Macron says Israel's offensive in Gaza will lead to ‘disaster'
Israel's plan 'will drag the region into a permanent war,' the French president posted on social media, reiterating his call for an 'international stabilization mission.'
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Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel to Place $500 Million, US-funded Order for Boeing Aerial Refueling Tankers
Israel plans to buy two Boeing-made KC-46 military aerial refueling tankers in a $500 million deal to be financed with US military aid, the Israeli defense ministry said on Wednesday. It said it would sign the contract with the US government once an Israeli ministerial committee for defense procurement grants its approval. The US government oversees foreign military sales and transfers to other nations. The military already operates four Boeing-made KC-46 aerial tankers, the defense ministry said in a statement. Ministry Director General Amir Baram said in the statement that the aircraft would strengthen the military's long-range strategic capabilities, enabling it to operate farther afield with greater force and with increased scope. Israel used such aerial refueling tankers during its 12-day air war against Iran in June. The statement said the contract would include equipping the planes with Israeli systems, which it did not specify. Washington provides its close ally Israel with billions of dollars each year to purchase American weapons and equipment. "The contract's scope is estimated at approximately half a billion USD (US dollars) and is funded through US aid," the ministry statement said. Recently, some US Republicans and Democrats have questioned whether the government should continue giving Israel military aid, citing its war in Gaza and concerns over whether taxpayer dollars might be better spent on domestic priorities.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Netanyahu says Israel has ‘work' to do to win over Gen Z
LONDON: Israel has 'work' to do in winning over young people in the West as polls show collapsing support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted to a UK-based podcast in an interview aired Wednesday. Protests against Israel's actions in Gaza have become increasingly common in capitals across the West, attracting large numbers of young people. A recent Gallup poll also showed only six percent of 18 to 34-year-olds in the United States had a favorable opinion of Netanyahu and just nine percent approved of Israel's military action in Gaza. On the 'Triggernometry' podcast, Netanyahu was asked whether Israel could lose the backing of Western governments once 'Gen Z' — those born between around 1997 and 2012 — assumes power. 'If you're telling me that there's work to be done on Gen Z and across the West, yes,' he responded. But he said opposition to Israel among Gen Z stemmed from a wider campaign against the West and repeated his unproven claim of an orchestrated plot against Israel and the West, without saying who was behind it. Israel's defense minister approved a plan on Wednesday for the conquest of Gaza City and authorized the call-up of around 60,000 reservists, piling pressure on the Palestinian militant group Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said, in figures the United Nations deem reliable. Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has offered Israel ironclad support. Netanyahu told the podcast, which bills itself as promoting free speech with 'open, fact-based discussion of important and controversial issues,' that Trump 'has proven an exceptional, exceptional friend of Israel, an exceptional leader.' 'I think we've been very fortunate to have a leader in the United States who doesn't act like the European leaders, who doesn't succumb to this stuff,' he added, referring to countries including France and the UK that have vowed to recognize a Palestinian state.
Leaders
4 hours ago
- Leaders
Israel Authorizes Controversial Settlement Project that Would Split West Bank
Israel has given final approval on a controversial settlement project that will divide the occupied West Bank in two, Reuters reported. Undermining Palestinian Statehood On Wednesday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said that the settlement plan, known as the E1 project, will obstruct efforts to establish an independent Palestinian State. 'With E1 we are delivering finally on what has been promised for years. The Palestinian state is being erased from the table, not with slogans but with actions. Every settlement, every neighborhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea,' he said in a statement. Smotrich announced the plan last week as a response to the recent wave of countries announcing their intention to recognize a Palestinian State at the UN General Assembly in September. The recognition of Palestinian Statehood is part of an international push to advance the two-state solution, which envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, living side by side with Israel. E1 Settlement Project Plans for settlement in E1, an area east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades but was frozen amid US and European opposition that the project could undermine a future peace deal with the Palestinians. The E1 project involves the construction of about 3,400 new housing units in Maale Adumin. Israel has built about 160 settlements, housing some 700,000 Jews, since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, according to BBC. Settlement Expansion The international law deems settlements illegal. However, successive Israeli governments have allowed settlements to expand, most notably since the return of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to power in late 2022. Netanyahu has not commented on the E1 approval announcement. But during a visit to a West Bank settlement on Sunday, he said: 'I said 25 years ago that we will do everything to secure our grip on the Land of Israel, to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, to prevent the attempts to uproot us from here. Thank God, what I promised, we have delivered.' International Condemnation In response to the announcement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the plan as it will 'isolate Palestinian communities living in the area and undermines the possibility of a two-state solution.' Similarly, a spokesperson for the German government on Wednesday said that the E1 plan violates international law and 'hinders a negotiated two-state solution and an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.' The E1 settlement project also faced strong opposition from Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, as it will further undermine the two-state solution. Short link : Post Views: 8
