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Israeli officials discuss renewed push to expel Palestinians from Gaza Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 14:03 Senior agencies meet to revisit plan for 'voluntary migration' from besieged enclave, as officials acknowledge no state has agreed to accept Palestinians Israeli tanks and troops deployed by the boundary with Gaza on 10 June 2026 (Jack Guez/AFP) Off Senior Israeli security officials met on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of expelling Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, despite repeated previous failures to advance such plans, according to Haaretz. The Israeli daily reported that Shmuel Ben Ezra, head of the National Security Council, convened an urgent meeting with defence officials to discuss what was described as “encouraging voluntary emigration” from Gaza. Officials from the Israeli army, Shin Bet and Mossad were among those invited. During the meeting, Mossad representatives reportedly said the agency has not identified any country willing to accept Palestinians from Gaza. Defence officials told Haaretz they were surprised by the urgency of the discussion, noting the issue has been raised repeatedly in the past without progress.. push({}); "So far, we know of no country in the world that is willing to take in Palestinians who choose to leave the Gaza Strip," one official said. "We also don't know of any change that would enable such a move without complex coordination between international elements. " 'There should not be any Arabs there at all' - Nissim Vaturi, Likud lawmaker A security source also told the paper it could not be ruled out that the renewed discussion formed part of a "compensation" package given to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by US President Donald Trump after the US-Iran agreement. A member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee told Haaretz that any such plan lacks “political or international feasibility”, citing the opposition of Arab states and the wider international community. The idea of forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza has been repeatedly promoted in Israeli political discourse since October 2023. Senior figures, including Netanyahu, ministers Israel Katz, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, have publicly supported the concept, while similar rhetoric has also appeared within the prime minister’s Likud party. In 2025, Katz established the directorate for the "voluntary emigration" of Gaza residents within his ministry, with the Israeli defence minister saying last month that expulsion of the Palestinian population will happen at the appropriate time. According to a poll last year by the Jewish People Policy Institute, over 70 percent of Likud voters supported the idea of expelling the Palestinian population from their homeland. 'They all need to be expelled' In Israel, support for the expulsion of Palestinians is not limited to the Gaza Strip. Nissim Vaturi, a Likud lawmaker, told Channel 14 News on Tuesday that Jewish Israelis "will not be able to live here in peace until we expel all the Arabs from this area", speaking about the occupied West Bank. "There should not be any Arabs there at all," Vaturi, who is serving as deputy speaker of the Knesset, said. "We need to strengthen Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria," Vaturi said, referring to the Israeli name for the West Bank, adding that "only in this way will we be able to live here in the Land of Israel". ניסים ואטורי: "עכשיו צריך לדבר איפה מפנים ערבים ואיפה מיישבים יהודים. אין שום דרך אחרת. צריך לגרש את כולם מפה" חבר כנסת מהליכוד בעד טרנספר. pic. עוד הוכחה שאי אפשר היום להכניס סיכה בין הליכוד לעוצמה יהודית. twitter. com/BAkVapmhvV — yoav dekel (@YoYoavdekel) June 23, 2026 According to the deputy speaker, it is now necessary to discuss "where Arabs should be removed and where Jews should be settled".. push({}); "That's what needs to be done to strengthen Israel. There is no other way; they all need to be expelled from here," Vaturi added, referring to the Palestinians. This is not the first time the Likud lawmaker has voiced his support for the expulsion of Palestinians. In November, he said that Meir Kahane, an ultranationalist rabbi who called for the expulsion of Palestinians from Israel, was right. Vaturi has also declared that Israel needed to "separate the children and women and kill the adults in Gaza," and called to " burn Gaza " following the Hamas-led 7 October attack. Israel's genocide in Gaza Tel Aviv, Israel News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Military · Geopolitical

US says air strike killed senior Islamic State leader in Syria A US airstrike killed a senior Islamic State group leader in northwest Syria last week, the US military announced on Wednesday. The June 19 strike "killed Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi and is part of ongoing US efforts to disrupt and eliminate terrorists seeking to attack Americans abroad or the US homeland," the US military's Central Command said in a statement. The United States intervened in Syria more than a decade ago to aid local Kurdish-majority forces battling the Islamic State (IS) group, which had taken over swathes of Syria and Iraq in a lightning offensive. The US-led international coalition against IS has since drawn down after the militant group was pushed out of the territory it seized, with US and Syrian authorities saying in April that Syria had taken control of all major bases in the country.

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Katz says US has not asked Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says Washington has not requested that Israel withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon, despite Iran's assertion that the US-Iran agreement includes such a provision. Speaking at a convention of local leaders in Tel Aviv, Katz said Israel had made clear it would maintain its military presence. "We have announced that in any case we are not withdrawing and, as of this moment, and this is a diplomatic achievement, there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon," he said. Katz added that he had conveyed Israel's position to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had told President Donald Trump that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon "to protect the residents of the north".

Military · Geopolitical

The US Senate backed legislation on Tuesday directing US President Donald Trump to halt US military action against Iran, the latest rebuke of the Republican president from an increasingly restive Congress. The Senate voted 50-48 in favour of the war powers resolution, which passed the House of Representatives early this month, reflecting growing concern even among some of Trump’s Republicans about the unpopular conflict that began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched an attack on...

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Global confidence in US President Donald Trump’s leadership remains low around the world, while views of his country as a reliable partner continue to decline, a new survey from the Washington-based Pew Research Centre showed on Tuesday. The survey of 42,151 adults across 36 countries was conducted between February and May 2026, a period marked by geopolitical competition with China and the US-Israeli military conflict with Iran that began in late February. On average, just 23 per cent of adults...

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A Pentagon decision to strip “Indo” from the name of its largest unified military command eight years after it was initially added has raised questions about the United States’ continuing commitment to India. In a statement announcing the Indo-Pacific Command’s name change on June 16, US officials portrayed the move as a matter of “honour”, “pride” and respecting “historical roots”. But analysts told This Week in Asia that New Delhi would likely read the reversion to Pacific Command (PACOM) as...

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The People’s Liberation Army’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian Type 003, transited the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, a day after Taipei launched a combat readiness exercise. Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, said the Fujian could be heading back to its home port in the southern island province of Hainan for a break before it headed out to the South China Sea for more training. Taiwan’s armed forces closely monitored the vessel throughout its passage using...

Military · Geopolitical

The ​US Senate backed legislation on Tuesday directing President Donald Trump to halt US military action against Iran, the latest rebuke of the Republican president from an increasingly restive Congress. While likely to remain largely symbolic, the vote was a setback for Trump, who until recently had enjoyed near-unanimous support from Republican members of Congress.

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As Sudan’s army celebrates a growing number of defections from the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF), many victims of the country’s brutal civil war fear former RSF commanders could escape accountability for atrocities allegedly committed under their watch. From Darfur and Khartoum, displaced civilians recount abuses and demand justice, even as defecting commanders insist they are prepared to face any legal claims against them.

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US Central Command on Wednesday said that US forces had conducted an air strike in northwestern Syria that killed Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi, a senior Islamic State group leader, last Friday.

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The United States is celebrating 250 years of independence this July and many events are taking place to commemorate the occasion, both in the US and across the Atlantic. France provided crucial supplies, arms and troops during the Revolutionary War effort, tipping the balance in favour of American independence. Francisco "Paco" Perez, spokesperson for the US Embassy in Paris, tells us more in Entre Nous.

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The stated amount of $66 bln does not include deliveries of military equipment, weapons and supplies

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Israeli defence minister says troops won’t withdraw from southern Lebanon as attacks slow but do not stop.

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Kim Jong Un vows to equip North Korea's navy with nuclear weapons, signaling a strategic shift in military capabilities.

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Acting Governor Alexander Shuvayev said that Ukrainian troops attacked the Belgorod Region 75 times over the past 24 hours

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Likud minister says Turkey and Syria 'far more concerning than Iran' Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 06/24/2026 - 09:39 Amichai Chikli, Israeli minister of diaspora affairs, claims Turkey, Syria and Qatar forming a new 'Muslim Brotherhood axis' Amichai Chikli (R) sits beside Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, as he attends a conference on antisemitism that he organised in Jerusalem on 27 March 2025 (AFP) Off An Israeli minister from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said that Turkey and Syria are "far more concerning than Iran," claiming that there is a "Muslim Brotherhood axis". Speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said: "Turkiye of Erdogan and Syria of al-Sharaa are now far more concerning than Iran. " He added that "the era of Shiite empire of Iran, Assad's Syria and Hezbollah is over". "The new axis is the Muslim Brotherhood axis of Erdogan's Turkiye, Syria and Qatar," Chikli said. "And its better to open your eyes now. " Chikli has previously warned that Israel "will be at war with Syria", and referred to a "radical Sunni axis of evil", referring to Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan.. push({}); “There is no way that a jihadist regime rooted in Isis [Islamic State] and al-Qaeda, whose aspiration is the unification of Jerusalem, can live in peace alongside the State of Israel,” the far-right minister said, referring to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, which emerged from a former al-Qaeda affiliate in northwest Syria. His comments come amid growing tensions between Turkey and Israel, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying recently that Israel's attacks in Syria and Lebanon pose a threat to his country. Amichai Chikli, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs, speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday, said that Turkey and Syria are more “concerning” than Iran, claiming that there is a “Muslim Brotherhood axis” pic. com/bNYeL5bh5W — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 24, 2026 Earlier this month, Likud politician Ariel Kellner declared Turkey an "enemy state," while Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar said last month that Israel "must begin to treat Turkey as an enemy state," suggesting that Turkey would suffer heavy blows in a possible conflict with Israel. In February, former prime minister Naftali Bennett indicated that he sees Turkey as an enemy, with the opposition figure stating: "Turkey is the new Iran. " On Tuesday, an analysis published by the Israeli newspaper Maariv argued that Turkey now poses a greater long-term challenge to Israel than Iran, citing Ankara's expanding military capabilities and growing defence industry. It suggests that Israeli policymakers are increasingly paying attention to Ankara's growing influence and capabilities alongside more traditional regional security concerns. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Military · Geopolitical

India’s private defence companies are poised to expand their footprint in the sector, but analysts warn they still lack the technology and capabilities needed to produce cutting-edge weapons for the country’s military or export markets. In the 2025-26 financial year, the private sector accounted for 24 per cent of India’s defence output, or US$4.4 billion out of a record US$18.7 billion, according to a defence ministry statement released last week. The figures reflect a gradual shift away from a...

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Israeli and Lebanese negotiators in Washington are discussing a US-backed pilot project under which Israeli troops would hand back control over some territory in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese Armed Forces, according to officials from the two countries.

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According to a source cited by Al Hadath, Israel adheres to the step-by-step principle and demands that the Lebanese army take concrete action on the ground and demonstrate the ability to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure

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The NATO secretary general aslo stressed the need to replenish ammunition stockpiles

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Drones are the centerpiece of the bilateral cooperation. The two countries are also discussing manufacture of military hardware in Bangladesh.

Military · Geopolitical

Airlines should still avoid airspace over Iran, EU agency warns Airlines should continue to avoid the airspace over Iran, Iraq and Lebanon and remain cautious across the region despite the framework deal between Washington and Tehran, because violations remained possible, the EU aviation safety agency EASA said. EASA said on Wednesday it was extending its conflict-zone advisory for the region until July 1. Short-term violations of the US-Iran ceasefire remain possible, in particular in and around the Strait of Hormuz and neighbouring airspace, the agency said. The agency also flagged the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, creating the potential for military activity impacting the airspace of Lebanon. EASA said all operators must exercise caution and take potential risks into account when operating within the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

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NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to hold talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, aiming to mollify the volatile US leader two weeks before the annual summit of the military alliance and as the Pentagon reviews the size of the US military footprint in Europe.

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North Korea has commissioned a 5,000-ton destroyer, state media reported on Wednesday, as Kim Jong Un touted the warship as evidence of advancing naval nuclear capabilities and Pyongyang’s expanding ability to project military power at sea.

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Also in today’s newsletter, Takaichi shuns Japan’s business elites, and China’s biggest IPO in four years

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In tonight's edition, many waterfront communities in Lagos have lived through rounds of eviction only to see their land sold off to the highest bidder. Also, Sudan's army takes in Darfur paramilitary defectors, stirring anger. And speak to Ghanain lifestyle and creative pioneer Nuel Bans about how he keeps up and coming talent from the contientn as his template.

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Iran's ballistic missiles were 'never on the table' in US talks Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 06/23/2026 - 16:53 Pakistan says one of the main objectives of the US-Israel war on Iran was not even a topic of discussion during negotiations Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian shaking hands with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his ceremonial reception at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad on 23 June 2026 (Pakistan's Prime Minister Office/AFP) Off Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Iran's ballistic missiles were "never on the table" during US -Iran talks, despite the US and Israel citing it as one of the primary reasons for going to war with the Islamic Republic. "This MOU does not mention ballistic missiles. It was never on the table, it was never on the agenda and the Iranian side never even wanted to discuss it. This is not an impression, but a fact of [the] matter," Sharif said, referring to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Speaking during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Islamabad, Sharif said that there should be no double standards. "So I want to make it abundantly clear that, of course, there cannot be double standards; that some countries can have ballistic missiles and Iran shouldn't have [them]. You cannot digest this kind of duplicity. " Pezeshkian went further, stating that not only was Iran's missile programme not part of negotiations, it would never be part of any agreement, saying Iran would "never compromise on our missile programme and capabilities and this shall never be part of any agreement between Iran and any other party".. push({}); "If the missiles we have for our defence did not exist, Israel and the United States would have ploughed Iran just like Gaza, showing no mercy to either the old or the young," Pezeshkian added. During the G7 summit in Paris last week, US President Donald Trump conceded that putting Iran's ballistic missile programme on the negotiating table was an unrealistic demand. "I'm saying that ⁠if other countries have ​them, it's a little bit ​unfair for them not to have some," Trump said in Paris. But this was not always the US position, and was stated as one of the primary objectives of the US-Israel war in Iran. A US presidential memo from 1 April states: " From day one, the objectives have been clear and unwavering: obliterate Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and production capability... ". The United States is conducting an operation to eliminate the threat of Iran's short-range ballistic missiles and the threat posed by their navy… That is the clear objective of this mission. push({}); The US's initial stated positions on the objectives of the war have shifted significantly since military operations ceased, with the majority of their primary objectives, including regime change, destroying the ballistic missile programme, the destruction of their navy and seizing uranium stockpiles, not having been achieved. Talks and the Lebanon issue The US has prioritised the opening of the Strait of Hormuz - which was free to traverse before the US launched its war - and preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon as the two main objectives of its negotiations with Iran. On Monday, the US suspended sanctions against Iran, as the two sparred over nuclear and weapons inspections during a day of talks that US Vice President JD Vance characterised as "good progress". The lifting of sanctions will be a boon for Iran, which used to produce around 4.6 million barrels of oil per day, and export around 1.5 million barrels per day, before the US imposed its own blockade to compete with Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The US and Iran held talks in Switzerland under the auspices of the Islamabad MOU that was signed between the two countries, bringing hostilities to a halt for a 60-day period to allow for "technical negotiations". US suspends Iran sanctions after 'good progress' in talks Read More » Monday's talks concluded the first High-Level Committee Meeting under the framework of the Islamabad MOU, with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailing it a success and announcing that a roadmap towards a final deal within 60 days had been achieved during the summit. Pakistan and Qatar are mediating the talks, with Vance leading talks from the US side, while Iran's chief negotiator is Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. On Tuesday, Trump said that the US was trying to work out a fair deal with Iran and that the two countries were getting along well. The MOU also commits to ending all hostilities in Lebanon, but that has been a tougher nut to crack with Israel openly defying US attempts to end that conflict, and parallel negotiations taking place between Israel and Lebanon beyond the US-Iran talks. Lebanon and Israel began a fifth round of direct negotiations in Washington on Tuesday, with Beirut seeking to revive proposals for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.. push({}); The three-day negotiations come after four previous rounds failed to produce a lasting ceasefire or bridge the wide gap between the two sides. Lebanon is expected to press for a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal, the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people, the release of Lebanese prisoners and the beginning of reconstruction. Israel, meanwhile, has tied any withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah, and has insisted that its forces retain control of a wide security zone inside southern Lebanon until it is satisfied that the Lebanese army can prevent the group from rebuilding its military presence. A memorandum of understanding signed between the US and Iran placed the Lebanese front within a wider regional ceasefire framework. Subsequent talks near Lake Lucerne in Switzerland also produced plans for a mechanism intended to reduce tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. The development means the Washington negotiations are no longer the only diplomatic forum dealing with the war in Lebanon. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

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E-commerce giant says that claims of affiliation with Chinese military have 'no basis in fact or law'.

Military · Geopolitical

US Senate votes to halt Iran war The Republican-majority US Senate backed legislation on Tuesday to stop military action against Iran, reflecting the growing unpopularity of the war as peace negotiations continue. The Senate voted 50-48 in favour of the resolution, which passed the House of Representatives in early June. Polling suggests that only one in four Americans believe that the Iran war is worth the cost to the US, affecting Trump’s popularity, which has fallen to record low levels to match the worst recorded in his second term.

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UN warns Palestinian children 'defenceless' amid Israeli crackdown on NGOs Palestinian children are "increasingly unprotected", as Israel forces human rights organisations to cease or curtail work across the occupied Palestinian territories, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child warned on Monday. The committee condemned Israel's designation of civil society groups as "terrorists". Labelling NGOs as terrorist entities gives Israel legal cover to obstruct humanitarian work, including military raids, travel bans, personal financial sanctions, threats of arrest, destruction of records and, in some cases, "threats of secondary sanctions against partners". The committee is made up of a body of 18 independent experts that work within the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR). The warning doesn't name any of the organisations they are alluding to, but in 2021 Israel outlawed six major Palestinian NGOs, including Adameer, Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, Defense for Children International - Palestine, Union of Agricultural Work Committees and the Union of Palestinian Women's Committees. In January of this year, more than 50 international NGOs operating in occupied Palestine warned that recent registration measures imposed by Israel threatened to halt operations at a time of acute humanitarian need in Gaza. Read more: UN warns Palestinian children 'defenceless' amid Israeli crackdown on NGOs Palestinians look at Israeli soldiers patrolling the market in the Old City of Nablus in the Israeli occupied West Bank on 23 June 2026 (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)