Palestinian statehood must be part of Israeli normalization efforts in the region, including with Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, after he had visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan. Normalization is not a “substitute for” and can not come at the “expense … Read more
An Israeli drone attack in Jenin City in the occupied West Bank killed at least seven civilians in the early hours of Sunday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The attack followed a raid by the Israeli army in Jenin City and a refugee camp, Al Jazeera reported. A border police officer also was killed … Read more
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, both on trips to the Mideast, warned on Saturday against the Israel-Hamas war escalating into a regional conflict as hostilities increased following the killing this week of a top Hamas official. “It is absolutely imperative to ensure Lebanon is not drawn into … Read more
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israel on Saturday in retaliation for the targeted killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut this week amid mounting fears of a larger regional war, according to media reports. Hezbollah said in a statement Saturday that it targeted an Israeli air surveillance base in northern Israel with … Read more
Gaza: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to put the focus of his tour in the Middle East on ending Israel’s “aggression” on the Gaza Strip. In a statement on Friday, Haniyeh said he expected Blinken to “glean lessons from the past three months and recognize Washington’s mistakes in … Read more
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid spoke to an Israeli radio station this morning about the war in Gaza, the “day after,” and the recent High Court decision annulling the Knesset”s controversial Basic Law to abolish the judicial “reasonableness standard.” Asked about the High Court ruling, Lapid said, “The court made the only ruling it … Read more
The Israeli military has started withdrawing units from Gaza, indicating that a new phase of the war has begun, though officials said the conflict is far from over. “Some of the reservists will return to their families and employment this week,” an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said. The decision to move soldiers out of Gaza … Read more
Washington: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday held telephonic conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and spoke about the importance of finalizing Sweden’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) accession. In a post shared on X, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “@SecBlinken spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister @HakanFidan about the … Read more
The Trudeau government still won’t say if it’s considering imposing sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the wake of travel bans announced by both the U.S. and the United Kingdom in recent days. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said last week that he will recommend EU sanctions as well. Canada, like its American, British … Read more
