KOENIG

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday the country's intentions to recognize Palestinian statehood at the 80th session of the United National General Assembly in September.

"This intention is predicated by the Palestinian Authority's commitment to much-needed reforms," Carney said.

He explained that PA's President Mahmoud Abbas plans to reform its government, hold general elections in 2026, in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.

One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck off Russia’s sparsely populated Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far.

Authorities warned the risk from the 8.8 magnitude quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground.

The worst appeared to have passed for many areas, including the U.S., Japan and Russia. But along South America’s Pacific Coast, new warnings were forcing evacuations in Chile and Colombia.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula, residents fled inland as ports flooded, and several were injured while rushing to leave buildings.

A very powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka coast on Wednesday triggered tsunami warnings as far away as French Polynesia and Chile, and was followed by an eruption of the most active volcano on the peninsula.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the Kremlin said, to discuss various developments in the Middle East, including recent sectarian violence in Syria and Iran’s nuclear program.

During the call, Putin stressed Syria’s territorial integrity, the Kremlin said, after sectarian violence in the Druze majority city of Sweida earlier this month prompted Israeli intervention in the form of airstrikes against Syrian military targets in both Sweida and Damascus.

Also during the call, Putin again offered to mediate in talks on Iran’s nuclear program, after negotiations ground to a halt last month, when Israel launched its surprise attack on Iranian military and nuclear targets, kickstarting a 12-day war between the two countries.

France on Tuesday failed in its attempt to rally all participants at the UN Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in New York to call on countries to recognize a Palestinian state.

A document presented to the participating countries and obtained by The Jerusalem Post, read: “We, the foreign ministers of countries that have recognized Palestine as a state or have expressed our willingness to do so, call on other countries around the world to join the call to recognize Palestine as a state.”

The failed event took place at a closed-door meeting of foreign ministers who attended the conference in New York. The French delegation, led by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, presented the proposal to the participants, but in some cases, it was not well received.

Saudi Arabia can normalize ties with Israel only after the establishment of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said, reiterating the kingdom’s stance days after President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognize it in September.

“For the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, normalization with Israel can only come through the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Bin Farhan said at a United Nations press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, on the two-state solution.

“That position remains the same, and it is based on a strong conviction that only through the establishment of a Palestinian state and only through addressing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination can we have sustainable peace and real integration in the region,” the Saudi foreign minister said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce a peace plan that will reportedly include recognition of a Palestinian State, the Telegraph reported on Monday.

Starmer will introduce the plan to the US and Arab states within the next week, the Telegraph noted, adding that it will focus on steps to “turn a ceasefire into lasting peace.”

Ahead of a Monday meeting at Trump’s Turnberry golf course, the US president stressed that he would not be taking a position on the issue.

The US on Monday rejected as a "publicity stunt" a United Nations conference that brought dozens of ministers together to work toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

"This is a publicity stunt that comes in the middle of delicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Far from promoting peace, the conference will prolong the war, embolden Hamas, and reward its obstruction and undermine real-world efforts to achieve peace," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement.

The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025. Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran.

US President Donald Trump warned on Monday that he would order fresh US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities should Tehran try to restart facilities that the United States bombed last month.

Trump issued the threat as he held talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf resort on the western coast of Scotland.

Iran, which denies seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, has insisted it will not give up domestic uranium enrichment despite the bombings of three nuclear sites.

Egyptian diplomatic sources believe a significant shift is underway in US policy toward the Gaza Strip, moving beyond the goals of deterring or limiting the capabilities of the terrorist organization Hamas. According to the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar, which is considered close to Hamas, Washington is said to be exploring a "more comprehensive vision" that redefines the objectives of the war.

Sources reported that in certain Washington circles, the idea has taken root that the war must be forcibly brought to an end, paving the way for a new political phase in Gaza. This approach, the sources explained, stems not from the framework of current negotiations but from what they described as "historic developments." The proposal envisions treating Gaza as a territory that must first be subdued militarily and then rebuilt, both politically and in terms of security, similar to how Berlin and Tokyo were handled after Germany and Japan were defeated in World War II.

After the deadlock of negotiations for a partial hostage deal, which would have seen 10 hostages released in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, both Jerusalem and Washington are reassessing their approach.

Several members of the Trump administration believe the time may be right to propose a comprehensive deal that would bring about the release of all the hostages and an end to the war, a person familiar with the matter told The Jerusalem Post.

“It’s clear to everyone that a comprehensive deal is significantly harder to get both sides to agree on,” the source said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to target Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking while visiting the Ramon Air Force Base in the Negev desert with Prime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the commander of the Israel Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, on Sunday.

“I want to send a clear message to the dictator Khamenei: If you continue to threaten Israel, our long hand will reach Tehran again and with even greater powers, and this time to you personally. Don’t threaten lest you get hurt,” Katz said.

The governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Australia announced over the weekend that they are not planning on backing France’s initiative to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September.

While London backs the move in principle, it “must be part of a wider plan, which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a video statement he posted to social media on Friday evening.

According to the British leader, this will “ensure that recognition is a tool of maximum impact, to improve the lives of those who are suffering, and that must always be our ultimate goal.”

The Syrian Center for Human Rights released overnight the terms of an agreement concluded between Israel and Syria in partnership with the United States.

The published specifics reveal that oversight of the Sweida area, which became the focal point of Syrian regime aggression against the Druze population, will transfer to American control, with US officials committing to ensuring agreement implementation. The arrangement stipulates that all local tribal forces and government forces must withdraw from Druze villages, while Druze units will perform verification sweeps in these communities to confirm compliance.

Subsequently, the agreement provides for the establishment of local councils with participation from Sweida residents, with appointed members handling regional resource management and essential services. Additionally, a monitoring and documentation committee will track agreement violations, submitting reports to American officials when necessary.

Israeli sources believe US and Israeli strikes in Iran last month hampered the Islamic Republic’s development of two types of nuclear warheads and an “electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon that could cripple Israel electronically,” the Washington Post reported Saturday.

According to the report, the 12-day war with Iran also destroyed roughly half of Tehran’s 3,000 ballistic missiles and 80% of its 500 missile launchers. Unnamed Israeli sources were cited as saying Tehran was planning to raise its ballistic missile stockpile to at least 8,000, meaning any further delay to the strike against Iran would have exposed Israel to much greater damage from missile strikes.

However, along with Israel’s successes, Jerusalem was dealt an “unwelcome surprise” when it discovered Iran had more solid-fuel missiles than previously expected, the report said. Such missiles are more difficult to shoot down, according to an Israeli source cited by the Post.

Israeli sources believe US and Israeli strikes in Iran last month hampered the Islamic Republic’s development of two types of nuclear warheads and an “electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon that could cripple Israel electronically,” the Washington Post reported Saturday.

According to the report, the 12-day war with Iran also destroyed roughly half of Tehran’s 3,000 ballistic missiles and 80% of its 500 missile launchers. Unnamed Israeli sources were cited as saying Tehran was planning to raise its ballistic missile stockpile to at least 8,000, meaning any further delay to the strike against Iran would have exposed Israel to much greater damage from missile strikes.

However, along with Israel’s successes, Jerusalem was dealt an “unwelcome surprise” when it discovered Iran had more solid-fuel missiles than previously expected, the report said. Such missiles are more difficult to shoot down, according to an Israeli source cited by the Post.

United States Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack confirmed on Thursday that he had participated in a landmark meeting between Israeli and Syrian officials in Paris earlier in the day.

It was the first time that officials from Israel and Syria sat down since a ceasefire was declared on July 19, although they held secret talks in Azerbaijan earlier this year.

“I met this evening with the Syrians and Israelis in Paris,” Barrack posted on X. “Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation, and we accomplished precisely that. All parties reiterated their commitment to continuing these efforts.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel and the US are considering alternative options for bringing the hostages home in a Friday statement, agreeing with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage deal. 

"Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal. Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas’s terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region," he said.

US President Donald Trump also commented on the ceasefire negotiations situation, arguing that "Hamas didn’t want to make a deal."

US President Donald Trump declared Friday that Hamas isn’t interested in reaching a hostage deal and signaled backing for Israel advancing its military operations against the terror group.

“Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die,” Trump told reporters outside the White House a day after the US and Israel announced that they were pulling their respective negotiating teams from Doha, where proximity talks with Hamas had been taking place for nearly three weeks.

Washington and Jerusalem fumed at Hamas over the response it submitted earlier Thursday to the latest proposal for a 60-day Gaza truce and hostage release deal. Egypt and Qatar took a more nuanced approach, arguing that the response indeed contained too many requests for changes to the proposal.

France will recognize a Palestinian state, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in an X/Twitter post on Thursday.

“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,” wrote Macron.

He continued, stating he would make the solemn announcement at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Following a pivotal meeting overnight with international mediators who had come from talks with Hamas representatives, the Israeli delegation returned to Israel early Thursday morning for consultations after over two weeks of high-stakes negotiations in Doha.

The Israeli negotiating team will leave Qatar to continue consultations on the ceasefire proposal in Israel, in light of Hamas's response on Thursday morning, the Prime Minister's Office said.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff later added: “We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Eight people were wounded after a vehicle rammed into several pedestrians waiting at a bus stop near Kfar Yona on Thursday. 

Magen David Adom (MDA) teams are on scene administering aid, and Israel Police forces are investigating the ramming as a terror attack. 

“I saw the bus stop shattered, glass broken, and eight injured people nearby," MDA motorcycle paramedic Idan Shina said. "Three of them had been thrown about 15 meters back into the dirt behind the bus stop. All were fully conscious and told us that while they were standing at the bus stop, a vehicle suddenly sped toward them, hit them, and fled the scene."

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday doubled down on Tehran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program and said Iran is "fully prepared" for a renewed fight with Israel. 

The Iranian president’s comments came just two days after Tehran’s foreign minister confirmed to Fox News that Iran will not give up its enrichment program, but continues to claim Tehran is not interested in developing a nuclear weapon. 

"[US President Donald] Trump says that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and we accept this because we reject nuclear weapons and this is our political, religious, humanitarian and strategic position," Pezeshkian said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is traveling to the region after visiting Europe to hold talks with Israeli and Qatari officials in Rome amid the mounting death toll in Gaza and growing international pressure to end the war. 

His visit indicates potential progress in the ongoing hostage deal and Israel-Gaza ceasefire negotiations.

“Special Envoy Witkoff will travel to Europe this week for meetings on a wide range of issues, including Gaza, and will continue pushing for a Gaza ceasefire and peace deal,” said a US State Department official.

A majority of 71 out of 120 Knesset members on Wednesday passed a non-binding resolution in favor of applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.

Only 13 lawmakers voted against the resolution, submitted by Dan Illouz (Likud), Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) and Oded Forer (Yisrael Beiteinu).

“Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley are an inseparable part of the Land of Israel—the historic, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people,” the preamble to the resolution states.