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Israel Reprimands European Ambassadors Over Palestinian State Recognition
Then-Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz attends the cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Feb. 17, 2019. Katz currently serves as the foreign minister. Photo: Sebastian Scheiner/Pool via REUTERS
Israel on Thursday reprimanded the ambassadors of Spain, Norway, and Ireland over their governments’ plan to recognize a Palestinian state — a decision that Israeli officials described as a “reward for terrorism.”
Spain, Norway, and Ireland on Wednesday announced coordinated plans to officially recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, next Tuesday. Leaders of all three countries argued such a move would help foster a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and lead to lasting peace in the region, explaining that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza accelerated their plans.
The announcements drew fury from Israel, which recalled its ambassadors from the three European nations for immediate consultations.
“If Israel has learned anything in recent months, it is that our children deserve a better, safer future — not the resurrection of old, failed policies created by blindsided back-seat drivers abroad,” Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman said.
“A recognition of a Palestinian state does not promote peace. It perpetuates war,” he told reporters. “Any kind of so-called solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that compromises Israel’s security does not mean peace. There will be zero compromise on our security.”
The three envoys were summoned to meet with Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General Yaakov Blitshtein in Jerusalem. During the meeting, the ambassadors were shown a newly released video of the moments when five female Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
In the video, Hamas terrorists force the young women, some of whom are teenagers, against a wall and threaten to kill them.
The Spanish and Irish ambassadors — Maria Salomon Perez and Sonya McGuinness, respectively, both women — were visibly affected by the distressing images, according to media reports.
The Norwegian ambassador, Per Egil Selvaag, had hosted Vivian Silver, one of the victims of the Oct. 7 massacre, less than a week before she was killed.
Israel has also recalled its own ambassadors in Madrid, Oslo, and Dublin for consultations.
Israeli leaders were quick to castigate the decisions of the European countries to recognize a Palestinian state.
“The intention of several European countries to recognize a Palestinian state is a reward for terrorism. Eighty percent of the Palestinians in [the West Bank] support the terrible massacre of Oct. 7,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, referencing Palestinian polling that has shown widespread support for Hamas’ atrocities. “This evil cannot be given a state. This would be a terrorist state. It will try to repeat the massacre of Oct. 7 again and again; we will not consent to this. Rewarding terrorism will not bring peace and neither will it stop us from defeating Hamas.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz expressed similar sentiments on social media.
Ireland, if your goal was to reward terrorism by declaring support for a Palestinian state, you’ve achieved it.@SimonHarrisTD, Hamas thanks you for your service. pic.twitter.com/mgz7ZGtnCi
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) May 23, 2024
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Wednesday that the US supports a two-state solution but believes it should be brought about through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
“President Biden … has been equally emphatic on the record that that two-state solution should be brought about through direct negotiations through the parties, not for unilateral recognition,” Sullivan said.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in a statement that the conditions to officially recognize a Palestinian state have not yet been met.
“Our position is clear: the recognition of Palestine is not taboo for France,” Séjourné said after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart in Paris.
“This is not just a symbolic issue or a question of political positioning, but a diplomatic tool in the service of the solution of two states living side by side in peace and security,” Séjourné continued. “France does not consider that the conditions have yet been met for this decision to have a real impact on this process.”
Germany similarly expressed support for a two-state solution but added that a “process of dialogue” was needed to reach that point.
“An independent Palestinian state remains a firm goal of German foreign policy,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said at a news conference in Berlin. “It’s clear to us that this requires a process of dialogue.”
The post Israel Reprimands European Ambassadors Over Palestinian State Recognition first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hostage Deal talks Stalled as Hamas Rejects New Israeli Framework – Report
US President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attend a signing ceremony in Doha, Qatar, May 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
i24 News – i24NEWS’s diplomatic affairs correspondent, Amichai Stein, reported Sunday evening that negotiations over a potential hostage deal have hit a standstill.
According to political sources, “the negotiations are stalled, Hamas is refusing the new framework presented by Israel.”
Throughout the day, no direct negotiation meetings were held. Instead, the small security cabinet is set to convene this evening to discuss the state of the talks.
There is also speculation of a potential meeting between Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and US President Donald Trump to address the impasse and broader regional dynamics.
In parallel, Arab diplomats have reportedly issued a warning to Israel regarding its plan to construct a “humanitarian city” in Gaza. According to sources, diplomats cautioned that the initiative could harm the fragile fabric of the Abraham Accords and inflame regional tensions.
The post Hostage Deal talks Stalled as Hamas Rejects New Israeli Framework – Report first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran: ‘Israel Will Pay the Price’ for Allegedly Trying to Kill Pezeshkian
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivers a speech during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 18, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
i24 News – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was slightly injured in the leg during an Israeli airstrike, according to a report on Sunday by the Iranian news agency Fars, prompting Iran to launch a widespread probe to root out suspected moles that infiltrated the Islamic Republic’s highest ranks.
Al Jazeera cited an unnamed Iranian official who said, “The assassination attempt on President Pezeshkian will not go unanswered – Israel will pay the price.”
According to Fars, which has ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the attack took place on the morning of Monday, June 16, while a meeting of the Supreme National Security Council was held on the lower floors of a building in western Tehran. In addition to the Iranian president, Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the head of the judiciary Mohseni Ajei, as well as other senior regime officials were attending this meeting.
Six bombs or missiles targeted the entry and exit points of the building in order to block evacuation routes and disrupt air circulation, the report said. This operation is said to have been inspired by the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last year. Following the explosions, power was cut on that floor, but the leaders managed to escape through an emergency exit prepared in advance.
Pezeshkian and several other officials sustained minor leg injuries during the evacuation, according to the agency. Given the accuracy of the information used in the attack, the media outlet reports that authorities are investigating the possibility of collaboration with Israel.
Official confirmation and reactions
A few days earlier, a high-ranking military leader in the Revolutionary Guards, Mohsen Rezaei, had stated on state television that Israel had “attacked six locations where the Supreme National Security Council had gathered, but none of its members had suffered even minor injuries.”
Pezeshkian had previously accused Israel of having attempted to assassinate him. “They tried, yes,” he told American journalist Tucker Carlson during an interview last week. “They acted accordingly, but they failed.”
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Hezbollah Violates Ceasefire 7 Times a Day on Average, IDF Figures Show
A drone view of buildings in Lebanon, next to the Israel-Lebanon border, following the ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, as seen from Metula in northern Israel, Dec. 2, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg
i24 News – The Shiite jihadists of Hezbollah violate the ceasefire agreement with Israel more than seven times a day on average, according to Israel Defense Forces data obtained by i24NEWS and made public for the first time on Saturday.
Israel has flagged upward of 1,200 violations by Hezbollah in its report to the US-led five-country monitoring panel tasked with supervising the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
Of these, 650 violations were relayed to the Lebanese army for handling, while the rest of the times the IDF responded by attacking the violators.
The Lebanese army has identified 390 additional violations on its own initiative and filed a report saying that it had handled them.
Thus official data shows that the Lebanese army handled 52% of all violations, and 440 of the targets Israel flagged by Israel.
The majority of the infractions the Lebanese army manages to stem are concentrated in the south of the country.
The post Hezbollah Violates Ceasefire 7 Times a Day on Average, IDF Figures Show first appeared on Algemeiner.com.