tikva, Netanya and Kfar Saba.”
According to a statement, Ganz met with U.S. Representatives Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Randy Fine (R-Fla.), along with Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
“In my many meetings with our good friends in the United States, one can see the support and love for Israel,” said Ganz. “This is the time for a historic step that will change the balance of power in Judea and Samaria. I call on the government of Israel: this is the imperative of the hour; we must not miss it.”
Trump tells Israel to be careful in its approach to ‘great ally’ Qatar– www.euronews.com Source Link Excerpt:
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that Israel must be “very very careful” in its approach to Qatar, which he described as Washington’s major ally in the region.
Speaking at the Morristown Airport in New Jersey on Sunday local time, Trump said, “My message is that they have to be very, very careful. They have to do something about Hamas, but Qatar has been a great ally to the United States.”
The US president said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital Doha last week, describing it as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
On Friday, Trump and US special envoy Steve Witkoff met for a dinner with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
Trump described the Qatari PM as a “wonderful person” and added that he has told him Qatar needs “better public relations”.
Rubio will head to Qatar, also a staunch Washington ally, on Tuesday, a US official said.
On Sunday, Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a preparatory meeting that “the time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed”.
According to the draft statement, the nearly 60-country grouping in Doha will also emphasise “the concept of collective security… as well as the necessity of aligning together to face common challenges and threats”.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, was among those present, as were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also attended.
Separately, the United Nations Human Rights Council said it would host an urgent debate on Tuesday on Israel’s air strike in Qatar.
Japan strongly criticizes Israeli strike on Hamas in Qatar– japantoday.com Source Link Excerpt:
The Japanese government on Wednesday strongly criticized Israel for its airstrike targeting leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Qatar, saying its actions endangered stability in the Middle East.
“At a time when serious diplomatic efforts are underway by countries including Qatar to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza and secure the releases of hostages, Israel’s attack hinders those efforts, threatens Qatar’s sovereignty and security, and endangers regional stability,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
“Japan strongly condemns” Israel’s actions, the chief cabinet secretary said at a regular press conference in Tokyo.
Israel targeted top-level Hamas officials in Doha on Tuesday. Qatar has been a key diplomatic player in the Middle East and is mediating peace talks between Hamas and Israel.
The current conflict in the Palestinian region began after the militant group Hamas launched an attack in Israel and took hostages in October 2023, prompting massive Israeli retaliation. Many people in the Gaza Strip are facing starvation as the conflict continues.
Jerusalem bus shooting will exacerbate already high tensions between Israelis and Palestinians | World News– news.sky.com Source Link Excerpt:
A few hours after this attack, and Ramot Junction was getting back to normal.
The bodies had been removed, the wounded were being treated in hospital, and pools of blood had been scrubbed and washed away.
But the shockwaves will linger and reverberate. Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians are already very high, and this will only exacerbate that.
Put simply, there are those in the Israeli cabinet who believe that Israel should do everything it can to subordinate the Palestinians, including effectively annexing both Gaza and the West Bank.
Qatar condemns ‘criminal assault’ as Israel launches airstrikes against Hamas leaders in Doha – Middle East crisis live | Israel– www.theguardian.com Source Link Excerpt:
Dr Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, has issued a statement on X in response to the Israeli attack in Doha.
Here is the statement from the foreign ministry’s spokesperson in full:
The State of Qatar strongly condemns the cowardly Israeli attack that targeted residential buildings housing several members of the Political Bureau of Hamas in the Qatari capital, Doha.
This criminal assault constitutes a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and poses a serious threat to the security and safety of Qataris and residents in Qatar.
The Ministry affirms that the security forces, civil defense, and relevant authorities immediately began addressing the incident and taking necessary measures to contain its repercussions and ensure the safety of the residents and surrounding areas.
While the State of Qatar strongly condemns this assault, it confirms that it will not tolerate this reckless Israeli behavior and the ongoing disruption of regional security, nor any act that targets its security and sovereignty.
Investigations are underway at the highest level, and further details will be announced as soon as they are available.
EU leader says she will seek sanctions against Israel over Gaza campaign – National– globalnews.ca Source Link Excerpt:
The European Commission president said Wednesday she would seek sanctions and a partial trade suspension against Israel over the conflict in Gaza, an announcement that marked a sharp turnaround for Ursula von der Leyen, a longtime supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The 27-nation EU is deeply divided in its approach to Israel and the Palestinians, and it’s unclear whether a majority will be found to endorse the sanctions and trade measures.
Von der Leyen added that the commission “will set up a Palestine donor group next month,” part of which will focus on Gaza’s future reconstruction. She said the events in Gaza and the suffering of children and families “has shaken the conscience of the world.”
The Gaza Health Ministry says 126 Palestinians, including 26 children, have died of causes related to malnutrition since international experts announced famine in Gaza City on Aug. 22. They are part of the total number of 404 people, including 141 children, who have died of causes related to malnutrition since the conflict began nearly two years ago.
