Page 14 - Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli teams will continue meetings on US ceasefire proposals: Netanyahu

The comments came after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday there would be no ceasefire in the north

Israel's Lebanon move frustrates US; Netanyahu to address UN today: Updates

Israeli PM rejects US-backed ceasefire with Hezbollah, raising fears of wider conflict in West Asia amid Gaza war. Netanyahu to address the UN General Assembly in New York today

Netanyahu to address UN as Israel, after one war, barrels toward another

From the dais of the UN General Assembly just a year ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu triumphantly hailed a new peace he said would sweep through the Middle East. A year later, as he travels back to that same world stage, that vision is in tatters. The devastating war in Gaza is about to hit the one-year mark. Israel is on the cusp of a wider regional war with the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. And the country finds itself increasingly isolated internationally and led by a polarising leader whose handling of the conflict has sparked protests both in global capitals and on the streets of his own country. And it's not just the mushrooming regional conflicts weighing Israel down. Netanyahu will head to New York burdened also by what could be an imminent warrant for his arrest by the International Criminal Court, what would put him in a fellowship of sorts with Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir. He arrives almost at a point o

Blinken heads back to Mideast, this time without fanfare or visit to Israel

Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Egypt on Tuesday for his 10th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began nearly a year ago, this one aimed partly at refining a proposal to present to Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire deal and release of hostages. Unlike in recent mediating missions, America's top diplomat this time is travelling without optimistic projections from the Biden administration of an expected breakthrough in the troubled negotiations. Notably, Blinken has no public plans to go to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on this trip. The Israeli leader's fiery public statements like his declaration that Israel would accept only total victory when Blinken was last in the region in June and some other unbudgeable demands have complicated earlier diplomacy. Blinken is going to Egypt for talks Wednesday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and others, in a trip billed as focused both on American-Egyptian relations and Gaza ...

Thousands of anti-govt protesters rally in Israel, urge captives' release

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages

UN accuses Israel of starvation campaign in Gaza that Netanyahu denies

The UN independent investigator on the right to food accused Israel of carrying out a "starvation campaign" against Palestinians during the war in Gaza, an allegation that Israel vehemently denies. In a report this week, investigator Michael Fakhri claimed it began two days after Hamas' surprise attack in southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people, when Israel's military offensive in response blocked all food, water, fuel and other supplies into Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said accusations of Israel limiting humanitarian aid were "outrageously false". "A deliberate starvation policy? You can say anything it doesn't make it true," he said in a press conference Wednesday. Following intense international pressure especially from close ally the United States Netanyahu's government gradually has opened several border crossings for tightly controlled deliveries. Fakhri said limited aid initially went mostly to southern and central Gaza, not to the north where ..

Israel's Netanyahu demands open-ended control of Gaza's border with Egypt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel must keep open-ended control of Gaza's border with Egypt, digging in on his stance on an issue that has threatened to derail cease-fire efforts. Netanyahu's comments came as the United States is developing a new proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release, hoping to break a long deadlock and bring an end to the nearly 11-month-old war. The question of Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor - a narrow strip of land along Gaza's border with Egypt, seized by troops in May - has become a central obstacle in the talks. Hamas has demanded an eventual full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the multi-phase truce deal. Egypt, a mediator in the talks along with the U.S. and Qatar, has also demanded a concrete timeline for Israeli troops to leave the Philadelphi corridor. And on Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates, which established formal ties with Israel in the 2020 Abraham Accords, also criticized the Israeli ...

UK govt's decision to suspend some arms for Israel frustrates both sides

His foreign minister, David Lammy, said the move to limit the licences Britain gives for arms exports to Israel was because there was a risk such equipment might be used to commit serious violations

Netanyahu faces backlash over hostage death, citizens demand cease-fire

Israelis were plunged into grief and anger this weekend after the military said six hostages were killed by their captors in Gaza just as troops were closing in on their location. The rage sparked massive protests and a general strike the most intense domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the start of the war nearly 11 months ago. Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the mounting number of dead hostages and are calling for a cease-fire agreement to free the remaining roughly 100 captives even if that means ending the conflict. Sunday's demonstrations were the largest show of support for a hostage deal since October 7, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and kidnapped 250 people. But Netanyahu has faced fierce pressure to reach a cease-fire agreement before, from key governing partners to top security officials and even Israel's most important international ally, the US. Yet a deal to wind down the war in Gaza remains elusive. Here's a look at

Netanyahu pushes back against new pressure over Gaza cease-fire deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike and U.S. President Joe Biden said he needed to do more after nearly 11 months of fighting. In his first public address since Sunday's mass protests showed many Israelis' furious response to the discovery of six more dead hostages, Netanyahu said he will continue to insist on a demand that has emerged as a major sticking point in talks continued Israeli control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow band along Gaza's border with Egypt where Israel contends Hamas smuggles weapons into Gaza. Egypt and Hamas deny it. Netanyahu called the corridor vital to ensuring Hamas cannot rearm via tunnels. This is the oxygen of Hamas, he said. And he added: No one is more committed to freeing the hostages than me. But no one will preach to me." Israelis had poured into the streets late Sunday in grief

Israelis go on day-long protests nationwide as anger over hostages builds

The strike was called by the Histadrut labor federation, though a court order ruled Monday that it should end at 2.30 p.m.

Strike call in Israel over dead Gaza hostages reflects political divisions

A rare call for a general strike in Israel to protest the failure to return hostages held in Gaza led to closures and other disruptions around the country on Monday, including at its main international airport. But it was ignored in some areas, reflecting deep political divisions. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets late Sunday in grief and anger after six hostages were found dead in Gaza. The families and much of the public blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they could have been returned alive in a deal with Hamas to end the nearly 11-month-old war. But others support Netanyahu's strategy of maintaining military pressure on Hamas, whose October 7 attack into Israel triggered the war. They say it will force the militants to give in to Israeli demands, potentially facilitate rescue operations and ultimately annihilate the group. A labour court ruled that the strike must end by 2:30 pm local time, accepting a petition from the government saying it w

Israel recovers bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza, including Hersh Goldberg

Israel on Sunday said it had recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including a young Israeli-American man who became one of the most well-known captives held by Hamas as his parents met with world leaders and pressed for his release, including at the Democratic convention last month. The news sparked calls for mass protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who many of the families of hostages and much of the wider public blame for failing to bring them back alive in a cease-fire deal with Hamas. Negotiations over such a deal have dragged on for months. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was seized by militants at a music festival in southern Israel on October 7. The native of Berkeley, California, lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack. In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him, his left hand missing and clearly speaking under duress, sparking new protests in Israel urging the government to do more to secure his and others' freedom. The army said he was among

ICC prosecutor insists court can issue warrants against Israeli leaders

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor on Friday called on judges to "urgently" rule on his request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others linked to the Israel-Hamas war, saying the court has jurisdiction. It is settled law that the Court has jurisdiction in this situation, Prosecutor Karim Khan wrote in a 49-page legal brief. Khan called on a panel of ICC pretrial judges to urgently render its decisions on the requests he filed in May for warrants for Netanyahu, his defence minister, Yoav Gallant and three leaders of Hamas, two of whom have since been killed. The brief filed by Khan came in response to legal arguments filed by dozens of countries, academics, victims' groups and rights groups either rejecting or supporting the court's power to issue arrest warrants in its investigation into the war in Gaza and the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel. In his May request for arrest warrants, Khan accused Netanyahu, Gallant and three

Pro-Palestinian delegates to Chicago DNC to push for Israel arms embargo

The United States approved $20 billion in additional arms sales to Israel on Tuesday

Israel, Hamas accuse each other for impeding cease-fire & hostage deal

Mediators say the current round of negotiations have brought the two sides closest to an official pause in fighting in months

US, allies to defend Israel as Netanyahu says already in war with Iran

Israel is already in a "multi-front war" with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepared to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike and prevent an even more destructive regional conflict. Tensions have soared following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas' top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas says it has begun discussions on choosing a new leader. Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan's foreign minister was making a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts "We want the escalation to end," Ayman Safadi said while the Pentagon has moved significant assets to the region. "We are doing everything possible to make sure that this situation does not boil over," White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told ABC. In

US prepares to defend Israel as chances of multi-front war with Iran arise

Israel is already in a multi-front war with Iran and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting Sunday, as the United States and allies prepared to defend Israel from an expected counterstrike and prevent an even more destructive regional conflict. Tensions have soared following nearly 10 months of war in Gaza and the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas' top political leader in Iran. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel and threatened retaliation. Hamas says it has begun discussions on choosing a new leader. Netanyahu said Israel was ready for any scenario. Jordan's foreign minister was making a rare trip to Iran as part of diplomatic efforts, while the Pentagon has moved significant assets to the region. We are doing everything possible to make sure that this situation does not boil over, White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told ABC. In Israel, some prepared bomb shelters and recalled Iran's

Joe Biden tells Netanyahu to accept cease-fire in 'very direct' call

Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge against Israel, with Tehran ordering its security forces to assess options for attacking the Jewish state

Far-right protesters storm two Israeli army bases over soldiers' arrests

The protests were sparked by the arrests of soldiers at Sde Teiman, where suspected Hamas fighters who carried out the Oct 7 attacks are being held