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Israel is to expel by the end of the week four French nationals held after security forces intercepted their Gaza-bound aid boat, France’s foreign minister said Wednesday, as an Israeli NGO said one of the French campaigners was briefly put in solitary confinement.The announcement came as France’s prime minister accused activists aboard the boat — who hoped to raise awareness about the humanitarian situation in war-torn Gaza — of capitalising on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political attention.The four, who include Rima Hassan, a member of European Parliament from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party who is of Palestinian descent, will be deported on Thursday and Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X.They were among 12 people on board the Madleen sailboat which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza before it was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off the besieged Palestinian territory on Monday.Four, including two French citizens and Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, agreed to be deported immediately.The remaining eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily, according to Adalah, an Israeli rights NGO representing most of the activists.All 12 of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years.Adalah said on Wednesday that Israeli authorities had placed French MEP Hassan and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila in solitary confinement, with Hassan later removed.- ‘Abandoning French prisoners’ -“Israeli authorities transferred two of the volunteers — the Brazilian volunteer Thiago Avila and the French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan — to separate prison facilities, away from the others, and placed them in solitary confinement,” Adalah said in a statement.The NGO later said that Hassan had been moved back to Givon prison in Ramla, near Tel Aviv, while Avila remained in isolation.When asked for comment, Israel’s prison authority referred AFP to the foreign ministry, which said it was checking the reports.Adalah said Hassan was put in isolation after writing “Free Palestine” on a prison wall. The NGO said Brazilian activist Avila was placed in isolation “due to his ongoing hunger and thirst strike, which he began two days ago.””He has also been treated aggressively by prison authorities, although this has not escalated to physical assault,” it added.The leader of Hassan’s LFI party in parliament, Mathilde Panot, said France’s prime minister Francois Bayrou had failed to condemn Israel’s actions. The party’s boss, Jean-Luc Melenchon, accused Bayrou of “abandoning the French prisoners”, and called on President Emmanuel Macron to step in.”These activists obtained the effect they wanted, but it’s a form of instrumentalisation to which we should not lend ourselves,” Bayrou responded in the National Assembly.It’s “through diplomatic action, and efforts to bring together several states to pressure the Israeli government, that we can obtain the only possible solution” to the conflict, he added.Foreign Minister Barrot also rejected Panot’s criticism, saying “the admirable mobilisation” of French officials had made a rapid resolution of the situation possible “despite the harassment and defamation that they have been subjected to”.- Mounting pressure -France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a UN meeting later this month in New York on steps towards recognising a Palestinian state and reaching a so-called two-state solution to the conflict.Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, whose entire population the United Nations has warned is at risk of famine.Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz on Wednesday called on Egypt to block a hundreds-strong pro-Palestinian activist convoy from reaching Gaza, as the group arrived in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023 attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.burs-jh-acc/gv

President Donald Trump said US personnel were being moved from the potentially “dangerous” Middle East on Wednesday as nuclear talks with Iran faltered and fears grew of a regional conflict.Trump also reiterated that he would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, amid mounting speculation that Israel could strike Tehran’s facilities. Iran threatened Wednesday to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out.A US official had earlier said that staff levels at the embassy in Iraq were being reduced over security concerns, while there were reports that personnel were also being moved from Kuwait and Bahrain.”Well they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place,” Trump told reporters in Washington when asked about the reports of personnel being moved. “We’ve given notice to move out and we’ll see what happens.”Trump then added: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, very simple. We’re not going to allow that.” Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 accord that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.The two sides were due to meet again in coming days.Trump had until recently expressed optimism about the talks, but said in an interview published Wednesday that he was “less confident” about reaching a nuclear deal.Since returning to office in January, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran, backing nuclear diplomacy but warning of military action if it fails.The US president says he has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off striking Iran’s nuclear facilities to give the talks a chance, but has increasingly signaled that he is losing patience.Iran however warned it would respond to any attack.”All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries,” Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in response to US threats of military action if the talks fail.- ‘Suffer more losses’ -“God willing, things won’t reach that point, and the talks will succeed,” the minister said, adding that the US side “will suffer more losses” if it came to conflict.The United States has multiple bases in the Middle East, with the largest located in Qatar.In January 2020, Iran fired missiles at bases in Iraq housing American troops in retaliation for the US strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani days before at the Baghdad airport.Dozens of US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries.Amid the escalating tensions, the UK Maritime Trade Operations, run by the British navy, also advised ships to transit the Gulf with caution.Iran and the United States have recently been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran’s uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a “non-negotiable” right and Washington calling it a “red line.”Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.Western countries have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.Last week, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said enrichment is “key” to Iran’s nuclear program and that Washington “cannot have a say” on the issue.During an interview with the New York Post’s podcast “Pod Force One,” which was recorded on Monday, Trump said he was losing hope a deal could be reached.”I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more — less confident about it. They seem to be delaying and I think that’s a shame. I am less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,” he said.Iran has said it will present a counter-proposal to the latest draft from Washington, which it had criticised for failing to offer relief from sanctions — a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years.burs-dk/jgc

A former CIA analyst who leaked top secret US intelligence documents about Israeli military plans for a retaliatory strike on Iran was sentenced to 37 months in prison on Wednesday, the Justice Department said.Asif Rahman, 34, who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency since 2016 and held a top secret security clearance, was arrested by the FBI in Cambodia in November.In January, Rahman pleaded guilty at a federal courthouse in Virginia to two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.He faced a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.Iran unleashed a wave of close to 200 ballistic missiles on Israel on October 1 in retaliation for the killings of senior figures in the Tehran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah militant groups.Israel responded with a wave of strikes on military targets in Iran in late October.According to a court filing, on October 17 Rahman printed out two top secret documents “regarding a United States foreign ally and its planned kinetic actions against a foreign adversary.”He photographed the documents and used a computer program to edit the images in “an attempt to conceal their source and delete his activity,” it said.Rahman then transmitted the documents to “multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them” before shredding them at work.The documents, circulated on the Telegram app by an account called Middle East Spectator, described Israeli preparations for a possible strike on Iran but did not identify any actual targets.According to The Washington Post, the documents, generated by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, described aviation exercises and movements of munitions at an Israeli airfield. The leak led Israeli officials to delay their retaliatory strike.

US President Donald Trump touted “excellent” ties with China on Wednesday, saying the superpowers reached a deal after two days of talks aimed at preserving a truce in their damaging trade war.Trump said on his Truth Social platform that China would supply rare earth minerals and magnets — vital elements for US industries — while …

Trump touts ‘done’ deal with Beijing on rare earths, Chinese students Read More »

Wall Street stocks mostly fell Wednesday despite positive movement in the US-China trade conflict, while oil prices rallied on growing tensions between Washington and Tehran.Following two days of talks in London, top US and Chinese negotiators announced a “framework” agreement late Tuesday that included Chinese concessions on rare earth materials along with Washington allowing Chinese …

US stocks rally fades after China trade framework, oil prices jump Read More »

Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday his country would in 2026 move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the status of which is one of the most delicate issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”I am proud to announce before you that in 2026 we will make effective the move of our embassy to the city of west Jerusalem, as we promised,” Milei said in a speech in the Israeli parliament during an official state visit.Argentina’s embassy is currently located in Herzliya near the coastal city of Tel Aviv.This is Milei’s second visit to Israel since being elected in 2023. His previous trip, in February 2024, was his first official state visit outside of Argentina. During that trip he announced plans to move Argentina’s embassy  to Jerusalem — a controversial move that echoed US President Donald Trump’s shock 2017 decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.Israel has occupied east Jerusalem since 1967, later annexing it in a move not recognised by the international community.Israel treats the city as its capital, while Palestinians want east Jerusalem to become the capital of a future state.Most foreign embassies to Israel are located in the coastal hub city of Tel Aviv in order to avoid interfering with negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.Speaking ahead of Milei’s address to parliament on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “the city of Jerusalem will never be divided again.”Several countries, including the United States, Paraguay, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo, have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, breaking with international consensus.- ‘Stand firm’ -In 2017, during his first term as US president, Trump unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, sparking Palestinian anger and the international community’s disapproval.The United States transferred its embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018.Milei, who has professed a deep interest in Judaism and studied Jewish scripture, is one of Israel’s staunchest defenders.As Israel faces mounting international pressure over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza after more than 20 months of war, Milei sought to express his support.”As a nation, we want to stand firm alongside you as you go through these dark days, we will not yield to criticism resulting from cowardice or complicity with barbarism,” he said on Tuesday during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.He also demanded the “unconditional return of the four Argentines still in captivity” in Gaza after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.The Palestinian militant group’s attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists in a Gaza-bound convoy reached the Libyan capital of Tripoli on Wednesday as they drive eastward in a bid to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory.The Soumoud convoy — meaning steadfastness in Arabic — set off from Tunis in buses and cars on Monday, hoping to pass through divided Libya and Egypt, which organisers say has yet to provide passage permits, to reach Gaza.It was launched the day Israel intercepted an aid ship also attempting to breach its blockade on Gaza, which was carrying 12 people, including campaigner Greta Thunberg and European parliament member Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan.The land convoy was welcomed by hundreds in Tripoli and escorted through the capital by police patrols.Libya’s Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah hailed the convoy as a “fraternal humanitarian initiative” that Libyans “embraced in warmth and solidarity”.”This is another example of Libya’s commitment and generosity in support of the people of Gaza under siege and attack,” the premier said in a statement.After 20 months of war, Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies.The United Nations has said the Palestinian territory was “the hungriest place on Earth”.”This visit brings us joy,” said 45-year-old architect Alaa Abdel Razzaq among the crowd in downtown Tripoli welcoming the convoy.Souhour al-Qatif said the gathering in the capital showed that “the tears of the Libyan people are united with the convoy”. “It’s a great feeling,” she added. “I feel like I’m not in Libya, but in Gaza, united with my Palestinian brothers.”Organisers have said a dozen buses and around 100 other vehicles were part of the convoy, adding that they expected the number of participants to grow along the way.Algerian, Mauritanian, Moroccan and Libyan activists were also among the Soumoud group, which is now set to cross eastern Libya, a region controlled by a different administration than Tripoli.This has cast doubt on whether the activists would reach the border crossing with Egypt, which has yet to grant clearance for the activists to cross.Convoy spokesman Ghassen Henchiri told Tunisian media on Wednesday discussions were ongoing with Egyptian authorities regarding a permit to cross, “but as of now, we haven’t received an official response.”