TEHRAN: Iran&#39;s military chief warned on Wednesday that Iran will not stand by and allow itself to be threatened by outside powers, after the United States and Israel backed anti-government protests. &quot;The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the escalation of hostile rhetoric against the Iranian nation a threat and will not tolerate its continuation without responding,&quot; General Amir Hatami said, according to the Fars news agency. Hatami, commander of the Iranian army but not Iran&#39;s most senior officer, warned that &quot;if the enemy makes a mistake&quot; Iran&#39;s response would be more robust than during last June&#39;s 12-day war with Israel. In recent days, US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran &#39;if demonstrators were killed&#39;, while Israel&#39;s Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for the protests. On December 28 merchants in Tehran staged a protest against soaring prices and the collapse of the rial, triggering a wave of similar actions in several cities, some of them deadly. The demonstrations have yet to reach the scale of a 2022 to 2023 movement, let alone that of the mass 2009 street protests that followed disputed elections. But the economic protests have attracted international attention, including from the leaders of the Islamic republic&#39;s international foes. &quot;We&#39;re watching it very closely. If they start killing people like they have in the past, I think they&#39;re going to get hit very hard by the United States,&quot; Trump told reporters on Sunday. Netanyahu, meanwhile, told Israel&#39;s cabinet: &quot;We stand in solidarity with the struggle of the Iranian people and with their aspirations for freedom, liberty and justice.&quot; On Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry accused Trump and Netanyahu of inciting violence and trying to &nbsp;undermine Iran&#39;s national unity. The war in June began with an unprecedented Israeli attack on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. The United States briefly took part in the strikes, hitting three major Iranian nuclear sites.

Middle East

In recent days, US President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran if demonstrators were killed, while Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed support for the protests.

Iran army chief threatens response to Trump and Netanyahu's 'threats'

GAZA CITY: Israel launched at least three air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, killing at least 30 and wounding dozens, Gaza&rsquo;s civil defense said, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to carry out fresh attacks. Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza&rsquo;s civil defense agency, told AFP that &ldquo;the occupation is now bombing Gaza with at least three air strikes despite the ceasefire agreement.&rdquo; Witnesses also reported hearing explosions. Basal, later on Wednesday, said, &ldquo;At least 30 killed and dozens of wounded as a result of the Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, and our crews are still working to recover the dead and wounded from under the rubble.&rdquo;&nbsp; Israel&rsquo;s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, earlier said that Hamas had attacked Israeli troops despite the ongoing ceasefire, vowing that the group would &ldquo;pay a heavy price.&rdquo; &ldquo;Hamas will pay a heavy price for attacking IDF soldiers in Gaza and for violating the agreement to return the bodies of the hostages,&rdquo; Katz said in a statement. &ldquo;This is a crossing of a red line, and the IDF will respond with great force.&rdquo; Before the strikes, Prime Minister Netanyahu had instructed the military to conduct &ldquo;intense strikes&rdquo; in Gaza, accusing Hamas of breaking the US-brokered ceasefire. However, Hamas rejected the allegations, saying its forces had not carried out any attack on Israeli troops. &ldquo;Hamas affirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and reaffirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement,&rdquo; the group said in a statement.

"The occupation is now bombing Gaza with at least three air strikes despite the ceasefire agreement." 

Israel strikes kill at least 30 in Gaza as Hamas denies attacking troops

TEL AVIV: US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday to shore up the fragile US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza, following a burst of deadly violence and questions over how to move forward with the plan for long-term peace. Vance was meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials and is expected to stay in the region until Thursday. His visit follows Monday&#39;s arrival of White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump&rsquo;s son-in-law. Vance met with them upon landing. Vance is also expected to meet with families of hostages whose remains are still in Gaza and some of the living hostages released last week. Earlier on Tuesday, Witkoff and Kushner met with nine of them. Hamas said it has recovered the remains of two more hostages and planned to hand them over Tuesday evening. The ceasefire took effect on October 10. While it has been tested by fighting on Sunday and mutual accusations of violations, both Israel and Hamas have said they are committed to the deal. Trump has made clear he wants it to succeed. Pressure for the ceasefire&#39;s second phase The head of Egypt&rsquo;s intelligence agency, Maj Gen&nbsp;Hassan Rashad, traveled to Israel on Tuesday to meet with Netanyahu, Witkoff and others over the ceasefire&#39;s implementation, according to Netanyahu&rsquo;s office. The high-level meetings highlight the urgency of launching negotiations for the second phase of the US plan. Hamas negotiators reiterated that the group is committed to ensuring the war &ldquo;ends once and for all.&rdquo; &ldquo;From the day we signed the Sharm el-Sheikh agreement, we were determined and committed to seeing it through to the end,&rdquo; Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, who is in Cairo, told Egypt&rsquo;s Al-Qahera News television late Monday. He said Israel has complied with aid deliveries in the Gaza crossings according to the agreement, but asked mediators to pressure Israel to deliver more shelter, medical supplies and cold-weather items before winter arrives. Israel identifies another body of a hostage Israel confirmed Tuesday that Hamas released the body of Tal Haimi, who was killed in the October 7, 2023 attack. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel is waiting for Hamas to turn over the remains of 15 hostages. Thirteen have been turned over since the ceasefire began. Under the deal, Israel is releasing 15 bodies for the remains of each dead hostage, according to Gaza&#39;s Health Ministry. It said Israel had transferred the bodies of another 15 Palestinians to Gaza, for a total of 165 since earlier this month. Aid into Gaza increases, while prices rise International organizations said they were scaling up humanitarian aid entering Gaza, while Hamas-led security forces launched a crackdown against what it called price gouging by private merchants. The World Food Program said it had sent more than 530 trucks into Gaza in the past 10 days, enough to feed nearly half a million people for two weeks. That&#39;s still well under the 500 to 600 that entered daily before the war. The WFP also said it had reinstated 26 distribution points and hopes to scale up to its previous 145 points across Gaza as soon as possible. Residents said prices for essential goods soared on Sunday. Israel has threatened to halt humanitarian aid. Mohamed al-Faqawi, a Khan Younis resident, accused merchants of taking advantage of the perilous security situation. &ldquo;Our concern stems from the wicked merchants,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They are exploiting us.&rdquo; On Monday, Hamas-run security forces raided shops across Gaza, closing at least 10 shops and warehouses, and forced merchants to lower prices, according to a unit of Hamas focused on stopping collaboration with Israel and price gouging. Hamas also has imposed more order on the streets, allowing aid trucks to move safely and halting looting of deliveries. Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza&rsquo;s private truckers&rsquo; union, said there was no stealing aid since the ceasefire started. &ldquo;Trucks drive safely,&rdquo; he said. Gaza doctors say bodies returned with signs of torture A senior health official in Gaza said some bodies of Palestinians returned by Israel bore &ldquo;evidence of torture&rdquo; and called for a United Nations-launched investigation. So far, only 32 of the bodies have been identified, according to Gaza&#39;s Health Ministry. The ministry&#39;s general director, Dr Muneer al-Boursh, said in a social media post late Monday that some had evidence of being bound with ropes and metal shackles, blindfolds, deep wounds, abrasions, burns and crushed limbs. It was not immediately clear if any of the bodies had been prisoners; they are being returned without identifications or details on how they died. The bodies could include Palestinian detainees who died in Israeli custody or bodies taken out of Gaza by Israeli troops during the war. The Israel Prisons Service denied that prisoners had been mistreated, saying it had followed legal procedures and provided medical care and &ldquo;adequate living conditions.&rdquo; Israeli hostages released from Gaza have also reported being bound by metal shackles and harsh conditions, including frequent beatings and starvation. The Israel war on Gaza has killed more than 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry. The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. Israel has disputed them without providing its own toll. Thousands more people are missing, according to the Red Cross.

Vice President J.D. Vance arrives at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, October 21, 2025. (AP)

Americas

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel to reinforce the Gaza ceasefire, meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu and regional officials amid renewed tensions, hostage recoveries, humanitarian challenges, and efforts to advance the second phase of the peace plan.

US vice president visits Israel to support fragile Gaza ceasefire

Web Desk

RAFAH: Israeli military jets struck the Rafah area in southern Gaza on Sunday in response to alleged militant attacks on Israeli forces, Reuters reported. The Israeli military said that militants fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on troops, actions described as a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement. It vowed to respond firmly to these provocations. According to the military statement cited by Reuters, &ldquo;militants opening fire on Israeli troops is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.&rdquo; The strikes were carried out to neutralize the threat posed by those militants. Meanwhile, AFP reported that&nbsp;Hamas&#39; armed wing stated on Sunday that the group is fully committed to the ceasefire agreement with Israel and denies any knowledge of clashes in Rafah, where Israeli air strikes occurred.&nbsp; The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement, &quot;We reaffirm our full commitment to implementing all agreements, primarily the ceasefire throughout the Gaza Strip.&nbsp;We have no information about any incidents or clashes in Rafah, as these areas are controlled by the occupation, and our contact with remaining groups there has been lost since the war resumed in March this year.&quot;

The Israeli military said that militants fired anti-tank missiles and opened fire on troops, actions described as a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Israel strikes Gaza after claiming attack on its forces

Maham Khan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu no longer enjoys the excuse of waging a war on Gaza to manipulate corruption charges, opposition, and public scrutiny. Legal challenges Netanyahu is currently confronting three separate corruption trials. According to AFP, he faces allegations of receiving luxury items valued at over 260,000 USD, including cigars, jewelry, and champagne from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors. On June 29, 2025, an Israeli court postponed Netanyahu&#39;s testimony in the corruption trial. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the case to be &lsquo;cancelled&rsquo;. In his recent address to the Knesset in Tel Aviv, Trump asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu. Political opposition Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid, represents the primary opposition bloc. However, the group faces significant challenges in presenting a unified alternative to Netanyahu&#39;s government. Reuters reported in September 2025 that the opposition&#39;s attempt to dissolve parliament and force early elections failed, primarily due to ultra-Orthodox factions striking a deal with Netanyahu on mandatory military service. The opposition&#39;s internal fragmentation remains a critical weakness, with deep ideological differences preventing a united front. Coalition dependencies Netanyahu&#39;s government heavily relies on far-right parties like Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism. Party leaders Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have threatened to destabilize the coalition over policy disagreements, particularly concerning the Gaza ceasefire deal. British politician Callum Miller noted that Netanyahu&#39;s dependency on far-right partners forces more radical actions, prioritizing coalition unity over national interests. Military establishment critique The Israeli security establishment has sharply criticized Netanyahu&#39;s leadership. As documented in &lsquo;Netanyahu vs The Generals: The Battle for Israel&#39;s Future,&rsquo; high-ranking security officials have publicly challenged the government&#39;s strategic decisions. Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the US, stated in October 2025 that Israel has exhausted major military options against Hamas. Judicial reform controversies A bill passed in March 2025 allows what the Israeli opposition termed as increased government influence over judicial appointments. Many have raised substantial concerns about judicial independence. Reuters reported in April 2023 that thousands of Israelis have protested in Tel Aviv against the government&#39;s judicial reform plans. In July 2023, AFP described mass protests and strikes across Israel sparked by the government&#39;s reform initiatives. War on Gaza management Netanyahu has faced mounting criticism over the conflict&#39;s management. The Guardian reported on October 14, 2025, that Netanyahu&#39;s rhetoric emphasized continued military presence, contradicting claims of a &lsquo;concluded conflict.&rsquo; Reuters noted that opposition leader Benny Gantz withdrew from the emergency war cabinet, criticizing what he believed had been Netanyahu&#39;s lack of strategic planning. Hostage families&#39; pressure The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has become a powerful opposition voice. AFP reported that many family members demonstrated against Netanyahu during his United Nations General Assembly speech. In October 2025, Reuters reported the forum&#39;s continued dissatisfaction with the ceasefire-hostage deal. Political prospects The Israel Democracy Institute&#39;s October 2025 report revealed mixed public sentiment with only over 40% of Israelis having trust in Netanyahu. A Maariv poll in The Times of Israel on October 10 showed Netanyahu&#39;s Likud party projected to win 27 Knesset seats, a slight increase from previous standings. While still significantly short of a majority, this shows uptick in positive public perception. The temporary boost is likely from the hostage-ceasefire deal. However, the same Democracy Institute study showed that 64% of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign over the October 7, 2023 security failures. His ability to maintain political relevance amidst significant opposition indicates a capacity for strategic political maneuvering. Existing public opinion data suggests that he may be able to form a coalition government in the upcoming October 2026 elections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Articles

Netanyahu faces mounting legal, political, and public challenges after Gaza war, with corruption trials, opposition criticism, and 64% of Israelis believing he should resign over security failures.

Can Netanyahu survive the odds after Gaza peace deal?

TEL AVIV: Israel&#39;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was back in a Tel Aviv court on Wednesday for the latest hearing in his long-running corruption trial, which opened in May 2020. The prime minister kept a smiling face as he and his entourage of several ministers from his conservative Likud party were heckled by protesters en route to the tribunal. It comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the Israeli premier should be pardoned in his three separate corruption cases. His latest appearance at the Tel Aviv court also follows the return of the hostages taken by Hamas as part of Trump&#39;s US-brokered plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. In one case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, including champagne, cigars and jewellery, from billionaires in exchange for political favours. In two other instances, Netanyahu is also charged with attempting to negotiate better press coverage from two Israeli media outlets. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming to be the victim of a political plot. During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts. Those prompted massive protests that only abated after the onset of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas&#39;s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. In an address on Monday to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Trump told the chamber that Netanyahu should receive a pardon in the graft cases. &quot;Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?&quot; Trump joked, before asking his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: &quot;Why don&#39;t you give him a pardon?&quot; The Israeli premier is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government&#39;s assault on Hamas militants in Gaza. Netanyahu holds the record for the most years spent at the head of Israel&#39;s government, having served 18 years in several stints as premier since 1996.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on while President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP)

Netanyahu in court for graft trial appearance

TEL AVIV: US President Donald Trump has said that several Middle Eastern nations were interested in joining the Abraham Accords &ldquo;Those who have joined the accords so far have done unbelievably well, &quot; Trump said in a speech to the Israeli Knesset on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp; He praised the Abraham Accords as exceeding expectations, with continued interest from additional countries, though he did not name them, only hinting that &ldquo;many of these countries will be in Egypt&rdquo;. He also criticized former US presidents Obama and Biden for inaction while praising his own administration&rsquo;s successes in strengthening ties between Israel and Arab nations. He spoke of transforming the land into a thriving region and declared the potential era of peace for the Middle East. Trump calls for Iran denuclearization He warned that Iran was two months away from acquiring nuclear weapons, justifying the June 2025 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites by US B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. Trump said he was aiming for a peace deal with Iran. &ldquo;They got it from one side, from the other, and you know it would be great if we could make a peace deal with them,&rdquo; he told Israel&rsquo;s parliament. &ldquo;Would you be happy with that? Wouldn&#39;t it be nice, I think. Because I think they want to&rdquo;, he said. Trump added that any agreement depends on Iran&rsquo;s willingness. &ldquo;We&#39;re ready when you are,&rdquo; he said. He defended his decision to end the Iran nuclear deal, calling it a move he was &ldquo;very proud&rdquo; of. &ldquo;Yet even to Iran, whose regime has inflicted so much death on the Middle East, the hand of friendship and cooperation is open,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They want to make a deal, and we&#39;re going to see if we can do something.&rdquo; He stated that neither the United States nor Israel bore hostility toward the Iranian people, saying, &ldquo;We merely want to live in peace.&rdquo; Trump also criticized former presidents Obama and Biden for their Middle East policies, claiming they did not support Israel as strongly. He said Obama &ldquo;chose Iran over lots of good countries, especially Israel,&rdquo; and called the Iran nuclear deal &ldquo;a disaster,&rdquo; despite Netanyahu&rsquo;s efforts to prevent it. Disarming regional threats Trump announced that the &ldquo;dagger of Hezbollah&rdquo; has been shattered and pledged his administration&rsquo;s support for Lebanon&rsquo;s president in disarming Hezbollah. He called the recent ceasefire &quot;the most challenging breakthrough in the world,&quot; highlighting scenes of people dancing in the streets to celebrate peace. He described the current moment as historic, marking the end of a long, difficult road spanning centuries, with regional support for the plan, Hezbollah demilitarized, and Hamas disarmed. Vision for a &ldquo;peaceful&rdquo; Middle East Trump said Israel, with US help, has achieved all military objectives, and it is now time for peace and prosperity in the Middle East. He praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (&ldquo;Bibi&rdquo;) as &ldquo;a nice man&rdquo; and urged Middle Eastern leaders to fully embrace the peace plan. He said that antisemitism and support for terrorism that endured for decades have come to an end. Call for Palestinian reform Trump urged Palestinians to expel &ldquo;wicked forces&rdquo; and focus on rebuilding after tremendous death and pain. He outlined plans for the stability and economic development of Gaza, mentioning the formation of the &ldquo;Board of Peace&rdquo; to oversee reconstruction. Wealthy ME nations reportedly commit to Gaza rebuilding He thanked wealthy Arab and Muslim countries committing significant funds to Gaza&rsquo;s rebuilding and noted upcoming meetings in Egypt with these countries. However, he was careful not to name them. &ldquo;I wanna thank Arab and Muslim countries for their support, they are wealthy countries, we will put up tremendous amount of money, we will build Gaza. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t wanna say who they are but what they are doing is, they wanna see the good, the good for Israel. [And] the kind money they have, for these countries its relatively little compared to their worth&rdquo;. Promoting partnership Trump said regional countries should be partners, not enemies, and stand together against &ldquo;forces of chaos&rdquo;. Trump called for building a future focusing on innovation, medicine, and AI instead of weapons. Praise for Israel&rsquo;s strength and heritage Trump expressed strong support for Israel, calling it a strong nation that will endure forever. &ldquo;The state of Israel is strong, it will live forever&rdquo;. He stated that the US has always supported Israel since its inception due to &ldquo;sharing similar values&rdquo; with the US. He hailed &ldquo;Israel&rsquo;s military&rdquo; and &ldquo;innovative economy&rdquo;, calling Jerusalem the &ldquo;ancient capital&rdquo; of the occupying regime. He also talked about the region&#39;s significance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He described the coexistence of people of all faiths in the sacred land as a &ldquo;modern miracle&rdquo;. Trump urges pardon for Netanyahu The US President told the Israeli parliament that Netanyahu, facing trial in three corruption cases, should be &lsquo;pardoned.&rsquo; He dismissed allegations of accepting luxury gifts worth over $260,000 as trivial, calling Netanyahu one of Israel&rsquo;s greatest wartime leaders. Addressing Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Trump suggested granting Netanyahu a pardon, adding he personally supports the prime minister. Legacy of &lsquo;peace&rsquo;, &lsquo;hope&rsquo;, and &lsquo;prosperity&rsquo; Trump promised to build a legacy across the region&mdash;from the Middle East, to India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Azerbaijan&mdash;of hope and prosperity. He called the Middle East the geographic center of the world and expressed his vision for Israel, the US, and Middle Eastern nations to become stronger and more prosperous together. Russian peace deal Trump was positive about securing a peace deal involving Russia and Ukraine following his success with securing a Gaza ceasefire. He expressed confidence that it will be achieved soon. &ldquo;We will get it done&rdquo;, he stated. The speech was delivered amid the backdrop of a recent Gaza ceasefire, the return of hostages, and ongoing peace negotiations. The conservative president&rsquo;s remarks were met with applause in the Knesset. <img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/bcab3a6a-96d8-4d47-9c18-5ff701ff8488-AP25286460826624 (1).jpg" alt="Jared Kushner, acknowledges applause at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, Monday, October 13, 2025. (AP)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Jared Kushner acknowledges applause at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, Monday, October 13, 2025. (AP)</figcaption> With input from the AFP.

President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP)

Asia

Trump announced Middle East peace progress, urged Iran denuclearization, praised Abraham Accords, supported Israel, called for Palestinian reform, and advocated Netanyahu’s pardon.​

Trump says more Middle Eastern nations may join Abraham Accords

UNITED NATIONS: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Oman &mdash; all nations in the thick of the unrest that has pervaded the Middle East &mdash; confronted the crisis in the region at the annual UN gathering of world leaders, with Egypt&rsquo;s top diplomat warning that the Mideast &ldquo;is at a point of implosion.&rdquo; All four countries on Saturday decried Israel&rsquo;s ongoing pursuit of war in Gaza and the horrific impact on Palestinian civilians &ndash; and they bemoaned the failure of the United Nations and the broader international community to achieve a ceasefire and end the bloodshed. The four ministers spoke a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu &mdash; facing protesters, critics and growing global isolation over his Gaza policies &mdash; told the General Assembly his country &ldquo;must finish the job&rdquo; against Hamas for its October 7, 2023, surprise attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. Hamas also took 250 hostages. Israeli forces recently launched an offensive to take control of Gaza City. Here&#39;s a country-by-country look at those four leaders&#39; takes from the U.N. podium on the overall Mideast situation and Gaza in particular. Egypt Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, whose country has been a key mediator in Gaza along with the United States and Qatar, sharply criticized the international community &ldquo;standing idly by as a spectator&rdquo; while international law is systematically violated in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East. Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;wanton, unjust war waged against defenseless civilians for a sin they did not commit&rdquo; is &ldquo;transpiring without accountability, and it has affected one country after another,&rdquo; he said. Abdelatty recalled former president Anwar Sadat&rsquo;s historic visit to Israel in 1977, and Egypt becoming &ldquo;one of the first to anchor the pillar of peace in the region.&rdquo; But surveying the turmoiul in the Mideast today, he accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza &ndash; which it vehemently denies &ndash; and blocking the Palestinians&#39; fron establishing an independent state. Abdelatty said Israel can&rsquo;t be secure unless other countries in the region are secure, and &ldquo;the region cannot see stability without an independent state of Palestine.&rdquo; In the region, he pointed to civil war in Sudan, the need for elections in divided Libya, resolving Yemen&rsquo;s crisis between the internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels who control the capital and most of the north, and ending repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese and Syrian territory. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, whose country hosts Russia-Ukraine-U.S. peace talks, said the suffering of Palestinians and unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza make it imperative for the international community to end the war in Gaza and achieve peace through a two-state solution. A two-state solution to the nearly 80-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict is &ldquo;the only path that would guarantee the security of all countries in the region,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The failure of the international community to take firm actions to end the Israeli aggression and violation will only cause further instability and insecurity regionally and globally&rdquo; and &ldquo;will have grave consequences and will escalate war crimes and acts of genocide.&rdquo; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/0549e94d-2407-498a-bd60-3e35d46a3023-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP).jpg" alt="Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP)" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Minister for Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP)</figcaption></figure> Farhan said Saudi Arabia, along with Norway and the European Union, launched an international coalition to implement the two-state solution, and it co-sponsored Monday&rsquo;s high-level meeting with France that saw at least 10 countries officially recognize the state of Palestine, bringing the total to near 160 recognitions. &ldquo;Such recognition is an important step towards achieving the two-state solution and bolstering the path towards a just and lasting peace,&rdquo; he said. Farhan condemned Israel&rsquo;s recent attack on Qatar. He also called for &ldquo;international measures&rdquo; to stop Israel&rsquo;s actions, &ldquo;and to deter it from such criminal behavior that threatens regional security and stability.&rdquo; Oman Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, whose country has mediated U.S.-Iran talks, called on the international community &ldquo;to apply effective pressure to bring Israel to the negotiating table&rdquo; &mdash; and to adopt measures limiting its ability to continue its killings, destruction, occupation and policies &ldquo;of starvation and blockade against the Palestinian people.&rdquo; He condemned Israeli aggression against Iran, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon and called for sanctions against Israel in response to its violation of international law and &ldquo;unlawful encroachment&rdquo; on the sovereignty of states. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/a84161b8-7fe9-4683-9dd6-360e6e4e2edb-Oman Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP).jpg" alt="Oman Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP)" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Oman Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP)</figcaption></figure> &quot;We call for a global peaceful campaign to lift the blockade and undo the injustice imposed on the Palestinian people and to secure their freedom through the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state,&quot; al-Busaidi said. United Arab Emirates Calling it &ldquo;a pivotal moment&rdquo; in a world engulfed in turmoil and conflict, the United Arab Emirates&rsquo; deputy foreign minister Lana Nusseibeh said there is no justification for Hamas taking hostages or for Israel targeting &ldquo;tens of thousands of civilians or besieging them or starving them and forcibly displacing them.&rdquo; Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;unacceptable, expansionist ambitions including the threat of annexing the West Bank&rdquo; are also inexcusable, she said. Nusseibeh urged all countries to recognize the state of Palestine &ldquo;as an investment in a better future for the region.&rdquo; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/a4230280-a749-490e-99d5-33ee213df514-Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Lana Nusseibeh addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP).jpg" alt="Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Lana Nusseibeh addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP)" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Lana Nusseibeh addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP)</figcaption></figure> The UAE has tried to bridge divides elsewhere in the conflict-torn world, she said, pointing to its role in the exchange of thousands of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, hosting peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and helping to de-escalate tensions in south Asia and beyond. &ldquo;Our aim is not simply to manage conflicts, but to resolve them sustainably,&rdquo; Nusseibeh told the assembly. &ldquo;The urgent need for this approach is clear around the world, whether in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, Libya or the Sahel.&rdquo; Many crises have been exacerbated by extremist ideologies, hate speech and incitement, which is why the UAE is promoting an agenda of tolerance, peace and security, she said. The UAE is also the largest donor of aid to Gaza, she said.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates of Egypt addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at UN headquarters. (AP)

At the UN, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, called for a ceasefire, supported a two-state solution, and urged international pressure to resolve Middle East conflicts peacefully.

Articles tagged with "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu"