Netanyahu | Pakistan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected a Gaza plan hailed by US President Donald Trump, vowing no military pullout until Hamas is “genuinely” disarmed. After more than a week of gradually escalating criticism of the plan, Netanyahu explicitly opposed it as he faced pushback from his right-wing base ahead of elections. “Israel rejects the 15-point document,” Netanyahu said, referring to a plan endorsed in late July by Hamas. The Israeli military “will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens”, Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting. The document, the latest stage in a US-led ceasefire announced in October that has reduced but not ended Israeli operations in Gaza, said Hamas would surrender weapons to a nascent Palestinian governing body. The plan said Israel would begin pulling out forces in tandem with the disarmament, an idea adamantly rejected by Israel, which also wants Hamas to destroy its weap...

Netanyahu ‌is campaigning for re-election at a vote due on October 27, caught between far right ministers and Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House on Tuesday for his first in-person talks with President Donald Trump since the Iran war began, as the leaders sought to patch over public disagreements on the conflict. The meeting, which took place behind closed doors, was expected to be dominated by the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February but has seen a recent pause in the fighting as Washington says it wants to give negotiations a chance. Israel has not taken part in the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran, which flared earlier this month as an April ceasefire collapsed. The talks — which the White House described as “positive and productive” — lasted for about an hour and a half. The meeting is the eighth between the leaders since Trump’s return to office in early 2025 and comes ahead of key electoral tests later this year for both Netanyahu and the US president: national elections in Israel and midterm polls in the United States....

WASHINGTON: Cong­ress­man Ro Khanna has endorsed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s call for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, saying the United States should cooperate with the international tribunal. “The American president should arrest Netanyahu or [Russian President Vladimir] Putin in accordance with international law,” Khanna, a Democratic lawmaker from California, told the MeidasTouch news network in a hallway interview on Capitol Hill. “America needs to cooperate with the ICC,” he said, adding that the issue was “a matter of human rights” as well as “a matter of a rules-based international order.” “If someone comes to our jurisdiction, [the president] should order the marshals to arrest them,” Khanna said. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024, accusing him of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. Israe...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday his office does not have the authority to carry out the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and called on US federal officials to step in. “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said in a brief video message posted to social media. “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the ICC’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” he said. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.” The Hague-based International Criminal Court said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s offensive in Gaza f...

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday his office does not have the authority to carry out the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and called on US federal officials to step in. “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal, the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,” Mamdani said in a brief video message posted to social media. “My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the ICC’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” he said. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.” The Hague-based International Criminal Court said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s offensive in Gaza follow...

Mamdani says Netanyahu is 'not welcome' in New York as Trump says Israeli PM won't be arrested in US

US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not face arrest at a UN summit in New York, after the city’s new mayor said he was investigating the move. Mayor Zohran Mamdani admitted he was unsure if he had the power to order police to detain a foreign leader but said he was discussing the matter with his legal team ahead of the UN General Assembly in September. “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump said on social media. “He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The Hague-based International Criminal Court said in 2024 that it had reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu was responsible for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s offensive in Gaza following the brutal October 7, 2023 cross-border attack by Hamas. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague,” Mamdani told the New York Times on Saturday, referring to the United Na...

New York City (NYC) Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he was in an “active conversation” with the city’s Law Department over whether he had the legal authority to order Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest if he visits the city. Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes — including starvation as a method of warfare — in Israel’s onslaught on Gaza. “I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in the Hague,” Mamdani said this week on The New York Times’ ‘The Interview’, referring to the United Nations’ International Court of Justice (ICJ). In his interview, which was published on Saturday, the NYC mayor highlighted that Netanyahu was a “war criminal” who has been charged by the ICC. “And what you will find is that is an opinion that is held by many, purely because of what his actions have wrought over these last many years.” However, Mamdani said he was unclear on whether he has the legal authority to order the New York...

He has led multiple wars, outlasted several American presidents, and watched his political obituary written — only to be shredded — more times than any other leader in modern Israeli history. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, faces an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, a long-running corruption trial, and a spiralling multi-front conflict that has dragged on for nearly three years and has seen his country’s first direct military confrontations with arch-foe Iran. Now the silver-haired 76-year-old, nicknamed “Bibi”, is staring down an election that many believe could finally draw the curtain on one of the most consequential and contested careers in Israeli politics — or extend it once again. Netanyahu has declared that he “intends to win” in the election scheduled for October 27, setting the stage for what could be the defining contest of his political life. Shattered image of ‘Mr Security’ Netanyahu built his entire career on a single promise: that he alon...

The biggest casualty of the US-Iran deal may not be Israel’s Iran strategy, but the political brand Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent decades constructing as the Israeli leader who could uniquely bend Washington to his will on Iran, analysts, former US officials and diplomats say. Netanyahu built his political identity on an audacious assertion: that he alone could keep the US and Israel in strategic lockstep on Iran. Cultivating Republican support, he cast himself as the only Israeli leader capable of influencing successive US presidents and insisted that only sustained military pressure could contain Tehran. At the height of his power, he was described by diplomats as the “American whisperer”, the Israeli leader who could pick up the phone and ensure Washington’s strategic calculus aligned with that of Israel. US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, DC, the US on April 7, 2025. — Reuters/File No other Israeli prime ...

WASHINGTON: The US-Iran agreement has placed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in one of the most difficult political positions of his career, leaving him squeezed between Washington, Tehran, domestic critics, and an approaching election. For decades, Netanyahu built his political identity around three interconnected themes: his ability to influence United States policy, his determination to confront Iran, and his reputation as Israel’s ultimate guarantor of security. The emerging agreement has now raised questions about all three. The deal leaves unresolved several issues Israel has long regarded as vital, including Iran’s ballistic missile programme, its support for regional allies such as Hezbollah, and key aspects of its nuclear activities. At the same time, sanctions relief could provide Tehran with significant economic breathing room. The New York Times noted that the agreement “omits some of the most important things Israel wanted” and observed that “Israel now finds itself counting the ways th...

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he had lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the latter’s escalation in Lebanon in a recent expletive-laden phone call. On Monday, American news outlet Axios reported citing sources that Trump called Netanyahu “crazy” and accused him of ingratitude during the phone call. The report quoted a US official as saying that Trump told Netanyahu “you’re f****** crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your a**. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this”. Trump confirmed to New York Post’s Miranda Devine during ‘Pod One Force’ podcast that he called Netanyahu “f****** crazy”, but also insisted that they have “worked very well together”. Asked if the Axios report was true and whether he spoke to Netanyahu in those terms, Trump replied, “I did. I wouldn’t say angry, I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. “At some point, I said Bibi, we’re gonna stop this. We got to stop it,” he added...

United States President Donald Trump lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the latter’s escalation in Lebanon in an expletive-laden phone call on Monday, according to American news outlet Axios. The report cited two US officials and a third source briefed on the phone call. It said that Trump called Netanyahu “crazy” and accused him of ingratitude, according to two of the sources, and also halted Israel’s plan to strike Beirut. On Monday, Trump said he had spoken to Netanyahu and through unnamed representatives with Hezbollah. Netanyahu agreed to call off a military raid on Beirut while Hezbollah agreed “all shooting will stop,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. Trump’s comments came after Iran’s news agency Tasnim reported Tehran had suspended dialogue with mediators in protest of Israel’s expanding offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah. Initially, Trump said he was not aware whether Iran had suspended the talks. He then told CNBC that he did not care if the talks were over. Bu...

The United Arab Emirates said Thursday it “denies reports” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the country, after Netanyahu’s office said he had met with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) president during the war with Iran. Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday he had “paid a secret visit to the United Arab Emirates” during the war, “where he met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan”. The announcement came a day after US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced that Israel had sent its Iron Dome air-defence systems, plus personnel to operate them, to the UAE during the war with Iran. While stopping short of confirming Huckabee’s comments, Netanyahu’s office said the visit “marked a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates”. The UAE did not directly deny any such visit, referring to “reports” of a visit. “The United Arab Emirates denies reports circulating regarding an alleged visit by Netanyahu to the UAE, or receiving any Isr...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he had received successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, without specifying when the treatment took place. In a statement on social media, as his annual medical report was released, Netanyahu, 76, said an early stage malignant tumor had been discovered during a routine checkup. He said “targeted treatment” had removed “the problem” and left no trace of it. According to the medical report, which otherwise said the prime minister was in good health, Netanyahu was treated with radiation therapy for early-stage prostate cancer. Neither the medical report nor Netanyahu said when the treatment occurred. Israel’s longest-serving prime minister said that he had delayed the release of the medical report by two months to prevent Iran from spreading “false propaganda against Israel”. In March, during the US-Israeli war on Iran, rumors that circulated on social media and aired on Iranian state media alleged that Netanyahu had died. The Israeli lea...

Israel “cannot live without an enemy” and its government is now trying to portray Turkiye as one, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday. “After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy,” Fidan said in a televised interview with Anadolu Agency. “We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkiye the new enemy,” he said. “This is a new development in Israel… turning into a state strategy,” he added. Turkiye, a fierce critic of Israel, had joined diplomatic efforts with Pakistan and Egypt aimed at de-escalation during the US-Israeli war on Iran. Tensions between Turkiye and Israel have steadily escalated since the latter’s war on Gaza erupted following Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attacks. Netanyahu ‘described as the Hitler of our time’: Turkiye The dispute entered a new phase over the weekend after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his US counterpart Donald Trump of “possible provocations and sabotage” that could je...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday sacked his chief of staff following the publication of leaked comments in which he allegedly made racist remarks. “Ziv Agmon will leave his post in the coming days once his successor, Ido Norden, takes office,” Netanyahu said in a post on X late on Sunday. Agmon, who has been serving as Netanyahu’s acting chief of staff and spokesperson, provoked outrage last week after reportedly referring to Jews of Moroccan descent as “baboons” and disparaging members of Netanyahu’s Likud party, as well as the prime minister’s wife and son. Norden’s appointment represented a sudden reversal. Less than two hours earlier, the Likud party’s official Telegram channel had quoted Netanyahu as saying he wanted Agmon to remain in the post for the sake of “stability and continuity”. Norden, however, has drawn scrutiny of his own. Israeli journalists reported on Monday that he had created fake X accounts to promote his book on the “deep state,” in which he attributes Israel’s failu...

War boosts Netanyahu’s position on Iran but traps Trump in a risky conflict, hurting his economic narrative

A video posted on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s X account is being seen as his response to the rumours of his death, which were earlier debunked by his office. The video was posted on Sunday evening, in which Netanyahu is seen getting himself a coffee and being asked about the rumours, Israeli news website Jerusalem Post reported. The post also had a caption stating: “They say I am what?” During the conversation taking place in what appears to be Hebrew, Jerusalem Post quoted Netanyahu as saying: “I love … coffee, I love my nation.” The report further elaborated that he also used the Hebrew slang word “met” during the conversation, which, according to Jerusalem Post, means “love” and is also the Hebrew word for “dead”. To simplify, his remarks could be translated to: “I am dead … for coffee.” According to Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu also asked the person filming him whether they wanted to count his fingers, seemingly mocking people speculating that a recent video of his was AI-generated and that h...