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Facing international isolation, accusations of war crimes and growing pressure to end a conflict he has continued to escalate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets his chance to push back Friday on the international community's biggest platform. Netanyahu's annual speech to the UN General Assembly is always closely watched, often protested, reliably emphatic and sometimes a venue for dramatic allegations. But this time, the stakes are higher than ever for the Israeli leader. In recent days, Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and others announced their recognition of an independent Palestinian state. The European Union is considering tariffs and sanctions on Israel. The assembly this month passed a nonbinding resolution urging Israel to commit to an independent Palestinian nation, which Netanyahu has said is a non-starter. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant accusing Netanyahu of crimes against humanity, which he denies. And the UN's ..
Slovenia on Thursday said it was banning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from entering the European Union country to underscore its defence of international law. The decision was linked to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the Israeli prime minister, Foreign Ministry official Neva Grasic said, according to the official STA news agency. The EU nation of some 2 million people, which recognised a Palestinian state last year, has been a vocal critic of Israeli actions in Gaza and Thursday's move against Netanyahu was apparently designed to underscore the country's policies. Slovenia already had barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country and imposed an arms embargo on Israel. All countries that are bound by the international court, including Slovenia, must not recognise the situation resulting from Israel's illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, an
Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, said the company opened the review after an August article by the Guardian alleged activity by a unit of the Israel Defense Forces
Trump reiterated his opposition to unilateral moves by some countries to recognise a Palestinian state, calling such efforts a 'reward' for Hamas
Calling for an end to violence, which has claimed the lives of at least 65,283 people in Gaza, Ursula von der Leyen said that the only realistic peace plan is based on the solution of two states
Watched by the world, President Donald Trump returns to the United Nations on Tuesday to deliver a wide-ranging address on his second-term foreign policy achievements and lament that globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order, according to the White House. World leaders will be listening closely to his remarks at the UN General Assembly as Trump has already moved quickly to diminish US support for the world body in his first eight months in office. Even in his first term, he was no fan of the flavour of multilateralism that the United Nations espouses. After his latest inauguration, he issued a first-day executive order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organisation. That was followed by his move to end US participation in the UN Human Rights Council, and ordering up a review of US membership in hundreds of intergovernmental organisations aimed at determining whether they align with the priorities of his America First agenda. There are great hopes for i
What began as peaceful marches in several cities of Italy quickly spiralled into violent confrontations between the demonstrators and police, leaving at least 60 police officers injured
As the Gaza war rages on, France recognized Palestinian statehood on Monday at the start of a high-profile meeting at the United Nations aimed at galvanizing support for a two-state solution to the Mideast conflict. More nations are expected to follow, in defiance of Israel and the United States. French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement in the UN General Assembly hall received loud applause from the more than 140 leaders in attendance. The Palestinian delegation, including its UN ambassador, Riyad Mansour, could be seen standing and applauding as the declaration was made. Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, was seen applauding on a live-camera view after the US government banned him from attending the UN gathering in person. True to the historic commitment of my country to the Middle East, to peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, this is why I declare that today, France recognizes the state of Palestine, Macron said. The meeting and expanded recognition of ..
World leaders begin convening Monday at one of the most volatile moments in the United Nations' 80-year history, and the challenges they face are as dire as ever if not more so: unyielding wars in Gaza and Ukraine, escalating changes in the US approach to the world, hungry people everywhere and technologies that are advancing faster than the understanding of how to manage them. The United Nations itself, which emerged from World War II's rubble on the premise that nations would work together to tackle political, social and financial issues, is in crisis itself. As Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week: "International cooperation is straining under pressures unseen in our lifetimes. Yet the annual high-level gathering at the UN General Assembly will bring presidents, prime ministers and monarchs from about 150 of the 193 UN member nations to UN headquarters. The secretary-general says it is an opportunity that can't be missed even in the most challenging of moments. We
This represents a major shift in attitudes in the West, and is a reflection of the increasing isolation on the international stage being endured by Tel Aviv following its continuing war on Gaza Strip
Israeli forces showed no signs of relenting on their new ground offensive in Gaza City on Monday as world leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and more countries prepared to join the surge of nations recognising a Palestinian state. Hundreds of thousands have remained in the city, the territory's largest and already in ruins from nearly two years of war and struggling with famine. The Israeli military ordered the evacuation on Monday of the Jordanian Hospital, a key health clinic, a Palestinian health official said. The latest Israeli operation, which started last Tuesday, further escalates a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushes any ceasefire farther out of reach. The Israeli military, which says it wants to destroy Hamas' military infrastructure, hasn't given a timeline for the offensive, but there were indications it could take months. Many have been attempting to relocate from the city, where 1 million people once lived, to th
An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed five people Sunday, including three children, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said four of the killed, the three children as well as their father, held US citizenship. Two others were wounded, including the mother in the family. Officials at the US Embassy in Beirut could not immediately be reached for comment. Since a ceasefire agreement was reached in November to end Israel's monthslong war with the Hezbollah militant group, Israel has continued to strike southern and eastern Lebanon almost daily. Under the Washington-brokered ceasefire, both the militant Hezbollah group and Israel were supposed to withdraw their forces from southern Lebanon and halt strikes against each other. Israeli forces have continue to occupy five Lebanese hilltop points by the border. The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hezbollah militant, and that he operated from within a civilian population. It acknowledged that
After months of proposing both ideas to solve or intermediate some of the world's most intractable conflicts, Trump has largely withdrawn from diplomacy in recent weeks
Israel is preparing for a long war, endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, many of whom have faced displacement several times over
The United States once again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday that had demanded for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages after saying that the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas. All 14 other members of the United Nations' most powerful body voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as catastrophic and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory. The outcome further highlights US and Israeli isolation on the world stage regarding the nearly two-year war in Gaza. The vote came just days ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, where Gaza will be a major topic and where major US allies are expected to recognise an independent Palestinian state. It is a largely symbolic move that is vehemently opposed by Israel and the US, dividing the Trump administration from close allies, .
The irony of this flurry of international condemnation, including from India and the Abraham Accord signatories, is that it has not deterred Israel or its sponsor, the US
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also proposed a package of sanctions on two Israeli ministers, as well as "violent" Israeli settlers and 10 senior members of Palestinian militant group Hamas
Ben & Jerry's has in recent months been a lonely voice among well-known brands speaking out on issues like Gaza and President Donald Trump's immigration stance
Israel on Tuesday launched airstrikes on the Yemeni city of Hodeida as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels activated air defences. The Israeli military said in an update that it struck military infrastructure used by the Houthis at Hodeida port. The Hudaydah Port is used by the Houthi terrorist regime for the transfer of weapons supplied by the Iranian regime, in order to execute attacks against the State of Israel and its allies, the statement read. Our air defences are currently confronting the Israeli aircrafts that are launching an aggression against our country, Houthi spokesperson Yayha Saree posted on X. Saree said in a statement that the Houthi air defences caused great confusion for Israeli aircraft and forced some combat formations to leave Yemeni airspace before carrying out the attacks, thwarting Israel's incursion deep into Yemen. Earlier Israeli strikes targeted Sanaa The latest strikes came as hundreds attended funeral services for 31 Yemeni journalists who were reported