Israel / Middle East - Page 27

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision Thursday to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, calling it a surrender to terror.

Macron continued the French tradition of surrender by announcing he would recognize the fictitious “State of Palestine” in September.

A massive delegation of Saudi businessmen led by Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid bin Abdulaziz al-Falih visited Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday for a forum allegedly resulting in over $6 billion in investment commitments to rebuild the war-torn nation.

The Trump administration officially withdrew from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Tuesday, reversing another policy of President Joe Biden’s administration.

The Qatar Olympic Committee confirmed on Wednesday that it is pursuing a bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, citing its recently completed sports stadiums and other facilities built for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Members of the Irish-language rap group Kneecap were banned from entering Hungary ahead of their scheduled performance at the popular Sziget Festival as authorities argued the musicians’ presence in the country would constitute a risk to national security.

The United Nations (UN) rejected an offer Wednesday from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to transport its aid, sitting idle after crossing into Gaza, for free, despite its claims Palestinians face starvation.

Anti-Israel activists took to social media in the hours after rock legend Ozzy Osbourne’s death on Tuesday at the age of 76, trashing him for performing in Tel Aviv despite far-left attempts to enforce an artistic boycott.

Iranian state media claimed on Tuesday that 27 inmates from the infamous Evin prison in northern Tehran are still at large.

The Iranian Football Federation demanded this week that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) oust Israel from its soccer bodies in response to Israel’s military operations in June to contain the threat of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons.

Turkey and Britain on Wednesday signed a preliminary agreement for the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Turkey, a significant step in Ankara’s efforts to modernize its air fleet.

A joint statement by 109 international aid organizations released Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, warning of “starvation” — but failed to mention the remaining Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.

Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix made a rare podcast appearance, telling comedian Theo Von he came on specifically because it was “courageous and meaningful” that Von spoke out about Israel’s actions in Gaza, including his claim that Israel is committing “genocide.”

Apple rolled out a website and iPhone app in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, taking its first steps toward major retail operations in the Kingdom. Tuesday also marked the first time Apple has offered service and support in Arabic.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on the eve of negotiations with European powers that Iran will never give up its uranium enrichment program.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) says that the United Nations is no longer capable of delivering aid to Gaza, partly because its trucks are looted — and partly because some of its drivers work with Hamas.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee clarified Tuesday that no damage was done to a church in the Palestinian Christian town of Taybeh, despite earlier reports — though he still condemned violence against the town.

World-renowned urban warfare expert John Spencer has delivered a searing indictment of international inaction over the systematic massacre of Syria’s Druze minority, arguing that while “human rights organizations say little” and “Western capitals issue muted statements or none at all,” Israel alone has responded with decisive action to protect a vulnerable community facing what Spencer describes as “ethnic and religious cleansing in broad daylight.”

The Syrian central government on Monday began evacuating hundreds of Bedouin families from the region around Sweida, the heavily Druze city where deadly violence broke out between the two groups last week.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee applauded the Israeli government on Monday for expediting the visa applications of American evangelical organizations, which had been caught up in bureaucratic confusion.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, widely known as the “sleeping prince” of Saudi Arabia, died on Saturday at the age of 36. He had been in a coma for 20 years.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested in a letter to senior United Nations leaders, Iranian media reported on Monday, that the heads of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom “be held to account in international criminal tribunals as defendants for complicity in war crimes” for their support of Israel.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa, devoted to the legacy of the legendary post-apartheid leader, has offered grants to groups that vow to combat Christian Zionism, calling it a force for “genocide.”

Israel continues to try to stop the potential genocide of Druze Arabs in Syria by Islamic forces, while being falsely accused of genocide against Palestinian Arabs in Gaza.

A performer holding a Palestinian flag touched off a brief scuffle on stage at the Royal Opera House in London as cast members were taking their bows following the season’s final performance of “Il Trovatore.”

Pope Leo XIV renewed his call on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect international laws and the obligation to protect civilians.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that it was about to enter Deir al-Balah, one of the few areas of Gaza relatively untouched by the conflict, and where the remaining Israeli hostages are thought to be held.

Mike Huckabee’s criticism on the issue of Palestinian Christians is the kind only a true friend can offer.

During an interview with PBS’s “Firing Line” released on Friday, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) stated that the strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities “sent a signal, particularly in the Middle East, that, if you don’t engage with us productively, we will,

Dozens of Afghans with serious criminal records were handed $1,100 in cash and put on a plane to Kabul on Friday morning.

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Co.,” U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stated that “Hamas is the hold-up” to getting a hostage deal and “They’ve been the impediment” since October 7 because “every time Israel

On Friday, CBS News Foreign Correspondent Ramy Inocencio asked former Hamas hostage Aviva Siegel if she thinks Israel is perpetrating a genocide in Gaza after he cited numbers from Hamas on casualties in Gaza. Inocencio said, “[W]ith a number of confirmed dead

Controversial New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani may not only be socialism’s great new hope; he may also  be motivating a new coalition of Muslims seeking more influence in American politics, according to ABC.

Israeli Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Friday with Pope Leo XIV amid tensions with Christian communities over various different issues that have arisen in Israel in recent weeks.

Only a small fraction of the Afghans on the leaked Ministry of Defence document had any grounds to be bought to Britain, report claims. 

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has been arguing with Israeli authorities about delays in the granting of tourist visas to some evangelical groups, threatening to say Israel no longer welcomes Christians.