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Netanyahu on Trump’s dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes: ‘He shouldn’t do that’
(JTA) — Benjamin Netanyahu, the incoming Israeli prime minister who has said that Donald Trump was Israel’s best-ever friend in the White House, said the former president’s dinner a week ago with two antisemites was a “mistake.”
‘I think that that’s what I would say about President Trump’s decision to dine with this person I think is wrong and misplaced,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Bari Weiss that the opinion journalist posted Wednesday on her newsletter, Common Sense. “I think it’s a mistake. He shouldn’t do that.”
Weiss had asked Netanyahu to comment on Trump’s meeting with Kanye West, the rapper and designer now known as Ye who in recent weeks has come out as an antisemite, and Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier and antisemite whom Ye now consults. It was not clear which one of the two Netanyahu was referring to as “this person.” Netanyahu said he also condemned Ye’s recent remarks, which accuse Jews of exercising outsize control and declaring “death con 3 on the Jews.”
Netanyahu’s comments come as he himself is under fire for working with extremists as he sets up a government that includes avowed homophobes and figures who have embraced the philosophies of the latest racist rabbi, Meir Kahane.
As prime minister in 2020, Netanyahu broke a custom of not favoring one U.S. president over another. “We have the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” Netanyahu said at a time that Trump was set to launch an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. The plan, seen as strongly favoring Israel, was dead on arrival when the Palestinians refused to consider it.
In his interview with Weiss, Netanyahu once again made clear his appreciation of Trump, who hewed U.S. policy to Netanyahu’s agenda: ditching the Iran nuclear deal, moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, defunding the Palestinians and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, among other measures.
“He has been a tremendous supporter of Israel, and I’m unabashedly appreciative of what he did for Israel,” he said. “I appreciate all that it doesn’t take away from. Also, you know, he’s been very supportive of the Jewish people. So I think he made a mistake. I hope it’s not repeated. That’s all I can tell you.”
Leading Republicans have criticized Trump for the meeting, among them David Friedman, whom Trump named as ambassador to Israel and who worked closely with Netanyahu to implement Trump’s changes in U.S. Israel policy.
Trump has said that he met with Ye because he was a friend in trouble, and that he did not know who Fuentes is.
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The post Netanyahu on Trump’s dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes: ‘He shouldn’t do that’ appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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US Issues Sanctions Related to Iran and Venezuela Weapons Trade
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The US Treasury said on Tuesday it has added 10 individuals and entities based in Iran and Venezuela to its sanctions list, citing their aggressive weapons program.
The US Treasury has designated Venezuela-based Empresa Aeronautica Nacional SA and its chair, Jose Jesus Urdaneta Gonzalez, who it said have contributed to Iran‘s trade of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drones, with Venezuela.
“Urdaneta, on behalf of EANSA, has coordinated with members and representatives of the Venezuelan and Iranian armed forces on the production of UAVs in Venezuela,” Treasury said in a statement.
“We will continue to take swift action to deprive those who enable Iran’s military-industrial complex access to the US financial system,” said John Hurley, the department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.
The US has ramped up pressure on Venezuela in recent months, executing a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean. It has also sanctioned family members and associates of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
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Spain Exempts Airbus From Israeli Tech Ban
Airbus logo is seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Spain has granted Airbus exceptional permission to produce aircraft and drones using Israeli technology at its Spanish plants even though it banned military and dual-use products from Israel two months ago over its war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
Approved last Tuesday by the cabinet and defended by several ministers this week, the exemption reflects the pressure from companies and domestic interests that some of Europe’s toughest critics of Israel’s recent war have faced as they attempt to impose trade sanctions.
It also risks increasing tensions within the ruling coalition between the Socialists and their hard-left partner Sumar when the government is already weakened by internal disputes and scandals over corruption and accusations of sexual harassment.
Neither Airbus nor the defense ministry was immediately available for comment.
SPANISH MEASURES ON ISRAEL WERE PASSED IN SEPTEMBER
Spain in September passed a law to take “urgent measures to stop the genocide in Gaza,” banning trade in defense material and dual-use products from Israel, as well as imports and advertising of products originating from Israeli settlements.
Its consumer ministry on Tuesday ordered seven tourist accommodation websites to remove 138 advertisements for holiday homes in Palestinian territories or face the threat of sanctions in Spain.
Spain has already blocked 200 attempts to buy material linked to Israel, its digital transformation minister Oscar Lopez told national broadcaster TVE on Tuesday.
Airbus, which employs about 14,000 people in Spain and accounts for 60% of its air and defense exports, was granted the first exception in a cabinet meeting last week, written minutes showed, citing the “great industrial and export potential” of its aircraft “considered essential … for preserving thousands of highly skilled jobs in Spain.”
The European aerospace company produces its A400M and C295 transport planes, an A330 MRTT refueling aircraft and SIRTAP surveillance drones at its sites in Madrid and Seville, all using Israeli technology.
The company is working with Spain‘s Ministry of Defense on a “plan to disconnect from Israeli technology,” according to the minutes published last Tuesday, which did not provide further details.
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Syria Imposes Curfew in Latakia Days After Protests Turn Violent, State Media Reports
Members of the Syrian Security forces stand guard near military vehicles on the day people from the Alawite sect protest as they demand federalism and an end to what they say is the killing and violations against Alawites, in Latakia, Syria, Dec. 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
Syrian security forces imposed a curfew on Latakia city, a bastion of the country’s Alawite minority, state media reported on Tuesday, days after four people were killed in protests that spiraled into violence.
Syria has been rocked by several episodes of sectarian bloodshed since longtime leader Bashar al-Assad, who hails from the Muslim Alawite community, was ousted by a rebel offensive last year and replaced by a Sunni-led government.
State media said the curfew was set to last from 5 pm (1400 GMT) on Tuesday until 6 am (0300 GMT) on Wednesday.
Security forces reinforced their deployment in a number of neighborhoods in Latakia city on the Mediterranean coast, which witnessed riots on Monday that injured about a dozen people.
Thousands of Alawite protesters gathered on Sunday in Azhari Square in Latakia city to demand a decentralized political system in Syria and the release of thousands of Alawite prisoners.
A similar protest in November lasted barely an hour before being confronted by a rival protest in support of Syria‘s new government. Syrian security forces used gunfire to break up both.