Category: 2. Middle East

Threatening gunfire from Israel on Wednesday near foreign diplomats at the entrance to a West Bank refugee camp is “unacceptable,” said the EU foreign policy chief, Anadolu reports.

“Any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable,” Kaja Kallas said during a European Union-African Union meeting.

She urged Israel to investigate the incident and to hold those responsible accountable.

On X, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot expressed “shock”…

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was unlawful, Anadolu reports.

In its decision, the court said that Bar was sacked “unlawfully,” citing improper procedures and a conflict of interest related to a high-profile corruption case involving Netanyahu’s associates.

Netanyahu cited “a loss of confidence” for firing the Shin Bet chief. Bar, however, hinted that…

The UK government intensified its criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza on Wednesday, with Environment Secretary Steve Reed saying the response has “gone beyond just self-defense” and become “an attack that we can no longer tolerate,” Anadolu reports.

Speaking to Sky News, Reed confirmed that the UK has already imposed sanctions on several Israeli citizens and businesses, signaling a hardening stance as fighting in Gaza continues.

The…

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an urgent warning Wednesday about the critical state of the health care system in the Gaza Strip, with intensified Israeli ground operations and new evacuation orders pushing services “beyond the breaking point,” Anadolu reports.

Hospitals and medical centers in northern and southern Gaza are under extreme pressure, with several already out of service due to hostilities and access restrictions, Director-General…

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted the Boeing 747 that the Gulf emirate of Qatar offered to President Donald Trump for use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Qatar’s offer of the jet — which is valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars — has raised huge constitutional and ethical questions, as well as security concerns about using an aircraft donated by a foreign power for use as the ultra-sensitive presidential plane.

“The Secretary of Defense has accepted a…

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Wednesday said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had formally accepted Qatar’s offer of a Boeing 747, which President Trump has said he wants to use as the next Air Force One.

“The secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” Hegseth’s top aide and chief Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said in a statement. 

Parnell added that the US Defense Department “will work to ensure proper security…

The Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad has today issued a statement affirming that it was closely monitoring recent developments in European positions regarding the ongoing genocide perpetrated by the Zionist occupation against the Palestinian people—particularly in the Gaza Strip.

The statement welcomed the tangible steps taken by European institutions and governments in response to the actions of the Israeli occupation. Foremost among these is the…

Israeli forces opened fire to intimidate a foreign diplomatic delegation upon its arrival at an entrance to the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official told Anadolu on Wednesday, Anadolu reports.

The Israeli military, in a breach of diplomatic norms, opened fire as the delegation of 35 ambassadors, consuls, and diplomats approached the camp, which has been under siege since Jan. 21, said Ahmed al-Deek, an assistant to the Palestinian…