10 h. ago Trump threatens to cut all support for Israel in extraordinary escalation after JD Vance 'personal insult'

President Donald Trump revealed a red line that will force his administration to yank its support for Israel as it attempts to hold a fragile ceasefire with Hamas: annexation of the West Bank.

Politics

10 h. ago What does the Israeli proposal to annex the West Bank involve after JD Vance hits out at ‘stupid political stunt’

Over 250 settlements, considered illegal, are spread across the West Bank, with nearly a million settlers

Politics

10 h. ago Vance says Knesset votes on annexing West Bank are an ‘insult’ as Netanyahu halts progress

US vice-president suggests votes were ‘stupid political stunt’ as Israeli PM halts further work on billsMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered a halt to the advancement of parliamentary bills linked to the annexation of the West Bank after the US vice-president, JD Vance, described a vote on two bills in the Knesset as an “insult”.The bills applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank, which would be tantamount to the annexation of land Palestinians want for a state, won preliminary approval from Israel’s parliament on Wednesday, barely a week after Donald Trump pushed through a deal aimed at ending a two-year Israeli offensive in Gaza. Continue reading...

Politics

13 h. ago Vance lashes out at ‘very stupid’ Israeli vote to annex West Bank

Move by parliament prompts heated exchanges between US, Arab allies and Israeli far right

Politics

18 h. ago Annexing West Bank ‘would put Donald Trump’s Gaza plan at risk’, warns Marco Rubio

A bill applying Israeli law to the occupied West Bank won initial approval from Israel's parliament on Wednesday

Events

26 h. ago New York City mayoral debate live: Mamdani, Sliwa and Cuomo trade jabs over Israel, rent and Trump

Candidates come out swinging as they vie for New Yorkers’ votes in final debate“It’s us versus them,” Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, says in his brief opening statement, in which he claims that he is the true representative of New Yorkers.Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, begins by urging the Knicks to win, and then pivots to attacking “my main opponent”, Zohran Mamdani. Continue reading...

Politics

47 h. ago The EU was complicit in the war in Gaza. Trump's plan can't be an excuse to dodge responsibility now | Nathalie Tocci

Tiptoeing around Israel has cost Europe its credibility. It must exert meaningful pressure to ensure the horrors we have seen never happen againThe first phase of Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza has drawn a collective sigh of relief from European leaders. After two years of slaughter, the ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, the Israeli military’s partial withdrawal from Gaza and humanitarian access to the territory offer hope – and unfortunately, an excuse for Europe to continue doing nothing.When it comes to the war in Gaza, unlike Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European governments have shown their worst colours. They are divided, and their political splits have led to policy paralysis. But worse than sitting on the sidelines hand-wringing, European governments and EU institutions in Brussels can be accused of complicity in Israel’s war crimes. They have been unwilling to exert any pressure on the perpetrators, while continuing economic, political and...

Politics

60 h. ago Trump claims allies in Middle East will send troops into Gaza and ‘straighten out Hamas’ if ceasefire fails

US president claimed leaders told him ‘explicitly’ they would act against militant group ‘at his request’

Events

61 h. ago JD and Usha Vance arrive in Israel for urgent talks as Netanyahu drops 153 tons of bombs on Gaza

The vice president and second lady are hoping to shore up support for the historic peace deal brokered by Donald Trump between Israel and Hamas.

Politics

64 h. ago Gaza ceasefire live: Vance arrives in Israel as Qatar condemns ‘continued violation’ of ceasefire

US vice-president’s trip comes a day after two Trump envoys met NetanyahuUS vice-president JD Vance has arrived in Israel with his wife, Usha.Vance is expected to meet top US Middle East envoys and military experts monitoring the truce on Tuesday. He is expected to meet with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and president Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem tomorrow. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Hamas release another dead hostage to Israel after Trump warns ‘behave or be eradicated’

Trump warned the Palestinian militants to ‘be nice’ as US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Tel Aviv to salvage a fragile ceasefire

Events

3 d. ago Hamas to release another dead hostage to Israel after Trump warns ‘behave or be eradicated’

Trump warned the Palestinian militants to ‘be nice’ as US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner landed in Tel Aviv to salvage a fragile ceasefire

Events

3 d. ago US envoys arrive in Israel to shore up the Gaza ceasefire after a major flareup

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy says that Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the U.S. president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have arrived in Israel

Politics

3 d. ago Gaza ceasefire live: Trump’s envoys arrive in Israel amid scramble to shore up fragile truce – Middle East crisis live

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner expected to meet members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s governmentUS President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner have returned to Israel, a US embassy spokesperson has said.They are overseeing the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which they helped broker, and are expected to meet members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Truce resumes after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza amid scramble to shore up ceasefire – Middle East crisis live

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner reportedly heading to Israel on Monday Donald Trump said yesterday the ceasefire he brokered was still in place.The US president told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that Hamas has been “quite rambunctious” and “they’ve been doing some shooting.” He suggested that the violence might be the fault of “rebels” within the organization rather than its leadership. “It’s going to be handled toughly but properly,” he said. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Israel ramps up strikes in Gaza on Hamas 'terror targets' after 'blatant violation' of ceasefire agreement

The Israeli military said Hamas carried out 'multiple attacks' beyond the 'yellow line' buffer zone, including a rocket-propelled grenade and sniper fire, calling it a 'blatant violation'

Events

4 d. ago Israel launches military strikes in southern Gaza after Hamas' 'bold violation of ceasefire' with attack on IDF troops

The Israeli military said Hamas carried out 'multiple attacks' beyond the 'yellow line' buffer zone, including a rocket-propelled grenade and sniper fire, calling it a 'blatant violation'

Events

6 d. ago Hamas continues efforts to return bodies of hostages under ceasefire deal

Hamas has delivered the remains of nine individuals, plus a tenth body Israel claimed was not a hostage

Events

6 d. ago Donald Trump claims to be the president of peace, but at home he is fomenting civil war | Jonathan Freedland

His ruthless use of the national guard to menace cities and political enemies is unprecedented. He is preparing for battle against the ‘enemy within’ Donald Trump had better hope the members of the Nobel committee are not paying attention to what’s happening inside the United States. If they did take a look, they’d notice a jarring pattern. While the US president likes to play the peacemaker abroad, at home he is Trump, bringer of war.It’s easy for the first fact to conceal, or divert our attention away from, the second. This week was a case in point. It began with Trump travelling to Israel, where he was hailed as a latter-day Cyrus, a mighty ruler whose name would be spoken of for millennia to come, the man who had brokered what he himself boasts is an “everlasting” peace.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our le...

Politics

6 d. ago Trump’s peace plan is just about holding together, but may be unravelled by two unresolved issues | Rajan Menon

The withdrawal of Israeli troops and the establishment of an international stabilisation force are key in securing long-term peace, but the plan is dangerously vague on these issuesTwo years of death and destruction in Gaza ended once Israel and Hamas signed off on Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. A ceasefire is in place. Humanitarian trucks have begun to roll in. Hostages and prisoners are being exchanged. Israel has begun a first-phase pullback from the territories it controls, and under Trump’s plan its troops will eventually be deployed in a buffer zone along Gaza’s land border.Given these developments – all part of the opening phase – dismissing the momentous changes in Gaza is to deny reality. There have already been disputes over the return of the bodies of Israeli hostages, but there are unresolved longer-term problems that could derail the ceasefire and imperil the rest of the Trump plan.Rajan Menon is a professor emeritus of international relations at the City College o...

Politics