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Trump to meet Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida on Friday at his resort

The meeting will be their first since the end of Trump's presidency, during which the two forged close ties, and comes at a time of strains also between Netanyahu and Democratic President Joe Biden

Netanyahu blames Biden for withholding weapons, slowing Israel's offensive

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday claimed the United States is withholding weapons and implied this was slowing Israel's offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where fighting has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians. President Joe Biden has delayed delivering certain heavy bombs to Israel since May over concerns about the killing of civilians in Gaza. However, the administration has gone to lengths to avoid any suggestion that Israeli forces have crossed a red line in the deepening Rafah invasion, which would trigger a more sweeping ban on arms transfers. Netanyahu, in a short video, spoke directly to the camera in English as he lobbed sharp criticisms at Biden over bottlenecks in arms transfers. It's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel, Netanyahu said, adding, Give us the tools and we'll finish the job a lot faster. Netanyahu didn't elaborate

US urges UNSC to support cease-fire plan in Gaza announced by Biden

The United States urged the UN Security Council on Monday to support the three-phase plan announced by President Joe Biden aimed at ending the nearly eight-month war in Gaza, freeing all hostages and sending massive aid into the devastated territory. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States circulated a draft resolution to the 14 other council members to back the proposal for ending the conflict that began with Hamas' surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed some 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan and we call on the Security Council to join them in calling for implementation of this deal without delay and without further conditions, she said in a statement. The brief draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, would welcome the May 31 deal announced by Biden and call on Hamas to accept it fully and implement its terms without delay and without ...

Targeting journalists a crime, says Al Jazeera as Israel shuts down channel

Al Jazeera Media Network stated that it would pursue legal channels through international legal institutions against the Israeli cabinet's decision to shut down its offices in the country

Israel will defend itself, says Netanyahu as West pleads for restraint

The Iranian missiles and drones launched on Saturday were mostly shot down by Israel and its allies and caused no deaths

Iran-Israel conflict: US highlights its role in thwarting missiles

The United States on Sunday highlighted its role in helping Israel thwart an unprecedented aerial attack from Iran as President Joe Biden convened leaders of the Group of Seven countries in an effort to prevent a wider regional escalation and coordinate a global rebuke of Tehran. The US assisted Israel in shooting down dozens of drones and missiles fired by Iran on Saturday in what was the first time it had launched a direct military assault on Israel. Israeli authorities said 99 per cent of the inbound weapons were shot down without causing any significant damage. US officials said that despite the high interception rate, Iran's intent was to destroy and cause casualties and that if successful, the strikes would have caused an uncontrollable escalation across the Mideast. US officials said Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an effort to contain tensions, that Washington would not participate in any offensive action against Iran, and the president made very cle

'Don't': Amid fears of an imminent attack on Israel, Joe Biden to Iran

The US has been on high alert for a significant Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel in recent days, as fears grow of a wider regional war

Gaza peace talks making progress, all parties agree on basic points

Netanyahu said that despite growing international pressure, Israel would not give in to "extreme" demands from Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas

Court denies Bolsonaro's request for passport return to travel to Israel

Brazil's Supreme Court has denied a request by former president Jair Bolsonaro's lawyers that his passport be returned to him so that he can travel to Israel, according to an official document released here. Bolsonaro's lawyers said in a statement on Thursday that Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had invited Bolsonaro to an event in May, and requested the Supreme Court to restore his passport. It is absolutely premature to remove the restriction imposed on the investigated person, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes wrote in his decision, which was in line with a recommendation from the prosecutor general's office cited by Moraes. Bolsonaro's passport was taken, precisely, to prevent him from leaving the country, given the danger to the development of criminal investigations and the possible application of criminal law, the prosecutor general's office said earlier in its opinion. Federal Police seized Bolsonaro's passport in February during a raid related to an ...

Bolsonaro requests court permission to accept Netanyahu's invite to Israel

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has requested federal authorities return his passport and authorise travel to Israel so he can accept an event invitation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit in May, Bolsonaro's lawyers said on Thursday in a statement. The attorneys submitted Bolsonaro's request to the Supreme Court on Monday, the same day The New York Times published security camera footage revealing that the former president spent two nights at Hungary's embassy in Brasilia. His stay, in February, came just days after Federal Police seized his passport during a raid related to an investigation into whether he and top aides plotted to ignore 2022 election results and stage an uprising to keep the defeated leader in power. The revelation of his stay sparked widespread speculation he may have been attempting to evade arrest, as agents would not have jurisdiction to enter embassy grounds due to diplomatic conventions restricting access. Bolsonaro's lawyers denied th

Netanyahu rebuffs US plea to halt Rafah offensive, tensions escalate

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday once again left the Middle East empty-handed as Israel's prime minister rejected American appeals to call off a promised ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is overflowing with displaced civilians. The tough message from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sets the stage for potentially difficult talks next week in Washington between top U.S. officials and a high-level Israeli delegation. Netanyahu said Israel is ready to do it alone in Rafah if necessary. Despite their differences, the Biden administration has continued to provide crucial military aid and diplomatic support, even as Israel's war against Hamas has killed more than 32,000 people in Gaza and led to a worsening humanitarian crisis. Israel says Rafah is the last remaining stronghold of Hamas and says the militant group's forces there must be defeated for Israel to meet its war objectives. Israel vowed to destroy Hamas following the group's Oct. 7 attack

Hostage crisis creates dilemma for Israel, bolsters Hamas' standing

Over the last five months, Israel has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, destroyed dozens of their tunnels and wreaked unprecedented destruction on the Gaza Strip. But it still faces a dilemma that was clear from the start of the war and will ultimately determine its outcome: It can either try to annihilate Hamas, which would mean almost certain death for the estimated 100 hostages still held in Gaza, or it can cut a deal that would allow the militants to claim a historic victory. Either outcome would be excruciating for Israelis. Either would likely seal an ignominious end for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long political career. And either might be seen as acceptable by Hamas, which valorizes martyrdom. Netanyahu, at least in public, denies there is any such dilemma. He has vowed to destroy Hamas and recover all the hostages, either through rescue missions or cease-fire agreements, saying victory could come in a matter of weeks. As long as the war rages, he can avoid early

Biden asks Israel to not press into Rafah without plan to protect civilians

Israel shouldn't go ahead with a military operation in the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah without a credible plan to protect civilians, President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, the White House said. They spoke after two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said Egypt threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are sent into Rafah, where Egypt fears fighting could force the closure of the besieged territory's main aid supply route. The threat to suspend the Camp David Accords, a cornerstone of regional stability for nearly a half-century, came after Netanyahu said sending troops into Rafah was necessary to win the four-month war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. He asserted that Hamas still has four battalions there. Over half of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have fled to Rafah to escape fighting in other areas, and they are packed into sprawling tent camps and UN-run shelters near the border. Egyp

US State Secy Blinken meets Palestinian leader Abbas in occupied West Bank

The visit came a day after talks on Tuesday with Israeli PM Netanyahu and his war cabinet over Israel's war with Hamas, regional tensions and the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Cabinet dispute delays decision on entry of Palestinian workers to Israel

Netanyahu reportedly supported the readmission of Palestinian workers as well

Netanyahu's trial in corruption case to resume under shadow of Gaza war

A district court here will resume hearing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption case on Tuesday after a more than two-month hiatus due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on October 7. Under the so-called Case 4000 or the Bezeq-Walla bribery case, Netanyahu allegedly took regulatory steps beneficial to Bezeq Telecommunications in exchange for favourable media coverage on the Walla website, earlier owned by Bezeq. The Jerusalem District Court will resume hearing on 74-year-old Netanyahu's corruption case on Tuesday. In June, the three judges in the case recommended that the prosecution withdraw the bribery charge. The prosecution, however, declined to withdraw the charge and decided to continue the trial as planned, after which the court heard the testimonies of the people concerned. The last hearing in the bribery case was held on September 20, afte

In Israel, Musk meets Netanyahu as accusations of antisemitism on X grow

Elon Musk, who's been under fire over accusations of antisemitism flourishing on his social media platform X, paid a visit Monday to Israel, where he toured a kibbutz that was attacked last month by Hamas militants and was set to meet with top leaders. The billionaire and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the Kfar Azza kibbutz, which was stormed by Hamas militants on Oct 7. Musk, wearing a protective vest and escorted by a phalanx of security personnel, used his phone to take photos or videos of the devastation, according to video released by Netanyahu's office. Musk also was due to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Benny Gantz, a former defense minister who's now part of a special war Cabinet. Government spokesperson Eylon Levy declined to say whether Musk was invited or came on his own. X, formerly known as Twitter, did not respond to a request for comment. Israel's communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, tweeted earlier Monday about a deal that his ministry h

Netanyahu visits Gaza, Hamas releases 3rd lot of hostages as part of truce

The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis, in a third set of releases under a four-day cease-fire deal. Red Cross representatives transferred the hostages out of Gaza. Some were handed over directly to Israel, while others left through Egypt. Israel's army said one was airlifted directly to an Israeli hospital. The Israeli hostages ranged in age from 4 to 84 and included Abigail Edan, a 4-year-old girl whose parents were killed in the Hamas attack that started the war on Oct 7. In all, nine children ages 17 and younger were on the list, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. Separately, Hamas said it had released one of the Russian hostages it was holding, in response to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin and as a show of appreciation for Moscow's position on the war. Israeli army radio had reported that it was an Israeli-Russian dual national. Israel

Why Israel might win the battle in Gaza but end up losing the war

Biden gave Israel's leaders some good and personally chastening advice: Don't let rage drive you to mistakes the US made after a terror attack on America killed almost 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001

Netanyahu faces battles on multiple fronts amid calls to free hostages

"We cannot allow ourselves to have a prime minister who has lost the public's trust, whether from a social or a security point of view," Lapid told Israel's Channel 12, according to CNN