Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett:

We are settling the Land of Israel because it is our right, and because the Land of Israel is ours.

But we did not return from 2,000 years of exile in order to have militias. We have an army — the Israel Defense Forces.

The IDF is the only body that should use force against our enemies, and with full force.

Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett on Netanyahu:

While Netanyahu handed over parts of the Land of Israel — 13% of the West Bank — I did not hand over one centimeter of land.

While Netanyahu promised Biden to establish a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem, I refused.

Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett:

If someone comes to burn down the home of innocent Arabs with the people inside it, then of course that is Jewish terrorism.

If it is done for nationalist reasons, that is the definition. What is there to argue about?

And I think everyone here should condemn it. I don’t understand how this serves the settlement movement.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich:

I think the Palestinian Authority needs to be brought down. I think it is a terror organization — it encourages terror, finances terror, incites terror, and is dangerous.

There will be no avoiding, in the near future, a war in the West Bank in which we disarm all the Arabs in the West Bank and make sure that weapons are only in our hands.

Today we are burying our heads in the sand like an ostrich and waiting for the next October 7.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich:

In any case, Oslo is dead.

Area A of the West Bank is ours too.

OPINION: Why Türkiye Must Deter Israel by All Means

Israel’s aggression will not end in Syria. Unless Türkiye imposes tangible costs, Israeli forces may eventually reach its borders. Diplomatic restraint alone cannot deter a state that interprets caution as weakness. Türkiye must establish credible deterrence before Israel advances further.

🖋️ Abdullah Marouf Omer | Director of Center For Jerusalem Studies

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The Iran war has cost U.S. consumers an estimated $100 billion in higher fuel prices since Feb. 28, according to Brown University.

The average household has paid more than $760 extra, mostly for gasoline.

Texas has absorbed the biggest total hit at about $11 billion, followed by California at $8 billion and Florida at $5 billion.

Source: Axios

Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

We are all deeply shocked. We did not expect it in this form.

Since yesterday, something has changed not only in Saxony-Anhalt, but in all of Germany.

And this election result will have consequences. It also has consequences for the international situation.

If you look at who congratulated them yesterday alone, that shows the degree of international attention this election result is receiving.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

When 60 percent of voters in a federal state, with a very high voter turnout, vote for political parties that fundamentally call into question the democratic institutions and rules of our country, then this is an election result that we cannot simply move past and return to business as usual.

This does something to us — and to me personally as well.

And I have to admit: this is the most serious electoral defeat the CDU has suffered in years, even in decades.

All of this will, of course, have to have consequences.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

We have to explain the reforms better. Yes, that is a standard phrase we often use, but that phrase is no longer enough.

I want to repeat it: we have to try — myself included — to reach people more strongly on an emotional level.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

The living situation of many people in Germany is difficult.

We know that many people are afraid for their own future, for their economic foundations, and for their social security.

Since yesterday, another fear has been added for many people: that our country is changing for the worse — especially when it comes to the firm anchoring of our values and our democracy in society.

That is why I want to focus all our efforts, together with the SPD in the coalition, on developing a new and better — how should I put it — narrative, a better overarching explanation of why we believe these reforms are necessary and right.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

I naturally ask myself how it could have come this far, what the reasons are that we allowed right-wing populism — and, in large parts, right-wing extremist populism — to come this far.

I do not point only to an international trend that we are seeing everywhere. I also look for the reasons here in Germany. Of course, I look for them among ourselves as well. I look for them in myself.

What disappointments are there that have led to this kind of voting behavior?

What fear exists among the population that we may also have underestimated?

There is also the accumulation of crises in the world — war, artificial intelligence, and many other issues that are causing people great concern.

Reassessing all of this and developing a greater understanding of it is, I believe, one of the tasks that all of us have — and one that I personally accept as well.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz on Russia and AfD:

I want to say this very explicitly: 2,500 kilometers east of here, there is particularly great joy about this election result.

And that is hardly surprising when you look at everyone who tried to promote this election result and help bring it about.

So, in that respect, we know who we are dealing with here.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz on Ukraine:

I will not deviate by a single millimeter from my fundamental conviction that we must defend our freedom against Russia, especially now.

And if we stop supporting Ukraine, things will not get better tomorrow. They will get even worse.

The goal of the Russian state leadership is to destabilize the system of values of what we once called the West.

And this system of values is not up for negotiation.

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The ICJ opened four days of hearings on Monday, on Germany's objections to Nicaragua's case alleging Germany's support for Israel violates the Genocide Convention regarding Gaza. A ruling is expected in about six months.

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Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

How will a possible AfD-led state government deal with minorities in Saxony-Anhalt?

And if boundaries are crossed there, I can tell you that, from the federal government’s point of view, we will do everything to correct it.

A state such as Saxony-Anhalt is required to remain loyal to the federal government in the essential areas of policy that are determined at the federal level.

That applies, for example, to the entire field of immigration and policy concerning foreign nationals.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz admits:

I can see that the two major mainstream parties — the CDU and SPD — are seriously in danger.

That has been true of the SPD for some time, but it is also true of us.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

We have to regain the trust of the population and of our voters that has been lost.

I remain convinced that the decisions we made last year were the right ones.

But it is also true that, at that point, I personally took out a large amount of political credit — and I have not yet paid it back.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz:

Giving up is not an option for me.

I know that all of us have to get better, and I am looking for ways to make that happen.

And it is not only a question of rational political understanding. It is also a question of attention, empathy and emotion.

I am one of those people who do not carry their emotions in front of them every day.

But the population also wants different answers in that respect.

The UK is expected to announce a ban on trade and investment linked to Israeli settlements on Tuesday.

The move is intended to align Britain with the International Court of Justice’s 2024 advisory opinion, which found Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful and said states must not support its continuation.

Source: MEE

Kosovo has signed an agreement to participate in the U.S.-backed International Stabilization Force for Gaza, after its parliament approved sending troops in April.

Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania have committed troops, while Egypt and Jordan will help train police.

No deployment date has been announced.