Bezalel Smotrich

Netanyahu says Israel didn’t agree to US-backed Gaza plan

5 Aug 2026 - 8:13PM

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ conditions Israel’s Gaza withdrawal on Hamas disarmament

4 Aug 2026 - 3:20PM

Israeli settlers set fire to West Bank mosques after deadly clash

As part of a security clampdown across the West Bank over the weekend, Israeli forces arrested around 60 Palestinians.

27 Jul 2026 - 4:09AM

A young Palestinian boy is seen at a mosque allegedly burned by Israeli settlers in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Israel-Iran conflict

Israeli strikes on Beirut foil US peace plans, Iran says ‘no point’ in talks

Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday, an attack US President Donald Trump said ‘should not have happened’.

15 Jun 2026 - 4:40AM

Israel steps up Lebanon strikes to ‘crush’ Hezbollah

Netanyahu pledges to intensify Israeli firepower, citing drone threats since April 17 ceasefire.

26 May 2026 - 9:51AM

Israeli far-right ministers want ‘return to war in Lebanon’ despite peace talks

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich advocated for strikes on Beirut and cutting off electricity to Lebanon.

25 May 2026 - 8:21PMvideocam

Israel adds US$10 billion to its war chest with defence budget increase

Opposition calls 2026 budget ‘greatest theft’ in Israel’s history as the government protects settlement funds while cutting public services.

30 Mar 2026 - 1:37PMvideocam

European countries appeal to Israel to abandon plans to revive death penalty

Foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the UK expressed concern about the bill which opponents say would target only Palestinians.

30 Mar 2026 - 6:55AMvideocam

Israel’s ‘de facto sovereignty’ of West Bank condemned as illegal annexation

Ministers admit new land rules aim to block a Palestinian state, a move the UN and Arab nations slam as a grave violation of international law.

10 Feb 2026 - 9:09PM

Palestinians sit in a car in front of a closed Israeli gate near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank earlier this month. Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump

Allies tepid on joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as countries study invites

Some leaders sign on to the Trump-chaired body, but initial reaction from two key allies, France and Canada, was lukewarm.

20 Jan 2026 - 12:29PM

US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Photo: AP

Netanyahu faces backlash over US-backed statement on Palestinian independence

The statement indicating support for a pathway to a Palestinian state infuriated Netanyahu’s conservative and ultranationalist allies.

17 Nov 2025 - 6:23AM

Israeli settlers torch West Bank mosque sparking US concern

Israeli settlers torched a mosque, defacing it with hateful graffiti, prompting rare condemnations from officials amid rising tensions.

14 Nov 2025 - 12:15AM

‘Insult’: Vance slams Israeli vote on West Bank annexation

The US vice-president says a move by Israeli lawmakers towards that end looks like a stupid ‘political stunt’.

23 Oct 2025 - 11:20PM

Israel advances West Bank annexation bill during J.D. Vance visit

The UN’s highest court said that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlements there are illegal.

23 Oct 2025 - 12:52AM

A boy holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration against what Palestinians say is Israel’s confiscation of their land, as Israeli security forces stand guard, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Photo: Reuters

Palestinian Authority plans for major role in post-war Gaza despite US blueprint

The Palestinian Authority seeks a pivotal role in post-war Gaza, leveraging Arab support despite Trump’s sidelining and Israeli opposition.

10 Oct 2025 - 1:20AM

Israel and Hamas sign ceasefire and hostage deal, sparking hope for peace in Gaza

The ceasefire will take effect after ratification by Netanyahu’s government, which meets after Thursday’s security cabinet session.

9 Oct 2025 - 11:33PMvideocam

Trump gives Hamas ‘three or four days’ for Gaza ceasefire deal

Hamas is reviewing the peace proposal ‘responsibly’, but Trump warned that if Hamas does not comply, ‘it’s going to be a very sad end’.

30 Sep 2025 - 10:28PM

US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Trump says he ‘will not allow’ Israel to annex West Bank after Saudi warning

The US president also held talks with Arab leaders who warned him about the grave consequences of any annexation of the territory.

26 Sep 2025 - 10:38AMvideocam

Israel’s PM vows there will never be a Palestinian state: ‘this place is ours’

Israeli prime minister speaks at a signing ceremony for a major settlement project in the occupied West Bank.

12 Sep 2025 - 12:51PM

Israel’s annexation plans fuel fears of Palestinians’ annihilation

What is happening in Gaza is tantamount to ‘the final solution’, an academic says, as Israel also plans to annex most of the West Bank.

6 Sep 2025 - 4:00PM

Palestinian children wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Wednesday. Photo: APA Images/Zuma Press Wire/dpa

UAE says Israeli annexation of West Bank ‘red line’ for Abu Dhabi

The UAE’s warning is its strongest criticism of Israel since the start of the Gaza war, and raises concerns about the Abraham Accords.

3 Sep 2025 - 8:54PM

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and a woman hold a map that shows the long-frozen E1 settlement scheme, that would split East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank. Photo: Reuters

Thousands of reservists report for duty as Israel begins new Gaza offensive

The call-up comes after the Israeli military chief warned that the offensive would endanger hostages and put further strain on the army.

2 Sep 2025 - 6:29PM

Netanyahu demands Gaza City is taken faster than planned

The ‘timeline for conquering the last terrorist strongholds and defeating Hamas’ should be shortened, Netanyahu’s office said.

21 Aug 2025 - 8:39AMvideocam

Tens of thousands of Israelis protest in capital, calling for an end to Gaza war

The renewed energy of the protest movement came with the recent government decision to seize Gaza City and nearby camps in a new offensive.

18 Aug 2025 - 8:19AM

Outrage as Israel moves to bisect West Bank to ‘bury’ Palestinian state

Israel advances controversial E1 settlement plan, sparking condemnation and fears it will lead to ‘many more years of bloodshed’.

15 Aug 2025 - 9:38AMvideocam

Israeli policemen stand guard near the settlement of Maale Adummim, in a land corridor known as E1, outside Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank on August 14. Photo: AFP

Israel’s Gaza City offensive may be weeks away, leaving time for ceasefire

Two officials say the evacuation of civilians could take until October, despite Netanyahu’s vow to begin the offensive ‘fairly quickly’.

12 Aug 2025 - 6:23PM